Published: June 07, 2008 01:17 am      

FSU women sign Florida center

FAIRMONT — For many people, South Florida is a destination.

A place of action, numerous beaches, vacations and fun in the sun.

For 17-year-old Cayla Aaron, it's been home her whole life and now the youngster is ready for a change and some new challenges.

Aaron, a 6-1 center from Class 6A Cooper City High School in Cooper City, Fla., has signed to continue her college basketball career at Fairmont State University this fall and she says she can't wait to head north to West Virginia.

“My mom and I both make a pro and con list when we face a big decision like this and to be honest with you, there were no cons about coming to Fairmont on either of our lists,” said Aaron, who grew up 12 miles from Fort Lauderdale and 30 miles from Miami. “After we visited there in May, my mom told me to take three days to think things over and then make a decision and I made it in two. It was easy. I fell in love with the place and the program immediately and I can't wait to be a part of it.

“I'm ready for a change and I'm ready to get out of Florida for a while. I've had my fair share of it. I'm more of a small-town girl. We have family in Texas and Mississippi who live in small towns and when we go there to visit, I don't want to go home. I believe I'm going to fit in real well at Fairmont State.”

Aaron has only played organized basketball for three years. She was a two-year letterwinner at Cooper City High School where she was among the Broward County leaders in rebounding both as a junior and senior. This past season, she averaged 10 points, 11 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game for the Cowboys.

She was named honorable mention All-Broward County by both the Miami Herald and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“Cayla has great potential with only three years of basketball experience,” said FSU head coach Steve McDonald. “She is a tireless worker who possesses a great desire to achieve. We plan on redshirting her this year and that redshirt year will be critical to her development both physically and mentally to the game at the college level.”

Aaron says the ability to take a redshirt season was another major factor in her decision to attend Fairmont State.

“One of the things I was looking for in a school was a willingness to redshirt and a lot of the schools that I talked to weren't interested in having me do that and that was an immediate turnoff to me,” said Aaron. “I'm the type of person who wants to learn and improve as much as I possibly can. I've only played basketball for three years and I know I haven't hit the peak of my performance yet. Even after all of the work I plan on putting in this coming season, I still don't think I'll hit it during my freshman year. It'll probably come during my sophomore year. Having a redshirt season to work on my entire game, I believe, is going to be a big, big plus for me.

“All of my coaches have told me that I have the potential to be a very good player at the college level if I'm willing to take a redshirt season. I trust their judgment and that's what I'm going to do. I just have a very strong desire to improve myself as a player.”

Aaron played soccer during her early years, but quit the sport her freshman year in high school. When she did that, her academics began to drop and a guidance counselor at Cooper City, who also happened to be on the school's basketball coaching staff, noticed that and got her involved in basketball.

“Once I started playing my mom was calling me at midnight and grounding me, telling me I wouldn't be allowed to use my hoop for a week because I was obsessed with it,” said Aaron. “It just clicked for me. Once I started playing basketball my GPA rose like there was no tomorrow and I got straight A's. I say basketball saved my life, but people tell me I can't say that. It didn't save my life. It just saved my high school career, but I'm also smart enough to realize it got me my future.

“That's why I'm so dedicated to the sport and it's why I'm so determined to get better. In high school, I'd stay for two hours after practice to work on my game. I'd throw balls off the backboard non-stop to work on rebounding. One time I even had one of my coaches lock the gym on me just so I'd go home. He told me, ‘You have a life. It's not all about basketball.’ I know that, but in my case it is.”

Aaron noted that she'd like to coach in the future and is leaning toward majoring in education at FSU.