Washington Demon girls’ basketball standout Sydney Greiner signed her letter of intent Thursday to attend St. Ambrose University (NAIA) next fall and play basketball for the Bees.

While Greiner is looking forward to being a student-athlete in college, St. Ambrose offered her the best of both worlds. “They have my major which is speech pathology and I can also play basketball when I go there.”

As far as playing basketball goes, Greiner is a perfect fit for what Bee head coach Krista Van Hauen is looking for.

“We’re trying to get more consistent shooters in our program and she can hit that three ball.  Her body is a great size for college basketball. I think she can get a lot of mismatches out on the wing so we can use her inside-out.  Van Hauen adds “It’s an exciting time for her to step in.  We were fairly young (last season) but there is a lot of positions available to be had for next year and we put the best kids out on the floor, so the door is wide open.”

For Greiner, it’s the realization of a dream she has focused on for several years.

“I kinda always knew I wanted to play (in college) but I didn’t know if I would ever be able to, but ever since my freshman year I KNEW I wanted to and I guess I just worked at it so I could.”

Working hard may be an understatement.  Along with her natural talent, Greiner has a love for the game, and Demon head coach Phil Long has been able to see it all come to fruition over the years.

“The fact that she was my neighbor all my life, I remember her coming to my basketball camps… her eighth grade year she won all six categories we had so I knew she was going to be something special.

“In the summer time she was always outside shooting with her sister Morgan and now it’s just nice to see her get the rewards for all the hard work she’s done over the last several years.”

Her high school season may be over and her initial goals reached, but Greiner continues to fine-tune her game in the gym this spring as Van Hauen wants her to get ready for the speed of the college game.

“As a freshman coming in you gotta have your shot become quicker. I know she’s already working on that right now.  Your foot speed is another issue, and your defense.  That’s all stuff we can work on once she gets here.”

There is little doubt that Greiner will be ready to make an impact for St. Ambrose when she heads to Davenport this fall.  The Demons are set to open a new facility this fall.  The walls are bare at the old gym where the banners have been removed in anticipation of the move to the new place.  “Syd” practically lived in that old gym over the years, and with the numbers she put up during that time, it’s safe to say Greiner literally shot the lights out.

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