Kierston Rozell signs with Bluefield University

Choosing the ideal college destination is never an easy task for graduating high school athletes.

Meadow Bridge standout Kierston Rozell appears to have found the perfect school to continue her stellar basketball career.

Wednesday afternoon, surrounded by family, coaches, teammates, friends and brother Kobe on FaceTime, Rozell signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Bluefield University and head coach Jake Wright.

"This feels really good. It really boosts my confidence being from a small school," Rozell said. "Coach Wright really opened this door for me and gave me a big opportunity. It makes me humbly feel proud of myself."

Wright is a former collegiate basketball player himself and fully understands the plight of a player coming from a small school.

"I was a single-A kid, so I know and I love single-A kids. The fight, the passion they have. She will fit perfectly, on and off the court with the kids that I have coming in," Wright said. "We have totally revamped the roster and Kierston will part of eight incoming freshman. Her best basketball is ahead of her with her raw potential. She has a bright future ahead of her."

Bluefield University also provided the ideal environment for Rozell coming from a small town.

"It is a very small campus and it's a Christian school. Coach Wright is very family oriented, which is a huge thing for me," Rozell said. "They do everything as a team. They go to church every Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m. and they go to his house for cookouts. I talked to two of the girls and I know one of them. They seemed really nice and recommended Bluefield. It made me feel at home."

Rozell's scored over 1,000 points during her high school career as a Wildcat and was recently chosen to play in the annual Scott Brown-Little General All-star Classic.

"Kierston has been such a big part of our program at Meadow Bridge. I remember seeing her in sixth grade. She was a stiff, skinny kid and I said, there is a lot of points there," Meadow Bridge head coach Steve Taylor said, smiling. "She has grown up and really come along. Kierston is very athletic and the heart of our program the last four years. I get very excited seeing one come up and achieve what she has."

Taylor was also afforded the opportunity to serve as an assistant coach during the Scott Brown Classic.

"I think that was probably the cherry on top of her high school career," Taylor said. "It may have given her a boost with each team having four or five girls that had already signed to play college basketball. I knew it all along. I was not surprised when she came in and hit that first (3-pointer) without even hesitating."

Playing along side, and against, several players already committed to play college basketball gave Rozell an early feel for the next level.

"It was very nerve-wracking. I knew a lot of the girls, but never played against them," Rozell said. "They were from a lot bigger schools. Seeing that I got just as much recognition for something like they did made me feel good. A lot of them were bigger and stronger, so it was tough, but a lot of fun too."

Rozell agreed that improving her overall strength will been a major focus going to the next level.

"Here we didn't have a lot of resources to do a lot of weightlifting or stuff like that," Rozell said. "I don't have a lot of experience in that area. Coach Wright is really big on that. He said his team needs to get stronger this year."

Coach Wright talked about his style of play and is convinced Rozell will be a key player.

"I like to play fast, pressure 94 feet, space the floor with a great ability to shoot the ball and all that stuff," Wright said. "I just feel like she fits perfectly with her length and scoring ability. With the way we will get her to defend, I think she just fits perfectly for us. I got a text this morning saying, coach, when are you sending me that (workout) regiment, so she is anxious to get to work."

The excitement in regards to his new recruit also goes beyond basketball for Wright as well.

"Even off the court with her spiritual being, she brings so much to Bluefield," Wright said. "Being a Christian school, we need young ladies like Kierston on our campus."