On Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, Abington senior Deja Rawls was recognized at a special news conference for signing a letter of intent to play basketball at Siena University. To view photos of the signing event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Deja Rawls – Siena College (Basketball)
Major: Accounting
Final list of colleges: Siena, Boston University, Northeastern
Reasons for choosing Siena: “When I visited Siena, I just felt like I was at home. I felt comfortable with the coaches. I knew one of the players on the team, so she told me about Siena – she was convincing me to come. I just felt comfortable.”
What was the progression that led you to playing basketball at the collegiate level? “It’s been my 
dream since I was four. At the last tournament in July, I knew I did good and the recruiting process would be crazy. I’ve got to answer all these phone calls, so I’ve got to be prepared. It got crazy. My teammates that were already in college told me – just answer every call because you never know what might happen. They all say the same thing, so keep your mind open. Visit every school and get the feel for each school.”
Coach Dan Marsh says: “In third grade, Deja was coming to our camps and clinics, and we had to play her up with seventh, eighth and ninth graders because she was too skilled and too fast for the young girls. She’s been great. We have seen her develop not only basketball-wise but maturity-wise and leadership-wise throughout the four years she’s been here.
“Deja has the unique ability to find out what we need and when we need it – it could be a big steal, it could be a big bucket, or it could be a great pass. She can do it all really, but obviously, Deja’s biggest strength is her ability to get to the basket, and doing that will create openings for everybody else. Actually, she’s probably one of the best defenders in the state too. She can really lock somebody down. We could throw her on anybody, and she does a great job. Deja’s best attributes are her defense and her ability to get to the basket.
“Deja has a huge support system, and we always told her – go where you’d be comfortable, go where they have your major and what you want to do. She’s an academically focused kid, a great student, and she wanted to go where she not only felt comfortable basketball-wise but academic-wise. She’s very excited about Siena and being able to turn her hard work into a scholarship.”
About Deja:
Favorite food: My grandma’s ribs
Favorite movie: Love and Basketball
Favorite music: Drake
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