Celina Calderon to Play Basketball for Division III-Level Eastern Nazarene College

Allan Hancock College women's basketball player Celina Calderon made her verbal commitment official by signing scholarship papers to play Division III basketball at Eastern Nazarene College on Thursday. The Lompoc High School graduate will transfer to the college which is located about 10 miles south of Boston, in Quincy, Massachusetts. The private college has an annual enrollment around 1,500 students.

"I am so excited to play basketball and attend a four-year college on the East Coast. I have lived in Lompoc my entire life and have never been in an airplane before, but I feel ready," said Calderon. "The Eastern Nazarene coach really made me feel comfortable and I know I will be able to succeed as a member of the basketball family."

Calderon started every game for Hancock during the 2014-15 season and ranked second on the team averaging 12.2 points per game. She averaged four rebounds, three assists and nearly two steals per game. She led the Bulldogs with a 45 percent field goal percentage, 35 percent three point percentage, and 76 percent clip from the free throw line. Calderon scored a career-high with 24 points behind four three-point baskets in a win against Saddleback. She earned All-Western State Conference honorable mention honors.

The Lompoc native averaged six points over 27 games as a freshman for Hancock. Overall, Calderon played in 55 games and averaged 9.25 points per game, and made 59 of her 172 shots from three-point range for Hancock head coach Cary Nerelli.

"I am grateful for coach Nerelli, the entire coaching staff and my teammates at Hancock," added Calderon. "They helped make this opportunity possible."

Calderon plans to major in criminal justice at Eastern Nazarene in hopes of entering a career in law enforcement.

Eastern Nazarene is a member of the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Last year, the Lions finished 10-8 in conference and 12-14 overall under fourth-year head coach Sacha Santimano. The Lions had seven players from California on last year's roster, including two Santa Barbara County natives.

"Our coaching staff is incredibly proud of Celina for earning the opportunity to continue playing the game she loves so much," said Nerelli, who will enter his third season as head coach of the Bulldogs in the winter. "She is an unselfish player, competes with everything she has from tipoff to the final buzzer, and sets a great example for younger players. Her commitment to Eastern Nazerene is a testament to her unwavering pursuit of a goal she set when she came to Hancock as a freshman."

Since taking over the Bulldogs prior to the 2013-14 season, Nerelli has helped place three players with four-year universities. Emma Weinreich (Arroyo Grande High School) became the first player in program history to sign with a Division I program when she inked papers to Southern Utah University. Justine Roland (Righetti High School) signed with Notre Dame de Namur, a Division II program.

"Our coaching staff takes Hancock's slogan 'Start Here. Go Anywhere,' very seriously and we are willing to put in the time and effort to make it happen for our players, said Nerelli. "We can lead them to the door and open the door, but it is up to the player to put in the dedication and effort that will allow them to walk through the door."

Calderon's family, teammates, and coaches, including her coach at Lompoc High School, Claudia Terrones, turned out for the signing ceremony held Thursday in the Joe White Memorial Gymnasium.