Harcum's Sironda Chambers Selected to National All Tournament Team

When the bright lights shone down on the national stage, she was there. Just as she had been there the whole season. Just like she was there during Harcum College’s Region 19 championship run, and the Lady Bears’ District N championship. Just like she was there when she aided Harcum to three victories over eventual National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) champion Monroe College.

When the bright lights glared down on the national stage, there was no way Sironda Chambers was going to be denied. No way she’d let Harcum down. The 5-foot-7 senior had a remarkable knack for finding the ball and making the big play when needed. She averaged a rare double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds a game.

Chambers led the Lady Bears to a history-making season, reaching the NJCAA tournament for the first time. It also led to Chambers being finally recognized by being named to the NJCAA national all tournament team. The ironic twist is that Chambers was not named to any all-region or all-district team, though she was very deserving of being selected to each.

The other interesting aspect to Chambers’ growth at Harcum is that, in the end, she was recognized: Rider noticed. She made an oral commitment to Rider for a full Division I basketball scholarship.

“Sironda is a go-getter, and she was this year where the ball was,” Harcum coach Sheila DiNardo said. “She has a nose for the ball. She’s not flashy. She doesn’t like to make mistakes. There were times when she almost had a quadruple-double. Sironda does all of the good things a coach likes. If a Division–I coach sees Rond, they’d notice all of the little things she does. She’s very composed and a good leader, a great general on the floor. I really liked her; she’s a great kid.”

Chambers went to Hodgson Vo-Tech, in Newark, Del., where she was a three-year starter. She did well academically, with a 3.5 GPA, but didn’t test well on SAT. That led to a scramble, and for a brief time, dashed away any hopes of segueing right from high school to a Division I program.

“My vision was to play D-I straight out of high school and not knowing my SAT didn’t meet the criteria for a D-I college, that was a little disappointing,” Chambers said. “Going to Harcum was a great opportunity for me, and I’m grateful. I had to come in open-minded and I never won a championship in high school. My attitude was to learn from Coach DiNardo and was to win a championship. I didn’t care if it was junior college or not, I didn’t care. My attitude was about winning.”

The Lady Bears did, going a combined 58-5 in Chambers’ two years. But there was one thing missing. She didn’t make any all-star team.

“That bothered me,” Chambers said. “I’m goal oriented and that was one of my goals to make first-team all-region. I didn’t make second team or honorable mention--I didn’t get anything, and I was crushed. I left it behind me and made the all-tournament team. I just had to play my way into action. I went out to prove something that I should have made something. I think that’s bigger in my eyes than any all-region team. I proved something to at least someone that I was somebody. A few more [D-I] schools wanted to talk to me, and I wanted to be loyal to Rider. Rider was loyal to me since last year.”

Chambers will receive her associate degree in general sciences and look to major in neurobehavioral science at Rider.

“I would say to high school players in my situation, don’t give up,” Chambers said. “I always had an upbeat attitude. It’s just how I am. I think going to Harcum was one of the greatest moves I ever made. Even after we lost in the national tournament, I had a smile on my face. I’ll have a smile on my face when I graduate. I had a wonderful coach, and my teammates--we all shared something, and that’s doing what no other team before us did. I’m walking away with a Division I scholarship. I’m proud of myself and my coach for staying with me.”