Sophia Hook signs a letter of intent to play basketball at Slippery Rock University. With her are her parents, Ronald “Skeeter” and Stacy Hook, and brother, Joe.
It will be weird focusing on one sport, Sophia Hook said, but she’s ready for the challenge of playing basketball at Slippery Rock University.
“I chose Division II, because I definitely want to challenge myself,” she said. “Any college level is challenging, but I feel like I’m up to the task.”
Sophia signed her letter of intent on May 31, shortly after she graduated from Brookfield High School, where she excelled athletically and academically.
Sophia earned four letters each in basketball and softball and three in soccer, garnering post-season accolades in all three sports, including Trumbull County Player of the Year in basketball and 3rd team all state. She finished her career third on Brookfield’s all-time scoring list for basketball players with 1,561 points
On the academic side, Sophia was a valedictorian, carried a 4.0 grade-point average, and was a member of several clubs and recognized as student of the year in seven classes.
“She has a lot of stats here,” said Athletic Director Tim Taylor. “She has quite a resume in her four years as a high school student athlete.”
At Slippery Rock, Sophia will play under first-year coach Ryenn Micaletti.
“They’re in the process of building the program, and I feel like that’s something I want to be a part of,” Sophia said. “They’re trying to get a bunch of local girls.”
Sophia is a complete basketball player, said her high school coach, Ken Forsythe, who is replacing Taylor as AD.
“She’ll want to guard the other team’s best player. Making sure her teammates are open; she’s gonna get the ball to them. She’ll score, too,” Forsythe said. “She’s a perfect teammate, in my eyes. She works hard at it; and it’s a great accomplishment (playing in college) for her and her family. It’s huge for her.”
It’s also great for the basketball program, to have someone like Sophia move onto the next level, he said.
“Anytime you get anybody into college it’s a big thing, because maybe the next girl up can say, ‘Hey, here’s what I want to reach,’” he said. “It kind of gives them a goal to go after.”
Sophia plans to study accounting with a minor in sports management.
