Folks have pegged Shay Ciezki as a Division I athlete for quite some time.
That will become official next year.
Ciezki, the three-time first team All-Western New York selection from St. Mary’s of Lancaster, announced via Twitter late Friday night that she will play college basketball at Penn State.
The 5-foot-7 combo guard verbally committed to an offer from the Big Ten school over overtures from North Carolina State, Syracuse, Providence and all of the Big Four schools.
She said it came down to Penn State and N.C. State of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“I stepped on campus and I had that feeling,” Ciezki said. “I felt like how everyone says when you step on campus. That’s how I felt.”
Ciezki averaged 24.6 points, 7.4 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game last year. Though she put up impressive numbers, the team played roughly 10 fewer games due to Covid-19 restrictions.
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That means Ciezki’s pursuit of 2,000 career points is something that could pick up steam come January. Ciezki, who can score in bunches, has 1,370 career points.
She had more than 1,000 points after her sophomore season, which was just her second on varsity. She'd need to average 28.63 points over 22 games to get to 2K.
“She’s mature beyond her age,” Lancers coach Anthony Ottomano said. “She does it the right way. She put in a lot of work and that work resulted in her selecting Penn State.”
Ciezki heading to Penn State means there will be a Western New York girls basketball product heading to a power conference school for the second time in as many graduating classes. Amari DeBerry of Williamsville South is currently a freshman at Connecticut, aka UConn, in the Big East.
“She’s the only kid I’ve game planned for every time we’ve played her since she’s a freshman and to me that says a lot because I usually have a lot of talented girls on my team,” Cardinal O’Hara coach Nick O’Neil said of Ciezki. “I’ve known Shay since she’s in maybe fifth or sixth grade and back then you could see she was going to be a power conference girl. She’s one of the kids who knew what she wanted when she was young and she took every step along the way (to secure it). Her work ethic is impeccable. You could see she’s going to be a big-time player.”
Though her parents didn't play college sports, there are others who have in the Ciezki family tree. Her brother Matthew has played basketball and baseball at Division III Keuka, while cousin Zak Ciezki – the former Cheektowaga Warrior – played basketball and football at Division III Buffalo State.
Shay said she made her visit to Penn State back in June but waited to weigh the pros and cons as to figure out which school was the best fit for her – Penn State or N.C. State. She also chose a school that had plenty of scholarships available for the Class of 2022.
“It’s a huge decision,” Ciezki said. “I wanted to weigh the pros and cons. It was important to talk about it with my family and finally it came down to what I wanted in my heart, and I chose.”
“That’s a great decision and a good day for Shay and her hard work and commitment to what she’s been doing the last several years to reach her goals,” Ottomano said. “She’ll have a great opportunity to make an impact at an up and coming program.”