Sellers picks Liberty over Big Ten, SEC

CEDAR RAPIDS - She could have chosen the Big Ten or the SEC.

Instead, Lela Sellers went with her faith.

A versatile senior at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Sellers told The Gazette on Monday that she has orally committed to play women's basketball at Liberty University.

'It's a great program, but most importantly, it's a Division-I Christian college,” Sellers said. 'That means a lot to me.

'I could tell from the environment there that the people are real, not fake.”

Sellers said she received 'quite a few offers.” She visited Indiana and Arkansas, along with Liberty.

'After my official visits, I told Liberty (Monday) that's where I'm going,” Sellers said.

A 5-foot-11 swing player, Sellers averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game last season as Kennedy finished 16-7 and reached the Class 5A regional finals. Her family moved to Cedar Rapids from Minnesota in the summer of 2014.

She said the recruiting experience 'has been pretty crazy, hearing from a lot of colleges. Sometimes it was kind of stressful, but overall it was an awesome experience.”

Sellers dreams of a professional basketball career someday. She plans to major in journalism at Liberty and wants to get into sportscasting.

Located in Lynchburg, Va., Liberty is a member of the Big South Conference and traditionally has a successful women's program. The Flames played in the NCAA tournament last year and finished 26-7. Liberty was a Sweet 16 team in 2005.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com