GIRLS BASKETBALL Boardman's Bland picks Penn State for college career

The Spartan senior also considered Georgia Tech, Arizona and Mississippi State.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BOARDMAN -- Hours after making her decision to sign with Penn State University, Boardman High senior basketball player Amber Bland sighed, paused and pondered her next challenge.
"All that's left now is for me to tell Courtney," said Bland, with regret in her voice, on Wednesday.
Ursuline senior Courtney Davidson -- Bland's good friend -- signed last week with Big Ten rival Michigan State, which was also high on Bland's list.
If Bland had chosen the Spartans, she and Davidson, four-year prep varsity rivals, could have been on the same team.
But it's not going to work out that way.
"I'll be playing against her again!" Bland said, humorously. "[It seems like] we can never be on the same team. Ever."
Long list
In addition to Penn State and Michigan State, Bland took official visits to Georgia Tech and Mississippi State. Arizona also was high on her list.
"It was really hard," Bland said of the decision, "but the [Penn State] team, the coaches, the facilities and the academics were all really nice. It was breathtaking."
Bland's signing Wednesday completed a rigorous recruiting process that she called "very, very stressful."
Bland had at least three big boxes full of mail -- "the mailman got pretty upset when we went on vacation," she said -- and countless more pieces strung across the floor.
"Dealing with the phone calls, the mail, people asking where I'm going and [telling me] where I should go ..." she said of the recruiting whirlwind.
"It's going to be a weight off my shoulders," she added. "I can concentrate on my season coming up and my school work -- and being a senior."
What's important
While exploring schools to attend, Bland placed her importance on academics first and "feeling at home" second.
"You have to feel at home with the girls, the team, the coaching staff," she said. "That makes a player feel happy in their four years there. If you're unhappy, you can't play. You can't do anything there."
Bland said the Penn State players accepted her as one of their own. They went to a football game and laughed in their apartment. They watched the movie "Drumline" together.
"They [Penn State and Michigan State] both had the same way of making me feel comfortable," she said. "But Penn State just seemed like the place for me."
The Nittany Lions, ranked eighth in the country by the Associated Press, went 26-9 last season and won the Big Ten title under 28th-year coach Rene Portland. They also made their second straight Sweet 16 appearance.
"A million schools were after her -- from Purdue to Ohio State to Connecticut," Boardman coach Ron Moschella said. "It was a pretty traumatic experience for her, going through all that, but I think she learned a lot."
Filling needs
Penn State recruited the 5-foot, 91/2-inch Bland as a three-guard, she said, with the potential to start as a freshman.
"They just said that the best will play," said Bland, who is interested in a career in dermatology.
"If I can work hard enough, hopefully I'll get to start," she added. "There's a lot of talent there."
Bland, who averaged 28 points per game last season, is Boardman's all-time leading scorer -- boys and girls -- with 1,517 points. She has her sights set on the 2,000-point mark and finishing her career with a state championship.
Meanwhile, she will focus on improving her game and her attitude.
"I tend to be too nice on the court," Bland said. "I've just got to get my mind set on being evil. I should be fine."
richesson@vindy.com