When Benet senior Morgan Demos makes a decision, she sticks with it.
Demos’ latest decision was a big one. The 6-foot-2 center committed to Navy while on a visit last month to Annapolis.
“I think she just fell in love on her visit,” Benet coach Joe Kilbride said. “As her mom said, ‘Once Morgan knows, she knows.’ It was quick once she figured out what she wanted to do.”
“I said, ‘You might want to take a couple days.’ She said, ‘No, I already told them I’m coming.'”
Demos, who also had offers from IUPUI, Missouri-Kansas City, UAB and Cornell, said she did her due diligence,
“Like every other college that offered me, I would go on their website and make sure I had information about the school so I can make my decision,” Demos said. “Sometimes, lack of information is detrimental, so I made sure I had enough.”
While Demos was impressed with all of the schools, Navy offered more intangibles.
“I chose Navy because I love they teach about leadership and they endorse it, and I find that amazing,” Demos said. “They talk about personal growth, and that is something I want for myself.
“I know the service academies have a special kind of personal growth, which I honestly found intriguing because you are serving your country and you’re figuring out what you want to do, at least for the first couple years. They let you experiment on what areas you want to go into, and I absolutely love they give you room to figure it out.”
Demos will be the second Benet girl to play basketball for a service academy. Her sister, Madison, is a junior forward for the U.S. Merchant Marine.
“She was the one who gave me all the information to help make my decision,” Demos said. “You have to ask your sister how she’s doing, and I would hear about her day at the Merchant Marine Academy. That helped a ton. She told me the benefits of going into the military, but she did say it’s not for everybody, so make sure it’s what you want to do.
“She made it very clear from the beginning, if you go into a military academy, it’s not because I told you to it’s because you want to. I loved that because it was so supportive of her to say that, and I felt free to choose where I felt most comfortable.”
Demos was a second team all-area selection as a junior, averaging 8.0 points and 8.7 rebounds to help the Redwings to an 11-1 record.
Kilbride expects even bigger things from the four-year varsity player this upcoming season.
“She’s just a force,” Kilbride said of Demos. “She dominated games last year at both ends.
“She’s incredibly strong. The kid is a horse in terms of holding her spot, and you’re not going to move her off the block.”
Demos said Navy coach Tim Taylor wants her to play multiple positions.
“That’s what intrigued me,” Demos said. “I feel like I have a lot more room to grow, and I want to expand on my game and improve on it because there is always room for growth.”
That growth won’t be limited to the basketball court.
Demos, who will be required to serve five years on active duty following graduation, is excited about Navy’s academic rigor and how it will help her later in life.
“They excel in math and science, and those are my strengths,” Demos said. “I don’t know what I want to do right now, and that’s OK. I’m open to anything.
“If I put my mind to it, I can do it.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.