Khadrice Rollins
krollins@ajc.com
Four players on the Saint Francis Lady Knights girls’ basketball team turned a dream into reality Wednesday signing letters of intent to play for Division 1 programs next season.
Maya Dodson (Stanford), Kasiyahna Kushkituah (Tennessee), Taja Cummings (Georgia Tech) and Nichel Tampa (Western Kentucky) go into their final high school season knowing four more years of basketball at the highest level await them on the other side.
“I remember when I was younger and I would dream to play on a D1 basketball program, and to actually have it happen, it’s crazy,” Dodson said.
Coach Aisha Kennedy said she was proud of the girls and happy to see them achieve this common goal.
“It’s fun and exciting, and that’s your goal as a coach: to make sure that they have a great high school experience and then that you’re preparing them to go off and play Division 1 basketball if that’s their dream, and it was those four young ladies’ dream,” Kennedy said. “It’s very exciting to watch them grow and achieve their goals.”
The players said they all made their decisions separately and were ready to go in different directions from each other, although they will miss being teammates.
But before they run off to college, the players still have senior year to get through and a chance to win another state championship together.
“We know we’re going to do big things this year again this year,” Kushkituah said. “We’re going to go back to DICK’S Nationals in New York and we’re going to win another championship. So I’m really excited about finishing it out with my best friends.”
