Sports take time and dedication to develop skills and improve. Playing during high school is a great way to improve skill, but from high school to college level sports, there is a big difference that not many athletes manage. Basketball is a sport that requires years of practice to get to a college level of playing.

Many young athletes have moved on to college athletics from East, but senior Mya Skoff and senior Makenzie Reimer are joining the college basketball ranks from East right after this year. Moving on to college is a great feat for an athlete. It is what starts off their official career in sports and it also means a lot to an athlete because it represents the fact that their skills as an athlete were acknowledged by a college.

“Being signed by a college is when a student athlete is performing well enough on the court and in their academics and a college is recruiting you to play on their team and wants you to go to their school some of our players have been fortunate enough to sign in the past and officially one this year as well” assistant girls basketball coach Eric Lenear said.

Skoff was officially signed by Lindenwood University to play basketball. After many years of dedicated playing, her effort will pay out as her official career starts this upcoming year. 

“Lindenwood University isn’t too far away from home and it’s a good distance so it’s not in Nebraska, but not too far away. I really liked the coaches and the environment there,” Skoff said.

Reimer has also gotten recognized by colleges for basketball, but as of now has not decided on a place to sign at. While still unofficial, Reimer has decided to finalize her decision at the end of this year’s basketball season. 

“I haven’t signed anywhere yet, but I have narrowed it down to two colleges: Morningside University and Concordia University. Although it has been a tough decision, visiting the colleges has helped to have a decision by the end of the season” Reimer said.

Being the best starts with loving what you’re doing. It’s a lot easier to do something when you don’t have to try to motivate yourself to do it and getting better at something takes practice, especially sports like basketball. Although Skoff and Reimer are different in many ways, they both pursued the sport they loved to play and kept getting better. For them college basketball is the next step to keep pursuing their athletic ambitions. 

“I enjoy spreading that love of the sport. The best part of coaching is seeing how far kids come from when they first get to high school until they get to their senior year, all the work they put in every single day and seeing their growth not only on the court but more importantly as a person,” Lenear said.