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If Shanté Cummings gets the sudden urge to ride the Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios next fall, she won’t have to worry about buying plane tickets.
Being in Orlando year-round, the Ss. John Neumann-Maria Goretti senior will have plenty of opportunities to plummet 13 stories down an elevator shaft on her favorite Disney attraction.
But, at least for the next four years, it’ll be secondary to the bigger thrill of playing Division I basketball at the University of Central Florida. The 5-foot-8 guard-forward verbally committed to an athletic scholarship last month, following on the heels of her official visit.
"I will be able to go right in and make an impact," said the 17-year-old who resides in Northeast Philadelphia. "I felt as though that’s where I would get more playing time."
Cummings, who gave serious consideration to Penn State and St. Francis in Brooklyn, won’t have to worry about finding a roommate as teammate and good friend Jimerea Lee verbally committed to the university in September. The two will sign their National Letters of Intent Wednesday at the school.
"It should be real special," Cummings said of going to college with Lee. "It’s good that we are both going to a Division I college and even better that we’re going together."
The two have been playing together since they were 10 and with the Philadelphia-based DBL Phoenix of the Amateur Athletic Union. Two years ago, Cummings and Lee both earned All-Catholic nods at Hallahan. Cummings averaged 18.6 points per game and scored her 1,000th career point. Their careers took a controversial turn last fall when they decided to transfer to Neumann-Goretti. The two were ruled ineligible for play by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia because it was deemed they transferred for "athletic intent."
Cummings said she thought the scenario would hurt her chances of getting a scholarship.
"I felt like I wasn’t going to get looked at because I couldn’t play," she said.
CUMMINGS MADE AN official visit to the Central Florida campus in mid-October. She experienced Midnight Madness, which marks the first official practice of the college basketball season, and checked out NBA City at Universal Studios CityWalk. Add the nice weather and Cummings was sold.
Having two Division I athletes in the starting line-up makes the Saints one of the front-runners in the upcoming Catholic League season. Juniors Gloria Brown and Jasmine Daniels are drawing Division I interest, as well. Last season, with Lee and Cummings watching from the sidelines, the Saints ended their 19-year Catholic League playoff hiatus. The squad spent the summer preparing for the upcoming season by attending team camp and traveling to Las Vegas for a national tournament.
"It feels good," Cummings said of Neumann-Goretti’s recent success. "It’ll get better [female basketball players] to come into the school and keep it going."
