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By Nathan Smith

Published: Wednesday, November 21, 2012, 8:52 p.m.
Updated: Wednesday, November 21, 2012

When Erin Waskowiak steps onto the court to start her college basketball career, it will be six miles from where she played her high school hoops.

The Bishop Canevin senior signed her letter of intent to play at Duquesne last week.

“I really like that I get to stay local,” Waskowiak said. “I get to play in front of my family.”

Waskowiak also was offered scholarships to Drexel, Delaware and Villanova.

The 5-foot-10 guard said, in addition to the locality of the school, the coaching staff was a major draw. The Dukes are led by coach Suzie McConnell-Serio, a Seton-La Salle graduate who coached the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA, played for the Cleveland Rockers of the WNBA and coached at the WPIAL's Oakland Catholic.

The Dukes compete in the Atlantic 10, a league considered to be one of the best mid-major conferences in NCAA Division I.

The conference also includes Butler, Dayton, Fordham, George Washington, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's, St.Louis, Virginia Commonwealth and Xavier.

“I am really excited about being able to play in the league,” Waskowiak said. “There is some really good competition.”

Waskowiak wasn't the only WPIAL athlete to commit to the Dukes last week as Angel Heintz of Seton-La Salle signed her letter of intent.

Waskowiak is coming off a junior campaign where she averaged 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals per game.

Waskowiak has scored 1,439 points during her high school career, making her the all-time leading scorer in Bishop Canevin history.

Getting her college decision out of the way early will allow Waskowiak to spend more time focused on her final year of high school — academically and athletically.

Waskowiak said her main goal her senior season is to help the Lady Crusaders anyway she can. The squad returns four starters this season, but three of them will graduate in 2013.

“I want to step up and be a leader and help the younger players on the team,” Waskowiak said. “And I want to help the team win a championship.”

Nathan Smith is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at nsmith@tribweb.com or 412-388-5813.

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