To those who’ve watched Kailah Correa blossom as a basketball player from afar the last few years, the announcement that came from Lebanon High’s star point guard last week was pretty much expected and rather inevitable.
But the verbal commitment that Correa gave the University of Delaware on Monday, Aug. 5, assuring her of a Division 1 collegiate career, was more the product of good old-fashioned hard work and dream pursuit than an opportunity that was simply given to a gifted performer on the court.
“Honestly, it’s a dream come true,” Correa said Friday. “It’s something I’ve dreamt about since I was a (little) kid. Watching on TV, watching online and just (seeing) the atmosphere of eating, sleeping and breathing basketball, honestly, it’s a dream come true.”
“Dedication and just never giving up,” she added when asked what attributes were just as important as talent in determining a Division 1 path. “Obviously not everything has gone right for me my entire life. I’ve been doubted and it’s kinda been just believing in myself and putting in the work.”
That hard work has benefitted not only Correa but the Lebanon High program as a whole over the last three seasons.
The Cedars struggled mightily for wins for nearly a decade before the dynamic Correa arrived.
Now, with her senior season beckoning, and 1,591 career points in her hip pocket, Correa and the Cedars are among the powers that be in the Lancaster-Lebanon League and beyond. They’ve won three straight section titles and have played in the league championship game the last two years, and with key pieces returning to the fold in forward Lily Harrison and guard and guard Olive Brandt returning to the fold, are setting their sights even higher.
“We’re definitely ‘chip’ chasing,” Correa said of Lebanon’s desire to bring home an L-L title. “I want that championship for the league and to make a run at states. This has to be the year because I’m a senior.”
A championship would be an appropriate way for Correa and the Cedars to wrap up their time together, as well as a gift of sorts to her tight-knit family for their support throughout her hoops career.
Her parents, Giovanni and Gina Correa, and sisters Ilyana and Giahny, the latter was also a standout at Lebanon in her high school career before continuing it at the college level for Penn State Harrisburg, have been a loving, consistent presence at virtually every game Correa has ever played, both at Lebanon and at the AAU level.
“I’ll always give my family credit,” she said. “I could not be here if it weren’t for them.The amount of love and support that they’ve shown me over the years has carved me into the player and person I am.”
And when it is finally go time for the 2024-25 season Correa believes she will be a more relaxed and productive player, given that her college future is decided.
“It definitely does,” said Correa to the notion that deciding on a college path will make for a less tense senior season. “I’ll be able to play a lot more freely. I don’t have that pressure of having to decide where I’m going to go. I don’t have to think about that stuff. That was a huge weight off my shoulders.”
At Delaware, Correa will be joining a Blue Hens program that went just 11-20 overall and 7-11 in the Colonial Athletic Association last season but one that plays an uptempo style that fits Correa nicely. She also considered continuing her hoops career at Stony Brook or Towson but ultimately decided on the Blue Hens due to the comfort level she found with head coach Sarah Jenkins and her staff.
“It was their commitment and loyalty to me,” said Correa, of what made the decision for her. “They were the second school to ever recruit me and they have been there since I was a freshman. And just the relationship and bond I grew with Coach Jenkins.
“I’ve been to campus quite a few times now, and even the girls (on the team), I’ve built a bond with them. We get along pretty well. It was just the relationships that made the difference.”
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