Harrison point guard Avery LaBarbera grew up with a basketball all but glued to her fingertips.
She developed a natural feel for the game by the time she reached middle school, dissecting defenses with relative ease.
Her basketball IQ, deft handle, all-around scoring ability and skill-set as far as quarterbacking an offense garnered notice.
Now, the recruiting mail she was inundated with as a freshman and sophomore has turned into mid-major offers. Some of the nation's most prestigious academic programs are now steadily vying for her services on the basketball court.
Iona, Canisius, Holy Cross, and Marist have all put offers on the table. LaBarbera has significant family ties to Iona College and she grew up infatuated with the play of former Gael Scottie Machado.
LaBarbera's high academic profile and beyond-her-years playmaking acumen has become appealing to programs such as Columbia, Penn, Princeton, American, as well as Bucknell.
LaBarbera averaged 17.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 4.5 APG in Section 1/NYS Class A en route to earning ninth team all-state honors.
According to AAU coach Nick Volchok, LaBarbera's selflessness and quick growth in all facets of her game have resulted in increased Division-I attention.
"Her game just continues to evolve all around," said Volchok, the former Gorton sharpshooter.
"She sees the floor like no other kid on the court. Her IQ is amazing. She's been a great teammate. A great leader. She's put in better work on the defensive end. She just keeps getting better. The next phase for her is just going to be getting stronger."