Lincoln Park graduate excited about new start
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
You could almost see Nelly Cummings flash a smile through the phone when a reporter asked him if he was excited to begin the next chapter of his basketball career. Colgate is the reason why. Cummings, a Lincoln Park graduate and the PostGazette’s Player of the Year in 2017, played his first college season at Bowling Green, but announced after the season that he would be transferring. Last week, Cummings decided on a destination. He will attend Colgate, a Patriot League school located in central New York.
“I have never been more excited,” Cummings said. “I feel like a lot of people doubted me, but they better be ready because I’m ready to prove them wrong.”
A 6-foot guard, Cummings played in 30 games as a freshman at Bowling Green, averaging 13.2 minutes and 3.6 points per game. The Falcons finished 16-16.
“It’s a complicated answer, but to keep it simple, it just wasn’t the best fit for me,” Cummings said of his decision to transfer.
Colgate went 19-14 last season when it finished second in the Patriot League and lost to Bucknell in the league championship. Colgate went on to play in the CBI tournament.
Cummings will sit out next season, but will be eligible in 2019-20.
“The coaching staff put in a lot of attention to detail. That was big for me,” said Cummings. “If I want to continue my dreams as a basketball player, I have to pay attention to the small details. The campus was beautiful and the academics were really good. It felt like a great fit.”
Cummings finished his career at Lincoln Park as the fifth-leading scorer in WPIAL history with 2,411 points. He averaged 28.7 points his senior season.
Britt still looking
The WPIAL’s top unsigned senior boys basketball player is still trying to figure out his future school. Woodland Hills’ Amante Britt, a 511 point guard who earned Post-Gazette Fabulous 5 honors his senior season, visited Shippensburg on Monday. Shippensburg is one of several Division II schools to offer Britt, who said he is receiving interest from Division I VMI (Virginia Military Institute). Robert Morris had been recruiting Britt, but the Colonials signed a junior college point guard late last month to fill out their recruiting class. Britt averaged 20.2 points per game and was named Class 6A second-team all-state.
Stephens to EMU
Penn Hills 6-5 senior guard-forward Daivon Stephens is headed to Eastern Michigan as a preferred walk-on. Stephens averaged 18.2 points per game as a senior when he helped Penn Hills win the WPIAL Class 6A championship. He could be one of two former WPIAL players playing for Eastern Michigan next season. Former Lincoln Park star Elijah Minnie is a junior who declared for the NBA Draft, but did not hire an agent, leaving the door open for a return to school.
Hart to Ball State
Imani Christian’s Rahmon Hart, one of the top wide receivers in the WPIAL, committed to Ball State. As a junior, Hart (6 feet 3, 205 pounds) had 63 receptions for 978 yards and 11 touchdowns, helping the Saints reach the WPIAL Class 1A final.
Football commitments
Central Catholic’s Dom Dodson (Columbia); Woodland Hills’ Daniel Jones (Waynesburg).
Soccer commitments
Moon’s Abby McEnroe (Gettysburg); Peters Township’s Regan LaVigna (Youngstown State).
Track commitment
South Park’s Sam Hartman (Seton Hill).