AUGUSTA, Maine - Arreonte Lee of the UMA women’s basketball team has signed her National Letter of Intent to play NCAA Division I basketball on a full scholarship at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Arreonte will be graduating this summer with an associate degree in Justice Studies.
“During her time at UMA, Arreonte has grown as a student, a person, a teammate, a player, but most of all she has grown as a leader," Head Coach Jennifer Laney said. “Arreonte came to UMA with an ultimate goal in the back of her mind. She wanted to become an NCAA Division I basketball player. It wasn’t something she talked about to everyone because when she was here, her focus was our team, our goals, and our success.”
During her time at UMA, Arreonte excelled in the classroom and on the court. Among her many accomplishments were Yankee Small College Conference First Team, United States Collegiate Athletic Association All-American First Team, UMA Female Athlete of the Year, and Player of the Week selection for the local and national conferences. Arreonte became the fourth women’s basketball player to reach 1,000 career points, being the first to do so in two consecutive seasons. She also helped lead the women’s team to their first bid to the National tournament in school history.
“Beyond statistics, if you were lucky enough to see her play, you saw a young women who was fearless on the court,” Assistant Coach Laurie Ficker said about Arreonte. “She would tear though opponents for fast break points, shaking off defenders with her ball handling skills, played with tireless intensity for the full 40 minutes, and most importantly, played in tandem, unselfishly, with her teammates.”
Arreonte was joined by the women’s basketball coaching staff, teammates, faculty and staff members, as well as fellow students as she signed her National Letter of Intent this past week. Her dedication, work ethic, and love for the game will ensure that she continues her success as a basketball player. Her achievements give great pride to her UMA basketball family.
“As a coach you try to teach your players to focus on the team, team goals, teamwork, team objectives. Arreonte did just that and lead by example,” Head Coach Jennifer Laney remarked during her speech at the signing. “She is a great example that you can achieve both personal and team success even when you put the team ahead of yourself. “
On behalf of the UMA Athletic Department we would like to wish Arreonte success in her new venture at Bethune-Cookman University.