On Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021, Abington senior Khalis Whiting was recognized for signing a letter of intent to continue her basketball career at Stony Brook University.
Khalis Whiting – Stony Brook University (Basketball)
Major: Undecided but considering sports psychology or sports medicine
Final list of colleges: Stony Brook, Monmouth, Temple
Reasons for choosing Stony Brook: “First and foremost, they have an excellent coaching staff. Their head coach resembles me in so many ways on and off the court – her personality, the fact that she was a point guard and such a huge leader at the school she attended and is in the Hall of Fame at Tulane. I felt really inspired by her, and I feel like she’s really going to help me get better as a point guard and as a person.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in basketball at the collegiate level? “I started playing basketball first grade. My best friend – he played, and at recess, I always wanted to join in with the boys. Fourth grade was my first time playing organized basketball. At first, it started off just as something fun to do, and then it just became a passion. I fell in love with it, and I would watch it all the time. I love playing basketball.
“This is such a dream come true. I’ve always dreamed of playing at the collegiate level, at a high level, since I was younger, and I would always see girls going on to play Division 1, and just listening to them talk about their experiences, I always wanted that to happen for me, so I worked hard, listened to my mentors and just paid attention to the game.”
Coach Dan Marsh says: “First of all, you’re not supposed to have favorites, but I’m so proud of that kid. Since day one, we’ve had a really good rapport. She works hard, she’s been great, and I couldn’t be more proud of her. Her perseverance, trying to get better at the position, and she’s so coachable. I saw her in seventh grade, and they did not have her playing point guard. She had never played point guard, but I saw her vision and the way she saw the floor, and I said, ‘You’re going to be a point guard for us.’ She said, ‘Really?’ She was since day one. She rolled in to play with those four seniors – Kassondra Brown, Miranda Liebtag, Cam Lexow and Tamia Wessels – and fit right in. I told her, ‘This is going to get a lot harder. You rolled into a really good situation with four really good players and a good supporting cast.’ They all graduated, and I told her, ‘All the attention is going to be on you.’ She struggled a little bit her sophomore year and came back and had a great junior year in spite of COVID. She kept getting better every year.
“As far as the (season-ending) injury, we had a talk. I talked to my assistant coaches, I’ve talked to other coaches and said, ‘What am I going to do with this kid? I want to keep her involved, I want to keep her happy and have the season that she deserves.’ I’m like, ‘I’m going to make her a coach,’ so she’s going to be our point guard coach. She’s going to do film work with them, she’s going to be a part of our coaches meetings, and she’s going to be just as important part as she’s always been. We’re looking forward to that.
“She originally committed to Temple, and she made a really mature decision. She wanted to go somewhere where she really connected with the coaches, and that’s what she ended up getting. Stony Brook is getting a phenomenal player and a great kid more so than anything. That’s what I love about her. She’s top-notch character kid.”
About Khalis:
Favorite food: Mac ‘n Cheese
Favorite TV show: All American
Favorite music: R&B and Gospel
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