Ramcharran (’13) Signs LOI To Attend Bryant

On November 13, 2012, Chanel Ramcharran (5’5″, PG, Dunbarton) had signed her Letter Of Intent to attend and play for the Bryant Bulldogs of the NEC (Northeast Conference).

She gave Bryant her verbal commitment as her choice of school back in early August. A choice she says, would meet her needs both on and off the court.

“Bryant, first of all it is a great academic school, and that was first and foremost for me. I am a strong student and I thought that would be a good place for me”, she said of their academic standing. “But, in terms of basketball, I just love their style of play.”

The atmosphere around the Smithfield, Rhode Island school and the warmth of her future teammates were also a major draws.

“The campus is beautiful. Everything is elegant. The coaches are nice. The girls there…as soon as I walked in the change room they were like cheering: “Aye, Welcome To Bryant!” and I was like “Awww, this is going to be awesome!”

Ramcharran, who fell in love with basketball when she first started playing at the age of 10, has evolved into a very quick Guard that gives her all on each play. She is a leader both on and off the court, both vocally and by example as she is usually among the first on the floor, diving for loose balls. She does have a big shot when ready to connect from long range and is improving her first step when driving the ball. Regardless if she’s the smallest player on the court, she will be among those with the biggest heart.

Understanding what on-court tools she possesses, she now look to translate those into the Bryant system.

“I got to watch them play online, so I know how fast they play. I’m an up and down kind of player and I’m an outside shooter, that’s my bread and butter, and that’s what they do…that’s what their PG right now does.”

The stage is set for Ramcharran to make an impact quite early in her time as a Bulldog. Bryant is graduating a number of Guards which opens a door for her to do the things being asked of her and show her new Head Coach that she deserves the minutes that will become available.

“The opportunity’s there. Coach [Mary] Burke made it clear: ‘You come in, you produce, you will play.’ She doesn’t really care if you’re a Senior, or if you’re a Freshman…if you’re doing what she’s asked you to do, and you’re doing what is going to make the team win, you’re going to play.”

There is a maturity about her that allows her to usually see the bigger picture. It is with that maturity that she will use to guide her through University life, although the exact portions of that path are still yet uncertain.

“I think my major right now is going to be Biology. So, I don’t know if that’s going to lead to medical school…I’ve always been interested in law, so I can take pretty much anything i want and then get into law school. Those are two big things, but hopefully when I get there I can zero in on exactly what I want to do.”

With all of the challenges Chanel will be going through in terms of adjusting to the rigors of being a student-athlete, she will have some comfort in knowing that she will have the company of a current teammate, who will be heading down at the same time. Alex Klein has also committed to be a Bryant Bulldog for 2013.

“When you’re down there, obviously there is the fear of being by yourself. And, I committed to Bryant before Alex,” said Ramcharran. “But, when she texted me, and she said ‘BRYANT!’: Oh My God. I was jumping up and down, picking out rooms for us to go in. The fact that it’s going to be hard, but I’ll have someone to share that experience with, and its someone that understands where we both came from, what we both went through as Canadians to compete with the Americans, both on A-Game [AAU Team], we know what it takes, and we can both do it together.”

Extremely appreciative of the scholarship that she has earned, Chanel would have been remiss if she did not try to thank as many people as she could possibly remember, of course starting off with the contribution made by her parents.

“Ravi and Sandy Ramcharran, without them, nothing [like this] would happen. My Grandparents, my Coaches: Chris Smalling and the Advantage Titans organization, Scotty [Afful] and A-Game organization. Thanks to Nathaniel Mitchell for helping me get shots up before I left for the states. Young Chris for always telling me like it is. Irving Clayton aka Jr. My coach from Durham City who treated me like his own and supports me to this day. Ish Joseph of B-Fitt athletics for training me since the age of 14. Dunbarton High School, the support I get from them is what I need. CROWN, for coming out and covering everything. Stephany Skrba who has been a mentor. My teammates. Brianna Thomas, who has been like my big sister. Pretty much everyone who has ever supported me. It’s just incredible.”

Chanel summed things up with this statement:

“I’m proud of how far I’ve come, the obstacles I’ve had to overcome and the levels that I’ve gradually gotten better at”, she said. “Looking back at when I first started playing until now, there’s no comparison. That just speaks to how much hard work I’ve put into this.”

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