Anabel Merriam '22 Recruiting Profile

Never giving up, even when we are losing; cheering on my team mates when they have made the winning shot, or missed a crucial point; getting excited when I make a great shot; being my team's biggest cheerleader, win or lose; and never losing faith that if I work hard, continue to play hard,  and keep my head up that every game whether we win or lose we always have an opportunity to be better. This is who I am on and off the court.

I played every sport as a child, but I kept coming back to basketball.  I was always tall as a kid, so it was natural  that I fell into basketball. Season after season my coaches would tell me that I was a very good ball player, and had a lot of potential, but I never took them seriously, even when being recruited for high school ball.  I just played the game and loved to make the shots.  Over time, I started believing that I was pretty good, and that made me even more excited to play the game.  I never imaged that I might be able to play in college.  But a recruiter from a local college reached out to me early in my sophomore year and that got me thinking that maybe it was something that I could do.   

I chose to go to an academic STEM high school in Winston Salem, NC.  I knew this was not the best choice I could make for my basketball career as I would not play ball at a division 4 school.  Nonetheless, I picked the best school for me and have loved it.  I am involved in a variety of academic, artistic and sports related organizations.  This has given me the opportunity to expand my leadership and social skills, and challenge myself academically.

My parents have always told us that a bad test grade, a missed shot, or a bully will not define who we are, but how we deal with those tough times will help define the person we become.   Through hard work academically, physically, mentally and socially I am becoming the person that I want to be.   I look forward to continuing to work hard in college.   Playing ball in college would be a dream!