Villanova basketball offers scholarship to 2019 guard Anna DeWolfe

DSC_0336Big East school is the first to award Greely High School ninth-grader

Since the time Anna DeWolfe was old enough to dribble a basketball it was obvious she was unique. Anna and her Dad spent hundreds of hours working on her game pretty much every opportunity she got. She is a true gym rat!

For those of you that know Anna, the bounce in her step and smile on her face is infectious. For those of you that don’t know her, it will be worth your time to go watch her play. The 5’7” Cumberland native has a flair that is rarely seen in the woman’s game, particularly in Maine. She has a very mature skillset for her fourteen years with behind the back passes, floaters over the outstretched hands of post players, and step back treys are all part of her arsenal.

Today Anna DeWolfe realized her dream of having the opportunity to play college basketball at the NCAA Division I level. Head Coach Harry Perretta called Anna this afternoon and offered her a scholarship to study and play at Villanova University, where the Wildcats compete in the Big East Conference. Coach Perretta began recruiting DeWolfe in July and was impressed with her consistent effort, unselfish play, ability to get to the rim, athleticism, and unusual skillset.

Don Briggs (Anna’s Firecracker coach) commented, “This is an incredible day for the DeWolfe family. I know how much time Anna puts into the game, but seldom in life do people accomplish things without a great support system. Frank and Serina Dewolfe have provided the opportunity for their daughter and made many sacrifices along the way. I am so happy for them.” Briggs continued, “Anna is a special young lady. She has the skills and maturity level on the court of a player beyond her years, yet she is 14 years old and loves being a kid. I have received a lot of phone calls about Anna over the past year and I would not be surprised if more offers come her way in the coming weeks. It is very hard to believe that a young athlete from Maine, who hasn’t played a High School game yet has been provided this opportunity. I am proud of her because I know what she has put into the sport. Greely fans should be packing the gym to watch this incredible young lady.”

Firecracker co-founder Brian Clement added, “Anna has been blessed with some God given abilities and she has taken advantage of those gifts. She is a wonderful person, great teammate, and another positive role model our entire Firecracker program can be proud of. She plays hard, she is unselfish, and her teammates love her.”

With this offer, the Firecracker program has now had 15 separate players receive scholarships. Allie Clement and Emily Esposito both received offers during the Spring of their Freshman years, but this is believed to be the earliest a player from Maine has ever received such an offer.