Avon senior Abby Liber commits to play basketball at St. Louis University

Avon senior Abby Liber established herself as one of the area's top players last season when she earned special mention All-Ohio honors. Now she's ready to take her talent to a bigger stage. Liber, a 5-11 guard, announced on her Twitter feed earlier this week that she has committed to play Division I basketball at Saint Louis University. "I just feel truly blessed. I know it's a small percentage of athletes that get this opportunity," said Liber, who averaged 14 points last season for the Eagles. "I went on an official visit last week. When I got there, I just felt a connection with all the coaches and it just felt like a family. Everyone was caring and supportive of each other." One of the main things that attracted Liber to St. Louis was the relationship she built with Billikens coach Lisa Stone during the recruiting process. Stone has led 23 teams to either the NCAA or WNIT tournament during her 36-year coaching career. "She has a strong history in women's basketball so I am really honored to have her as my coach," Liber said. "I feel blessed she is giving me this opportunity." Liber, who will enter the 2021-22 season needing 277 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone, has also built a special relationship with her high school coach Meghan Larrick. "Abby has truly been a pleasure to coach. She's a one-of-a-kind girl," Larrick said. "She is one of the hardest workers I have ever coached. Her work ethic matches with her talent. She's such a cool kid, she's that kid that is every coaches' dream. She is the first in the gym and last to leave. "She put so time and effort into improving her skills. She wants to be the best she can be and she's willing to do what it takes. She's had the drive to play basketball at the collegiate level since she was little. It's always been a dream of hers." Liber averaged 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 steals and two assists last season, while shooting 46.6 percent from the field. "I am willing to take up any role that is needed to help my team, whether this is bringing the ball down the court or getting in the post and posting," Liber said. "I am willing to do whatever is needed." Ever since she was in the varsity lineup as a freshman, Liber has been working to take her game to the next level. "As a freshman, I was working really hard for something like this. It has always been a goal of mine," she said. "The support of my coaches and family really helped make it possible. I definitely could not have done this without Coach Larrick. She has believed in me and pushed me to get to the next level. She has been by my side throughout this entire process and I truly appreciate everything she's done for me." Larrick isn't surprised Liber is on her way to a Division I career. "Abby is in the gym putting up shots every day, she's running every day and eating healthy," Larrick said. "She does all the right things to be the best student-athlete she can be." With the recruiting process complete, Liber can focus on bringing Southwestern Conference and district titles to Avon for her final high school season. "I think committing now will help me focus and enjoy my senior year, but I wasn't in a rush to make a decision," Liber said. "I just knew St. Louis was the right place for me. The campus is very pretty and it's a good academic school. I truly wanted to go somewhere that was the best fit and that has a good culture and I found it." Contact Todd Shapiro at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.