With pens in hand and smiles on their faces, five Santa Monica High School student-athletes recently cemented their future as college athletes during a National Signing Day Ceremony that occurred on-campus earlier this month.
With their Letters of Intent signed, Quincy Hilaire-McGriff, Iternite Reed and Chantal Moawad will soon be heading the University of Texas El Paso, Saint Martin's University and Brown University, respectively, to showcase their skills on the hardwood, while Donovan Parks and Anthony Arnou intend to head south to Alabama A&M University and the University of San Diego.
Though some of the athletes are currently preparing for a potential CIF championship run, a few of the Samohi stars took a brief moment to reflect on their time in high school and look ahead to the future.
“To be able to say that I am attending an Ivy League school is completely surreal and I’m grateful for this opportunity,” Moawad said, mentioning she looks forward to having an opportunity to develop her game as well as her academics at the next level. “I fell in love with the school, and the team and coaching staff at Brown is great. I can already tell that Brown has an environment in which I can thrive in. Plus who can say no to an Ivy League?”
Like Moawad, Arnou said the recruiting process was stressful, but he felt San Diego was the right place for him after he took an official visit to the campus.
“I realized what a special place it is,” Arnou said. “The campus, the culture, the players and the coaches are like no other (and) knowing that this school believes in me as a player inclined me to pursue this route.”
Arnou added the recruiting process is like a business.
“There are a multitude of factors that go into it that are completely out of your control, which makes it far from fair,” he said. “The best advice I can give anyone is to not get discouraged and to keep working hard. One school is all it takes to make it to the next level.”
Reed thanked those who have helped her mature over the course of her four years on campus, but specifically mentioned her Head Coach Doug Kim.
“Not only has coach taught me a game,he's taught me how to be a young successful woman,” Reed said. “So now I'm prepared to go to college and I know how to act and can be independent.”
