It didn’t take much to convince Bri Bridges what was the best fit for her college career.
The St. Joseph Female Flyers senior center considered several offers including Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, before signing to play basketball with the Kentucky Christian Knights.
“I liked KCU because it’s smaller. It’s in a really good community and goes with my Christian faith. It’s a really good program and they have a really good coach,” said Bridges.
Ron Arnett has spent 24 years as the KCU head coach and is a member of the National Collegiate Christian Athletic Association Hall of Fame. He has guided the Lady Knights to 14 of their 15 NCCAA national championships.
Arnett said Bridges will fit nicely into the program.
“First of all, she’s an outstanding person with great character,” said Arnett. That’s the first thing we look for. And she’s a really hard worker.
“She fills a need at forward. She has good hands and she can hit the mid-range jumper. She’s the first kid I’ve signed at St. Joe and I’m real excited about that.”
Stepping up to the next level won‘t be easy, but Bridges is looking forward to the challenge.
“I need to get stronger and get quicker. It’s a lot more fast-paced than high school,” said Bridges.
“They don’t have many forwards. They have a lot of freshmen this year. I talked with my dad and he suggested a possible red-shirt my freshman year, but (Arnett) said I could possibly get a lot of playing time as a freshman.”
Bridges said there are several benefits of signing early.
“It took a lot of stress off me. I can relax and play,” said Bridges. “I don’t have to worry if this school’s coach is watching me.”
Bridges plans to major in special education. She is the daughter of Bucky and Erica Bridges of Ironton.