Allie Wooldridge commits to Green Bay

CENTER POINT — Maybe something bigger would have come along.

But bigger, Allie Wooldridge said, wouldn't have meant better.

'I met a lot of good people and a lot of good coaches,' Wooldridge said Wednesday morning, confirming her oral commitment to the Green Bay women's basketball program. 'But I couldn't walk away from there saying no to them.'

A junior-to-be at Center Point-Urbana, Wooldridge will join one of the nation's best mid-major programs in time for the 2018-19 season.

Wooldridge visited Green Bay in April, and she was sold, though 'I had to do my due diligence.' She also had offers from South Dakota State, Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois, as well as interest from Drake and Creighton.

'Maybe something bigger would have come along,' she said. 'But I knew I wanted to go there. For me, it was all about the people.'

A member of the Horizon League, Green Bay has won 17 consecutive regular-season conference championships. The Phoenix have qualified for the NCAA tournament 13 times since 1998, including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2011. Green Bay was 28-5 last season and dropped a 58-53 NCAA first-round decision to Tennessee.

A 6-foot-1 forward, Wooldridge earned Class 3A second-team all-state honors last season. CPU went 24-2, shared the Wamac Conference West Division championship and reached the 3A state semifinals. She averaged 13.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Wooldridge also plays volleyball and soccer. Her oldest sister, Jessica, just completed her senior soccer season at Northern Illinois. Arika Wooldridge will be a freshman basketball player at Winona State next season.

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