For many high school athletes, playing a sport in college is a dream that may seem difficult to reach. However, for senior Pat Coffey, this dream has come true. Next fall, Coffey will be playing division three basketball at Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire.

According to Coffey, college basketball has been something he wanted to do since he was a kid. Last spring, during his junior year, Coffey was playing on an AAU team, and he began to get looks from schools. He also played in a fall league at the start of his senior year, which is where he got even more looks from college coaches.

“As the season went on, [I] just talked to coaches and figured out what I liked about schools and what I didn’t,” Coffey said.

According to Coffey, the schools that expressed interest included, Colby-Sawyer College, Mount Ida University, Norwich University, Clark University, Wentworth College, as well as St. Joseph’s College.

However, Coffey decided to pick Colby-Sawyer because he felt it was the school that he was most comfortable at.

“It’s up in the mountains, by the lake [Sunapee], it’s a nice place, […] I think a lot of the people there are really nice, it’s just a place I could see myself spending four years,” Coffey said.

To be prepared for college basketball as a player, Coffey praises the WA basketball program, along with head coach Chris Bramanti.

“They definitely give you a good foundation defensively, and it teaches you how to work hard. [Because] if you don’t work hard for a team you’re not going to be very successful, and I think that’s accurate in most other things in life,” Coffey said. “I think that [will] help me out in the future, and hopefully for college.”

Finally, Coffey believes he will miss his WA teammates, due to their strong connections with each other.

In fact, sophomore teammate Isaac Knight spoke highly of Coffey as a teammate

“He is probably one of the best teammates I’ve ever come across in my basketball career, […] [I’m] definitely going to miss him next year,” Knight said.

Coach Bramanti was also very proud of Coffey’s role on the basketball team.

[…] He is the consummate teammate, player, and leader who lived to put on a Grey Ghost basketball uniform. […] He likes to listen and learn- a coach’s dream,” Bramanti said.