By By EDWIN MODLIN II, Staff Writer
GREENVILLE — One local player from the east chose East Carolina University as her place to play basketball as she pursues an education.
At only 18 years of age, and just a freshman in college, former local basketball star Katie Paschal is already a basketball great.
Upon graduating Williamston High School last year, Paschal was one of the top five high school basketball players in North Carolina, and was ranked the 42nd best women’s basketball guard in the country by All-Star Girls Report and 78th by ESPN.com, Paschal passed up scholarships to play basketball at Wake Forest, Mississippi, Memphis and Princeton to play for East Carolina University.
Paschal committed to ECU in her junior year while at Williamston. The school has since merged with Jamesville High School to become Riverside High School, home of the Knights.
“I always knew I was going to come here (ECU) because it’s where I really wanted to go,” Paschal said. “It’s a really good school and it’s close to my parent’s house. I really liked the former coach here (Sharon Baldwin-Tenner) and I knew Coach (Heather) Macy from before she came here. Everything just seemed right about coming to ECU, so I just went ahead and committed my junior year.”
Paschal added that she knew Macy from when she went to a few basketball camps and is comfortable with her and trusts her leadership as a coach.
“Plus,” she said, “(Conference USA) is a good conference.”
“The pace of the game (in college) is faster (than high school) and the offense is obviously more intense,” Paschal said. “Preparing for the other teams, the scout teams while at practice when we travel and go up a day before is really different, but I’m getting used to it.”
Paschal said she enjoys staying in the hotels with her teammates the night before a game, but says, with a laugh, that she is not too fond of the mandatory study hall that all student-athletes are required to attend every day.
As far as taking direction and going under the wings of the senior leadership at ECU, Paschal is adapting well.
“It’s actually great, because I’ve watched them for the past four years, when I was in high school,” Paschal said. “And it’s just an honor to be playing with them.”
When Paschal was a sophomore at Williamston High School she averaged 25 points per game, as well as five assists and four steals. The Tigers finished an amazing 27 – 1 record that year. Her senior year, Paschal had another great season and averaged 34 points per game.
According to East Carolina University, Paschal finished her high school basketball career at Williamston ranked second in North Carolina high school history with 3,160 points.
Although, Paschal says, her major is undecided right now, she knows she will enjoy her college experience as an ECU Pirate student-athlete, where student comes first.