Schools
MHS’ Perez Officially Signs With St. John’s
Manchester High School's Ashley Perez signed an official letter of intent for a scholarship to play basketball at St. John's University next year on Wednesday.
It’s official.
, who as a junior shooting guard for the Manchester High School girls basketball team averaged 24.3 points per game last season and led the Indians to a 22-3 record and the quarterfinals of the Class LL tournament, signed a letter of intent Wednesday to attend St. John’s University on a basketball scholarship next year.
Although that she intended to play for St. John’s next year, her signing Wednesday ended years of speculation as to where she would play in college.
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Perez, a two-time CIAC Class LL All-State guard who became Manchester’s all-time leading scorer last season, has been arguably one of the best players not just at her position in the state but in all of girls high school basketball in Connecticut since she stepped on the court as a freshmen, and anyone who has seen her play over the years has speculated as to where she might play at the next level.
She said she chose St. John’s University over two other schools that were in the running, James Madison University and Marist College, because everything seemed to click for her on her visit to the school's campus in Jamaica, Queens, NY.
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“Pretty much everything played a factor,” Perez said. “The coaches were great. I loved the teammates; I got along really well with them. The campus was amazing. It was beautiful. And the school itself, it’s a great school.”
Although Perez still has her entire senior year left to play at MHS, already many at the school feel she has left behind a legacy that will be pretty hard to surpass.
“The Manchester athletic community is extremely proud of Ashley,” said Manchester Athletic Director Lindsey Boutilier. “She is a great role model on and off the court. We look forward to following Ashley's career at St. John’s the next four years.”
And as for that senior year still left to play?
Perez says the goal this season is nothing short of a state championship for the Indians.
“I think if everyone has a positive attitude this year we can do really well,” she said. “We want a state championship.”
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