Cleveland (State) rocks for Sarah Hurley

Sarah Hurley went into the basketball recruiting process without any preconceived notions.

“I wanted to keep all my options open from the beginning. I wasn’t sure what I wanted, whether I wanted to stay in Canada or go the States,” the 17-year-old Fonthill resident said. “I talked with every coach that was interested in me and tried to find the best fit for myself.”

She ended up finding Cleveland State, which also happened to be the first NCAA Division 1 school to make her a formal offer.

“Cleveland State ended up being the best fit,” said the member of Team Ontario at 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara.

She visited the school two weeks ago and quickly found a home in Cleveland, Ohio.

“I just loved the whole atmosphere and the city. The city is beautiful and everything about it was super pretty. The school is amazing and I loved how it was built right into the city.”

She also gained a quick appreciation for her future team.

“I got to hang out with the team a lot and they gave off a great vibe. I really liked hanging out with them and also the coaches were amazing,” the former Pelham Panthers and Niagara Joel player said. “They push each girl individually to be the best that they can be and I really like that about them. They believe in each player and I can see myself there.”

The decision to sign at Cleveland State came during the visit.

“I could tell that it was the school for me and on the last day of the visit I told them I wanted to commit. I loved it so much and it was an easy decision for me.”

She is planning on majoring in education at Cleveland with the eventual goal of becoming an elementary school teacher.

Sarah is the second member of her family to commit to an NCAA Division 1 school. Her brother T.J. committed to the University of Vermont and made his first appearance in the NCAA tournament this past spring.

She looked to her brother for advice on the recruiting process.

“He helped me a lot because he went through it two years ago. He has lots of knowledge on it and he told me to talk to every school and find out what I liked about each school. Then whatever school feels right, go for it.”

Cleveland State isn’t that far from Fonthill but that didn’t play a role in her decision.

“I didn’t mind going far away and Cleveland State being really close was just kind of a bonus for me because my parents will be able to come to a lot of the games.”

Hurley has one more year of basketball with Lincoln Prep in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association before she heads to Cleveland. She is planning to use the time to prepare for the next step in her basketball journey.

“I will get lots of training in and I will continue to get better and get myself ready for next year,” she said. “I have a couple of things I am really focusing on right now and I have to improve each piece of that. There are a couple of things offensively that I feel will really improve my game and I an always working on defence in general. Then I will be ready and I will feel confidence in myself at the D1 level.”

Lincoln Prep lost in the OSBA quarter-finals in 2023 and Hurley is excited to see what the squad can of in 2023-24.

She can’t wait to get started in Cleveland.

“I am excited to play on a new team and play for a new coach in a new environment,” she said. “Cleveland is a really awesome city and I’m excited to see what the city brings and there is so much to do there. It will be a great experience overall.”

Hurley will be joining a strong program. This spring, the Vikings fell 76-59 decision to Villanova in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Cleveland State was making its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2010. Their 13th seeing was the highest in program history.

The Horizon League champions finished the year with a 30-5 overall record, including 17-3 in conference play. The 2022-23 roster included one graduate player, five seniors and four juniors.