Over the past two days, a great deal of hype has surrounded Stamford High varsity girls basketball star Tiana England after she announced her verbal commitment to St. Johns University via twitter.

I sat down with Tiana to discuss the commitment and even talk some Stamford High
hoops. England also had offers from Hofstra, La Salle, Stony Brook, and Sacred Heart, along with a few others. She explained that the location was a big factor in her decision. St. Johns is a private, Roman Catholic based school in New York City, so of course the location is convenient for quite a few reasons.

England discussed her goals both as an athlete and as a student at St. Johns and noted that athletically, her goal is to work hard enough to start as a freshman. She then explained that doing well in all her classes is her goal off the court. Lastly, she added that another one of her goals is to meet new people during her time as a Johnnie.  England noted that though she doesn’t know what she wants to major in, she is interested in business.

England went on to give her head coach and Stamford High math teacher Diane Burns a little love, saying, “She [Coach Burns] is always there for me when I need her.” England also revealed that playing AAU has been an enormous contribution to her getting this far.

Finally, we got to Stamford High girls varsity basketball. Immediately, she became a lot more confident with her answers. When asked about how the team is shaping up early on, she responded confidently, “Awesome, we are looking to do big things this year.” She elucidated that every girl on the team has the same expectation. “We expect to win,” England explained. “We are coming back more experienced, we all have the same goal in mind, and we know what it takes to win.”

For those who don’t know much about England, she hit her 1,000th career point during the state tournament last year, her junior year season, in an effort against Bristol Central High, during which England (apart from collecting her 1,000th point) had 38 points and led Stamford to a gargantuan 78-20 victory. When England left said game, she received a standing ovation from the spectators.

England will again look to carry the Lady Knights to a victorious season in what will be her final year as a Black Knight before she heads off to St. Johns, where she will be a member of the Red Storm.

Though she will be at St. Johns, she will still be one of the best Black Knights basketball players to ever wear the uniform.