WV鈥檚 top recruit Ammons prepares to return to court for Morgantown in last hurrah before DePaul
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (BVM) — It has been a long time since Kaitlyn Ammons last suited up for the Morgantown Mohigans girls basketball team. A rising star for the Mohigans, the junior Ammons averaged 16.3 points and 7.9 rebounds for Morgantown, helping lead the team to an upset victory over No. 1-ranked Wheeling Park in regionals and an appearance in the state championship tournament. Though the team would lose to Woodrow Wilson in the Class AAA state tournament prior to the cancelation of the competition due to COVID-19, the junior forward would not walk away empty handed. She was named .
鈥淚t was definitely a roller coaster ride of a season,鈥� Ammons said. 鈥淸The regional championship] was insane! 鈥� It was a really exciting thing for me [to be named captain]. I was kind of hoping for more, but I鈥檓 thankful for the honor of that. It鈥檚 really nice that people see how hard I work.鈥�
However, the return to the court she loved has been a long one for the now senior Ammons. Due to West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice electing to delay the beginning of winter sports, Ammons and other athletes in the state have been delegated to the sideline since their seasons unceremoniously ended last year. However, with Justice鈥檚 recent announcement that basketball, swimming and wrestling teams may resume preseason practice on Feb. 14 with games tentatively scheduled to begin March 3, there is hope that the Mohigans can return to the court sooner than later. That was music to Ammons鈥� ears.
鈥淚t was great,鈥� Ammons said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have something to look forward to right now instead of the uncertainty we鈥檝e been used to over the past year. 鈥� Now we know what date to look at and can kind of countdown the days, which I think motivates a lot of people too.鈥�
Although she wasn鈥檛 able to make many moves on the basketball court due to the ongoing pandemic, that didn鈥檛 stop Ammons from making moves off the court during her offseason. As one of the most highly-touted girls basketball recruits in the state of West Virginia, Ammons knew she would be making the jump to a Division I program, it was just a matter of where. On April 10, Ammons revealed her decision to the world, verbally committing to the DePaul University Blue Demons women鈥檚 basketball team.
https://twitter.com/kaitlyn_ammons/status/1248628002730070023
Ammons, who visited the campus in the fall of 2019, was so impressed by the program and university that she didn鈥檛 even want to leave the first time she made the trip. That feeling was one factor among several that made the decision an easy one for Ammons.
鈥淚 told my parents at the end of the weekend, 鈥業 don鈥檛 want to go home, I want to stay here,鈥欌�� Ammons said with a laugh. 鈥淚 pretty much knew when I got on the plane and went back to West Virginia, I knew in my heart that was where I was going to end up.鈥�
As one of the top programs in Division I, the DePaul Blue Demons have plenty to offer the forward as well. As the Big East regular season and tournament champions last season, DePaul certainly has the ability to compete with any team on the floor and with a current national ranking at No. 19, the team has the potential to compete for a national title. At 6-foot-2, Ammons certainly has the size to play on the Blue Demons roster and has been competing on a national level throughout her high school career as a member of the Philadelphia based AAU team, the Philly Belles, so the jump shouldn鈥檛 be too big for her. Ammons hopes she could be a missing piece for the Blue Demons.
鈥淚 think I can add versatility to the team and I think I will be able to get in there and soak some knowledge from the seniors,鈥� Ammons said. 鈥淚 want to bring in a good attitude and just get to work and have a positive contribution to their team right from the start.鈥�
However, before Ammons鈥� trades the red and blue of Morgantown for the red and blue of DePaul, she has one last season to play for the Mohigans. The team is expected to perform well again this season thanks in part to returning most of the players from a year ago as last year鈥檚 state qualifying team had no seniors on the roster.
鈥淚t鈥檚 huge for our team especially because we鈥檝e been limited with the time we can spend together until the season because of COVID-19,鈥� Ammons said. 鈥淚 think that it鈥檚 going to be really important because we won鈥檛 have as much time to prepare for the season since it鈥檚 cut short. I think the experience will really help us.鈥�
With an all-state player like Ammons leading the way, the Mohigans certainly have the potential to make noise when they take the court this season. Until that time, Ammons will be happy just with the opportunity to return to practice with her team. A year older and wiser, Ammons knows that there are not any guarantees in life and is going into the season with an all-in attitude.
鈥淣othing is guaranteed right now,鈥� Ammons said. 鈥淚 think we realized we can鈥檛 take it for granted. We have to take advantage of every single day in the gym. 鈥� It鈥檚 really important when we鈥檙e in the gym we take advantage of our time in the gym because you never know when it could be taken away from you.鈥�
Perhaps that attitude, along with Ammons鈥� skill, can propel the Mohigans to a state title run.
鈥淭hat would mean everything to me,鈥� Ammons said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 all I want.鈥�
