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Five years ago, current Wootton senior center Chelsea Craig was just a tall seventh-grader hoping to get some playing time on her club team; she didn't even know how to shoot one-handed.

Friday afternoon, in front of family and friends, she became the first-ever Wootton girls basketball player with a Division I scholarship, signing her National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Delaware next year.

"This is a huge accomplishment," Patriots coach Maggie Dyer said. "It's very exciting, not just for Wootton basketball, but for Wootton athletics in general. She set a goal and she reached it. She is dedicated, has an incredible work ethic. She's one of those girls who goes above and beyond."

Wootton basketball has been on the rise the last five years; last year's 18-6, Class 4A West Region semifinalist campaign was its third-consecutive winning season after more than a decade-long drought.

And Craig has been a huge part of that resurgence. She's changed the complexion of Patriots basketball. Once strictly guard-oriented, Wootton has dominated its opponents with a strong presence in the paint the last three years: Craig.

And it's not just because the 6-foot-2, three-year starter is tall. She knows how to position herself to be first to the ball. She's quick and agile for her height and she has tremendous will to fight around the rim. She averaged 11 points and 14 rebounds last winter.

"I'm tall, but I'm not as physically big as a lot of the [post] players," Craig said. "I have to take advantage of my speed and quickness and aggressiveness. I can outhustle them. I love that physical aspect of the game."

Craig has improved exponentially as a basketball player in her four years on varsity at Wootton. Once hesitant to take her own shots, she now likes being the one people look to. She's confident in her skills but is still eager to learn.

And because she got such a late start — most girls start peaking by seventh grade or burn out — she still is learning. But that's what keeps her interested and motivated. It's all still new and exciting for her.

"Chelsea is an extremely unselfish player; sometimes too unselfish," Dyer said. "But she's really become a huge post threat and that's made it a lot harder for teams to defend against us. I've seen her pull down 20 rebounds in a night and it's not just because of her height. She's the type of player, she plays with heart. She understands every possession counts. Her work ethic and love of the game is something that affects the whole team."

Craig has always been a good three inches taller than her peers. So, when in seventh grade she decided she wanted to get out and be more active, basketball seemed the way to go.

She joined her first AAU team, the D.C. Flames, that year. She didn't ascend right to the top of the lineup.

She's there now, though. And it's because of her passion for basketball, her determination and dedication to working hard and continually bettering herself.

"I was not good; I was one of the worst on the team," Craig said. "It was that underdog feeling; I was totally overwhelmed by all the girls on the team. But I remember being embarrassed and I never wanted to feel that way again ...

"It's funny because when I switched to a better AAU team two years ago people were like, ‘Oh, that's not for you.' I always said I wasn't going to play in college because I just wanted to go have fun. Now two years later, that's what I've been working for."