W.H. grad signs with S.C. State

Chrisana Scott has become something of a basketball nomad.

After playing at Haines City, the 5-foot-6 guard transferred to Winter Haven for her senior year in 2016. She served as a catalyst on the Blue Devils’ state title team and, eventually, signed with Snead State Community College in Alabama. Scott spent one season with Snead State before playing her sophomore season in Florida at Daytona State College.

Next up will be South Carolina State, marking five schools in five years. This is the end of the road, though.

Scott is excited for South Carolina State because it means she’s done hopping around.

“I feel relieved,” said Scott, who signed her NLI last week. “It feels good to know I’ll be there guaranteed two more years. I know that it’s going to be a place I really love."

Winter Haven is coming off its third-consecutive state title and Scott, 20, played a key role on the team that started that streak.

It was a good experience for Scott on the court at Snead State. The Parsons went 19-11 that season and she played well, averaging 11.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as a freshman. Everything changed when the coaching staff left after the season. Much of the sophomore-laden roster graduated, leaving Scott and two other returners without a coach.

So, she left for Daytona State.

She slid into the lineup and helped the Falcons go 20-10 last season. They won the conference and Scott averaged 9.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. The team fell in the first round of the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Quarterfinals to Tallahassee Community College.

She’s spent the summer working out with Winter Haven coach JohnnieLawson back home. She’s in the gym most days — an admitted gym rat — working on her game in preparation for this season.

Audra Smith, the former head women’s coach at Clemson, took over this summer after the Bulldogs finished 12-17 last season. Lawson, who has collected a vast rolodex of college coaching connections over the years, said the staff was surprised Scott was still uncommitted.

“She is a stud of a player,” Lawson said. “There’s nothing on the court she can’t do, from shooting the 3, shooting the midrange, getting to the basket, defending. I think South Carolina State is just a really good spot for her.”

Scott likes that the new coaching staff takes the game seriously. It reminds her of how Lawson runs the program at Winter Haven. Finding a college program that felt like home took three years, but Scott is glad she finally found one at South Carolina State.

“(Smith is) very knowledgeable and knows what she’s talking about on and off the court,” Scott said. “They really know the game of basketball and take academics seriously. That’s what I was looking at. I really loved the campus and stuff.”

Brady Fredericksen can be reached at brady.fredericksen@theledger.com or 863-802-7553. Follow him on Twitter: @Brady_Fred.