This year the Revere High School Women’s Basketball program includes two players who have earned scholarships from Division I colleges. Early in their lives, they chose to pursue a sport that would eventually change their lives, every day they chose to work at their craft, every day they chose to hone their skills, and every day they strived to not only improve themselves, but also improve their team and their program.

Camryn Brown and Caitlin Vari started playing basketball together when they were in the 5th grade. From an early age they demonstrated superior skills and leadership. Their hard work has been recognized by two Division I basketball teams. Brown received a full scholarship from High Point University in North Carolina, and Vari will continue her basketball career at the University of Akron.

Vari started playing basketball when she was in kindergarten, and set her goal to play in college when she was in eighth grade. Since then, she has described how the recruiting process felt while she was going through it.

“Personally [I thought that] the recruitment process was stressful and [it] kind of made me nervous. I realized though this was a once in a lifetime experience and learned to enjoy it and make the most [out] of it,” Vari said.

Vari went on to describe her favorite aspects of basketball.

“Basketball differs from other sports because it puts everything all into one sport. You need to be able to use your hands and dribble, use your legs for running and jumping, use your arms for shooting and it involves a lot of aspects other sports [do not]. It also helps build relationships and teamwork and lots of communication on the court,” Vari said.

Vari spoke about how Brown has influenced her basketball career.

“[Brown] has impacted me since the fifth grade when she moved here. We have played together in AAU and school for seven years. She has helped me become a better leader and overall basketball player,” Vari said.

Brown also described how Vari influences her as a basketball player.

“[Vari has] been my best friend since fifth grade, [we have] been playing together since then, and she made me the basketball player I am today,” Brown said.

Brown has been playing since she was four years old, and says that she knew she wanted to play in college since she was eight. Brown said that she first started to get noticed by college coaches while playing for her AAU team SMAC Fierce, as she was being recruited Brown shared that she had similar feelings to Vari.

“It was overwhelming at times, but for the most part it was fun getting to see different colleges,” Brown said.

Brown described her sport as very powerful, both physically and emotionally. She explained that through the years she has made very deep connections with teammates, and made some of her best friends through the sport.

Brown said that her greatest influence was her AAU coach, Tucker Neale, who has coached her for many years.

Vari said that her dad has influenced her the most in her life, and his battle with adversity has inspired her to strive for greatness.

Both Brown and Vari say that their absolute favorite part of basketball has been making friendships through the years of hard
work.

Their coach Kevin Verde has known both of them since they were in 5th grade, and noticed some early signs that they would succeed. He said that they were both very determined as they played on both the travel and recreational teams. Verde says that he believes that the both of them have elevated the women’s basketball program to another level.

“I feel that if they [would not] have been at Revere, I [do not] know if Revere would have had the turnaround in the girls’ basketball program. They changed the dynamic for Revere basketball for girls],” Verde said.

He explained that their work ethic has made them stand out in the program. Verde said that even back into middle school, Vari and Brown never [simply] hoped to be good, [but that] they worked for their goals.

Verde described Brown and Vari’s individual strengths as basketball players.

“[Brown] is a leader on the floor, she has a good grasp of what she is supposed to do, and also what her teammates do as well. [She is also] a very good shooter and ball handler. [Vari has] good height and ball handling skills, [and also] shoots the ball well,” Verde said.

Verde said that Vari is a relaxed person with a good sense of humor, and he also described  Brown as a very regimented and intelligent person.

Last year, Vari scored her 1,000th career point in high school, and this year Brown looks to do the same.

Since fifth grade both Vari and Brown have been working towards their goal of playing basketball in college. Through hard work and determination both of them have been able to secure scholarships.