On Tuesday, November 12, 2013, Souderton senior Bianca Picard was recognized at a special news conference for signing a letter of intent to accept a full basketball scholarship to New Jersey Institute of Technology. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
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Bianca Picard – New Jersey Institute of Technology (Basketball)
Major: Communications
Final list of colleges: NJIT, Binghamton, Siena, Lafayette, East Stroudsburg, West Chester
Reasons for choosing NJIT: “When I stepped on campus, everything felt like it was for me. The coaching staff is unbelievable. Just from the start, I could tell they really believed in me as a player, and that was really important when I was going through the recruiting process.
“(On my second visit), my mom went along, and the entire time we were there we kept looking at each other, and it was like, ‘This is it. This is where I’m going.’
“What I really like about this team is everybody plays, so they don’t recruit people to play their junior year or their senior year. Everyone has a role on the team, and that’s important because the chemistry on the team gets better and better with each game.”
What was the recruiting process like? “I did not enjoy it at all. I’m one of those players – I’m not looking forward to leaving Souderton. I really enjoy this program and everything the coaches have done for me and everything I’ve learned here. I think the hardest part for me with the recruiting process was understanding that I have to move on to something else. That still will be difficult with my senior year. I kind of wanted to turn my head and put it off. That’s why I’m glad I made an early decision because now I can enjoy my senior year and not have to worry about looking back.”
What was the progression that led you to playing at the collegiate level? “When my brother (AJ Picard) was a freshman on jayvee and when he swung varsity, he was my idol, and I was like, ‘I want to be just like him.’ When I saw him achieve all these things, I said, ‘I want to be better than that. I want to work harder. I want to make him proud of me.’ He’s been my main push for how hard I work. Every time I go to practice I think, ‘Okay, if I do good today, I’m going to ask AJ to play one-on-one later because I might actually beat him,’ but it still hasn’t happened. One day though.”
Coach Lynn Carroll says: “Bianca is one of the hardest working players I’ve coached. She’s a self-made player. The amount of self-motivation she has is second to none. That girl has basketball in her blood, and it probably takes up most of her life. She just loves the game and decided a long, long time ago that she was going to be a very good basketball player. She’s done what she’s needed to do to become a very good basketball player.
“She, without a doubt, has helped turn this into a program that is going to get into districts and can contend for a conference championship. I know she’s at the top of the list for opposing coaches when they play us – they talk about Bianca Picard a lot and with good reason.
“NJIT is very, very lucky to be getting her. The basketball player she is right now is not the basketball player she will be in four years. As driven as she is and as determined as she is, she will keep going, and she will continue to improve. We all know she’s a wonderful person, and she will be a great addition to their program – a great leader and teammate both on and off the court. I’m really, really proud and happy with everything she’s accomplished.”
About Bianca:
Favorite food: Mom's Italian Pasta and Sauce
Favorite movie: Coach Carter
Favorite music: Drake
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