Since her sophomore year, Lynnfield’s Caroline Waisnor has known she’s wanted to go to school and play basketball at Endicott College. Tuesday evening that dream became a reality when the Pioneers senior committed to continue her academic and athletic career with the Gulls following graduation.
“I’ve known since sophomore year that I wanted to go to Endicott, and I knew that I had to work hard in both academics and athletics if I wanted to continue playing at the next level there,” said Waisnor. “When I went to the campus, I just fell in love with it. I went and saw a few basketball games, and I love the style of coaching and the style of play they have there.”
Like many other student-athletes over the past year, Waisnor’s recruiting process was a little stranger than normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But even after speaking to a few different schools, it always came back to her first choice.
“There were definitely a lot of Zoom calls, and I talked to a few different teams,” said Waisnor. “But at the end of the day, nowhere else gave me the same feeling Endicott did. Coach (Brittany) Hutchinson and I clicked right away and that was that.”
While Waisnor and the Pioneers did get to complete their full season last winter, there were still a lot of changes that she had to deal with once the pandemic hit. Closed gyms and no AAU season in the early going meant she was stuck home, working out and putting up 300-500 shots daily. Once she was able to get back out on the court, she signed up for some private training and continued to play with her AAU team, North Shore Blizzard.
“It was definitely nice to get back out on the court and get back into the swing of things,” said Waisnor. “It was a little strange at first just because of wearing masks and things like that, but eventually you get used to it. If that’s what we have to do to get out and play, that’s the reality.”
As for this upcoming winter season, which is her final season with Lynnfield, Waisnor and the Pioneers get back on the court Monday. With a new coach coming in and a group of fellow seniors with plenty of experience, Waisnor is excited to get the year going.
“I’m excited to get back out there with my teammates and get started,” said Waisnor. “I’m excited to meet our new coach and I know she coached in college before, so hopefully she can help me prepare to be the best I can be as I make the move to the next level.”
Waisnor also noted that she wanted to thank her mother for all she’s done to support her over the years.
“If it wasn’t for my mom and all the support she’s given me, I definitely wouldn’t be here now,” said Waisnor.