By Bobby Narang
Two of the top girls high school basketball players in DuPage County finalized their college choices last week.
Naperville North High School senior guard, Kenzie Hare, committed to Marquette University and Benet Academy junior point guard, Lenee Beaumont, announced her intentions to attend Indiana University.
Meanwhile, St. Charles North’s Erin Stack announced her commitment to Western Carolina Friday morning.
After spending three seasons racking up awards and scoring points for Bartlett High School, Hare transferred to Naperville North for her final season. When Saint Louis University fired head coach Lisa Stone March 18, Hare elected to reopen her commitment. She chose Marquette over DePaul and Belmont.
“I was considering a pretty good handful of schools, but was probably down to close to two or three,” she said. “I was always 100% confident about Marquette. I had a good feeling, but when I visited last Friday, that secured the deal. It’s a great place with great people and the players are so welcoming. It’s definitely very relaxing to (commit).”
Hare, who averaged 20.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 3.0 assists in her senior season, said she’s excited to be playing closer to home and in the Big East Conference.
“I felt like (Marquette) was the perfect fit for me,” Hare said. “I love the coaching staff and the culture of the program. Their main selling point was their family atmosphere. I got to talk to their players multiple times. I really felt like I was able to connect with them. I’m super excited about the competition. The Big East is a great conference. I’m excited for the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament.”
• The 6-foot Beaumont had her choice of schools from across the country. She racked up 35 offers. She’s considered one of the top juniors in the State due to her height, playmaking ability, and potential. She averaged 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists and made 78 three-pointers.
“I was basically talking to (Indiana) throughout the entire process,” Beaumont said. “I always felt important and a priority for them. They made that clear, always coming to my games and surprised me at Benet practices when it doesn’t really benefit them in any way.
“They even came to one of my games, against Joliet Catholic during a snowstorm. The entire staff came down. That’s extreme a bit, but stuff like that showed they wanted me. I always felt wanted by them.”
Beaumont admitted Indiana’s solid season helped sway her into committing for the Big Ten Conference school. Beaumont led the Redwings to the Class 4A third-place trophy in March.
“(Winning) was a big thing that played a factor for me,” she said, laughing. “They were top 15 program for most of season. With Benet being a really good program, I really like to win. I don’t like losing, so that was a key point.”