On Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, Cheltenham senior Amarri Trueheart was recognized at a special news conference for signing a letter of intent to play basketball at the University at Albany – SUNY. Trueheart is the 13th Division One signee from Cheltenham. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Amarri Trueheart – University at Albany – SUNY (Basketball)
Final list of colleges: Albany, University of Pennsylvania
Reasons for choosing Albany: “When took my visit to Albany, the coaching staff was so warm and welcoming, and I really felt a family vibe from them. I knew how important it was to have that feeling when I’m away from home.”
What was the progression that led you to playing basketball at the collegiate level? “It really got into 
my head that I could play at the Division One level the summer going into my junior year when I played AAU basketball. I was playing for a highly competitive AAU program, and we had a lot of Division One girls around the team. I was around an environment of D-1 coaches, so I knew that someone would see me.”
Coach Brendan Nolan says: “I told Amarri and her mom – she was really a big reason I came out of ‘retirement,’ so to speak, and came back to coach. When I saw her play, I thought, ‘This is a girl you can build around. This is a girl you can start a program with.’ She does things the right way. She’s there all the time, she’s there on time, and she’s a great kid. She’s a leader, she’s vocal on practice.
“From a playing standpoint, her penetration is so hard to stop. She can keep on going and pass when she gets down deep in the lane or she can pull up and hit a shot. When you have both of those at your disposal, you’re very difficult to defend. She learned in the middle of her sophomore year not to decide when she goes, but to read what the defense is doing and read the situation. Once she developed that ability, she’s unstoppable.
“Now she has people to pass the ball to, and she’s really a hard girl to defend. When Ashley (Jones) took up a lot of attention last year, Ashley’s defender would have to be the help on Amarri. When they wouldn’t leave Ashley, there’s no way to stop Amarri.”
About Amarri:
Favorite food: Fettuccini Alfredo
Favorite movie: Higher Learning
Favorite music: Hip Hop, J Cool
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