Senior Averi Porter has been a multi-sport standout at Ankeny Centennial, competing in basketball, soccer and track.
Now, she just wants to focus on one sport at the collegiate level.
Porter announced on Thursday that she will play basketball next year at William Jewell College, an NCAA Division II school in Liberty, Mo.
“I’m very excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and basketball careers at William Jewel College!” tweeted Porter, a guard. “Huge thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way! Can’t wait to be a Cardinal.”
Porter helped the Jaguars to a 20-4 record last year, including a second straight trip to the Class 5A state tournament. She was named to the CIML Iowa Conference second team.
Porter started all 24 games as a junior and averaged 6.2 points. She led Centennial with 68 assists and tied for the team lead with 43 steals.
Porter shot 30.8 percent from 3-point range. She made 16-of-52 attempts from behind the arc.
“I had interest from multiple schools for both soccer and basketball,” said Porter, who helped lead Centennial to a girls’ soccer title in June, when she scored both of her team’s goals in the Class 3A championship game. “At a couple, I had the opportunity to play both, but I’ve always loved basketball and wanted to focus on just that in college. It was a tough decision, but I loved what the coaching staff had to offer at Jewell and I felt really at home on campus.
“They also were one of the few schools that had my intended major–Digital Media,” she added.
Porter will follow in the footsteps of former Centennial post player Rachel Schon, who recently completed her career with the Cardinals.
“It made me feel like it was a good fit after talking with Rachel,” Porter said.