Saints' Atkins headed to IPFW

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 22, 2016 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- You never know who is watching you.

And Zaria Atkins certainly wouldn't disagree.

After all, how does a mid-major Division I university found out about a basketball player who hails from a small rural community that has just one stoplight?

Good question.

Could it be that recruiters noticed her while she played with the NC Zoom AAU team that roamed from tournament to tournament throughout the southeastern United States?

Atkins doesn't know. But somehow the slick-handling, streak-shooting combination guard from Southern Wayne appeared on the Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne coaching staff's radar. She's got skill. She's got speed. She's not afraid to slash through a defense like a hot knife cutting through butter.

Now she's taking her game to the next level.

Atkins signed a national letter-of-intent to play for IPFW next season. She is believed to be at least the fifth SW player in girls' basketball history to sign a D-I scholarship over the past three-plus decades. The others - Olympian Leora "Sam" Jones, ChoRhonda Gwaltney, Gaynor O'Donnell and Nikko King Taylor.

"They contacted me at first," Atkins said. "After that, I researched their school and their team. We traveled all over (in AAU ball) and they could have been anywhere. I was really just keeping my options open."

A mid-winter visit to IPFW sealed the deal.

Atkins fell in love with the atmosphere, talked with the coaching staff and learned she could possibly earn playing time as a freshman. She'll face the challenge of adjusting to the college game - particularly the rigorous workout schedule, the physicality of opposing players and the speed.

"It's all about academics, but you're there to play basketball as well," SW assistant coach Takisha Vann said. "Any free time she has (will involve) preseason workouts, inseason workouts, postseason workouts, morning workouts, two-a-days, she's going to be in the weight room, she's going to have to get stronger.

"Whatever they say, goes. She's going to have to stay on top of her game because she's there this year, but there's some little girl that's coming in who will try to get her spot for next year. She's going to have to keep putting the work in."

IPFW finished 7-23 overall last season and lost to eventual NCAA tournament participant South Dakota State in quarterfinal-round play of the Summitt League playoffs.

The Mastodons enter next season with a new head coach -- Niecee Nelson.

Atkins led Southern Wayne to eight wins this past season. She earned first-team All-Area accolades after posting 20.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, five steals and 3.8 assists per game.

The soft-spoken guard ended her career with 1,809 points.

"It's like I told her before, she hasn't seen her best basketball yet," Vann said. "When that strength, speed and mentality comes together, she's going to be better than what she thinks can be."

Obviously, IPFW thinks so.