New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Cheshire Academy’s Rippey following in father’s footsteps
De’Naya Rippey wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps, even if that meant leaving home in Brooklyn for Cheshire.
Deron Rippey was a star on the court at Cheshire Academy, eventually playing in college at East Carolina and becoming a member of CA’s Kevin Slaughter Athletic Hall of Fame.
He credits his move from Brooklyn to Cheshire in changing his life immeasurably for the better and thinks it will do the same for his daughter.
De’Naya, a junior, is thrilled to call the same court home her father did back in his senior year of 1993.
“I felt obligated to do the same thing my dad did. He is a hall of famer here and I am proud to play where he did,” De’Naya said. “My dad asked me if I wanted to be challenged and I like to be challenged whether it is on the basketball court or academically. I get a lot of feedback here and love feedback because nothing is going to hurt me. It is just going to make me better.”
For Rippey’s parents, sending De’Naya to Cheshire before last school year was not easy, but a decision they felt they had to make.
“For me and my wife, we wanted De’Naya to be able to showcase her talent in a setting where she could continue to grow,” Deron said. “We wanted her to play better basketball but also to be an ‘A’ student and be part of the same community that helped change my life.”
For dad, the pride in seeing his daughter getting the same opportunities he did gets him emotional at times.
“I was a kid coming from Brooklyn and going to Cheshire Academy changed my life and had an impact on me in ways I could never have imagined and now, 28 years later, it is changing De’Naya’s life,” Deron said. “De’Naya wants to be better and Cheshire puts her in a position to be better on and off the court. She’s more driven with grades and socializing and being a member of the family up there. It was bigger than basketball for me and it is bigger than basketball for her.”
Rippey is not only growing off the court, she is starring on it, averaging 24 points and 13 rebounds a game for Cheshire Academy, which has won five of its last six games.
“De’Naya wants to play at the next level, that meant turning up her defensive intensity, which she has done,” Cheshire Academy coach Caroline Brasca said. “When De’Naya bought in to playing hard man-to-man defense, everyone else did too. De’Naya is second only to me in terms of focus and intensity at practice. That drives all the other kids to be better and makes us a better team.”
Rippey is getting looks from mid-level Division-1 schools, but for now is concentrating on the rest of the season.
“I want to play in college but I am not focused on schools yet. Just focused on the next day and next game,” De’Naya said. “The completion playing at Cheshire Academy is so much better than where I was playing in New York. It’s more challenging and more aggressive and I like that. I feel myself and my team getting better every game.”