PHILADELPHIA — What a year it was for former Bishop Fenwick girls basketball star Cecilia Kay, who delivered a strong debut season at American University (Division 1). Although it was a great season for Kay from an individual standpoint, her team went 1-29, leading to the firing of its head coach.
Earlier this week, via social media post, Kay announced she is transferring to Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Once the transfer portal opened, Kay took a visit and said she “felt at home.
“When my coach got fired, it opened up the potential to go into the portal because there was a lot of uncertainty here. We didn’t know how things were going to go and we didn’t know who the coach was going to be,” said Kay, who was named Item Player of the Year her senior year. “I’m really happy with how it turned out and I think I found a really great fit for me at Saint Joe’s. I’m so excited to get started there.”
When asked about her freshman season, Kay said it was “so much fun” and a dream come true.
“This was my dream for so many years, so being able to do that and be in the position that I was in to play all these minutes and start all these games, it wasn’t something that I was fully expecting,” she said. “When we played our first game against UVA, I didn’t know I was going to start until about 30 minutes before the game – it was such a cool and fun experience.”
The former Crusader started every game at American University and earned a spot on the Patriot League All-Rookie Team. Kay averaged 11.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.
“It was bittersweet because I had a lot of personal success, which I was happy about, but team success always comes first and unfortunately, we weren’t able to have a lot of that, so that was challenging,” Kay said. “I will say: I learned a lot this year. I learned a lot of basketball kinds of things and life skills. We faced a lot of adversity and struggled through a lot of things, but I would say I learned a lot of skills and just managed to continue to persevere through it and not give up – I don’t regret anything at all.”
As for Saint Joseph’s, Kay spoke highly of the coaching staff on Hawk Hill.
“First and foremost, the people and the coaching staff – I love them so much. Almost every one of the staff members are alumni, which I think is very special. There’s a lot of stability there and when I went on my visit, I just felt kind of at home. When I was walking on campus, I knew I could see myself here,” Kay said. “Coaches were the ones who opened it up to me and brought me here. Getting on campus and being able to talk to the players, go to dinner, and talk to the girls were all so great. Even after I left, they were still reaching out to me and things like that. It was the people there that made it a special place.”
The Hawks lost two of their post players from last season’s team that went 24-10 in the regular season. Kay believes she fits into what the team needs.
“That’s something I pride myself on – my rebounding – and that’s what they were talking about with me and envisioning how I can help out on the court. Being able to stretch the floor, being able to get the offense started with the ball in my hands, cutting, passing, screening, just finding ways to score, and getting those rebounds, putbacks, and defensive stops,” Kay said. “Those are all the things in my game that I want to translate over there.”
In making the jump from the Patriot League to the Atlantic 10, Kay said she’s looking forward to playing against some top teams. Look no further than a date with LSU next year.
“Saint Joe’s really challenges us in our non-conference and conference schedules. They were telling me that we’re playing LSU next year, which is something that’s so exciting for me. Not even because it’s a big school; it’s just going to be on a big scale, playing against these women that I’ve watched all my life on TV, going to the tournament, and things like that,” Kay said. “Everyone in the A-10 is a tough team, so being able to really compete against them and work to win a championship is something that is really cool to me.”
Although she wants personal success, team success always comes first, according to Kay.
“They made it so close this year in the conference tournament,” she said. “Playing in the postseason, the NCAA is where it’s at and that would be fun and exciting.”
