Charles Henderson senior point guard India Blakely signed a National Letter of Intent this week to play college basketball at Mercer University.

Blakely, who begins her senior season at Charles Henderson, is excited about the opportunity to taker her game to the next level.

“I am very excited,” Blakely said. “I have worked very hard and have put in a lot of extra time and hard work at practice by shooting and going to the gym.”

Trojan coach Dyneshia Jones is not surprised her senior was picked up before she began her final season.

“I am very proud of her,” Jones said. “I knew from day one that she would end up getting a Division 1 scholarship.”

The success that Blakely has had on the court extends to the locker room and classrooms as well.

“She is an all around student athlete,” Jones said. “Academic-wise, she is doing great. I have never had a problem with her. She has never missed a practice. She is always the first one to come to practice and the last one to leave.”

The choice to attend Mercer was an easy one for Blakely.

“It has a great family atmosphere,” Blakely said. “They are always checking up on me and asking me how I am doing.”

For a player like Blakely, the family atmosphere was something that she looked for when making her decision.

“They are going to be my family away from home,” Blakely said. “That was really important for me when I made my choice. Seeing that they had the family atmosphere, I told myself ‘yeah, that’s my school.’”

For now, Blakely is focused on the upcoming season.

“I want to get better on defense and have more confidence in my game,” Blakely said. “I don’t want to be hesitant; I want to be able to play my game.”

And she hopes she can inspire her teammates.

“I hope they do better than me,” Blakely said. “I hope I motivate them to achieve the same goals.”