Chris Hansen/ESPN.com Haley Peters is going to take her time before she makes her collegiate decision.
Sometimes you just have it in your genes. For New Jersey's Haley Peters both athletics and academics run deep in her family, making the Peddie School star a double threat.
This winter quarter -- in the middle of another strong season for Peddie -- Peters managed to excel on the hardwood and in the classroom with five grades of A+. Sean Casey, the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Peddie School and the head girl's basketball coach, said it is rare for a student to earn even one A+, let alone five.
Peters has the pedigree because her father, Kurt, attended Columbia while playing baseball and football. Plus, her mother, Sharon, is a Duke graduate. No wonder she just gets it when it comes to being a student-athlete.
The 6-foot-3 forward is among the top juniors in the country on the basketball court, but the praise for her game comes almost secondary to the glowing reviews she receives from her teachers.
"She often gets her work done ahead of time when she knows she has other commitments coming up," said her Environmental Science teacher Scott McCormick. "Revealing a level of maturity about time management that eludes many adults!"
Or her Honors Precalculus teacher, John Bates, who received his first ever perfect winter exam in 10 years from Peters.
"But, with the strength set she has developed from athletics as well as academics, Haley always seems to rise again and break through the obstacles set before her. Haley had a perfect exam score, closing the winter term off with her strongest effort yet."
Many kids with such strong academics already have their path set for future studies, but not Peters. She's doing so well at so many things that she's nowhere close to deciding her college ambitions.
"I have no idea," Peters said about what she'll study in college. "I like all my classes."
While her parents deserve a great deal of the credit for raising such a mature and focused young lady, Peters also sees the Peddie School itself as the framework for her success.
"I think going to school at Peddie," Peters said, "it is one of those things, every student plays a sport or does an activity, every quarter."
Perhaps Peters is just being modest, but those around her know there is something extraordinary about her. She did something in her AP U.S. History class that her teacher, Erik Treese, had not seen in 13 years of teaching. She earned an A+ and turned in a perfect final document based question (DBQ) essay exam.
Peters is also ahead of the curve on her recruitment and she is in the process of making unofficial visits during her junior year. Last week, she made an unofficial visit to Duke and took in the NCAA tournament's Selection Monday, where the Blue Devils learned they were a No. 1 seed in this year's tournament.
She has previously made visits to Boston College and Vanderbilt and was contemplating another visit to the Eagles or a visit to Connecticut this early spring.
Peters is already a 1,000-point scorer with another season to play, but basketball isn't the primary focus of her college search.
"A lot of it has to do with how strong a school is academically," Peters said.
On the basketball front, Peters is interested in the style of play. She likes up-tempo, but not at the expense of being able to execute in the half court.
Peters, who is No. 40 in the ESPN HoopGurlz Super 60, has two older brothers, both of whom are hoopsters themselves. Her brother Ryan is a senior and will play at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., next season while her brother Casey is a team manager at Duke, but hoped to walk on next season.
While it is appealing for Peters to go to the school her brother Casey is currently attending, she realizes they would only be together for one year and that alone isn't a reason to pick a school.
Peters also said that distance from home really isn't a factor because the growing television coverage will allow her parents to see her play regardless.
In addition to Boston College, Connecticut, Duke and Vanderbilt, Peters is getting significant interest from Georgetown, Notre Dame and many others.
"I'm pretty open now," Peters said of her recruitment.
Despite the success of the Peddie School's girl's basketball program, the team doesn't attract the biggest crowds to its home games. Peters compared her home games to "sitting at a funeral home." Perhaps the number of activities the students participate in, and the mix of local students as well as boarded students makes for a less than ideal home court advantage.
Nevertheless she has turned the experience into an opportunity to learn.
"We've all learned to deal with it," Peters said, "and we're all internally motivated."
She also sees the potential for big crowds and television exposure in college to be an opportunity to learn and develop.
"You have external motivation instead," Peters said.
Peters' basketball development at an early age landed her on the Philadelphia Belles Nike sponsored travel team at the age of 14.
"She's actually the youngest kid I ever kept on the top team," former Philly Belles coach Kevin Lynch said.
She credits Caroline Doty (Connecticut) and Chelsea Shine (Virginia), who were the upperclassmen on her first Belles team for teaching her how to compete at a high level.
Having two older brothers to battle with also taught her what competition was about.
But who is the best in the family?
"It's pretty close," Peters said. "Casey's the best player, but I think I am the best shooter."
Shooting is something Peters is focused on in her development. Her current skill set is centered on a versatile inside scoring repertoire and the ability to take defenders off the bounce from the high post. She is athletic enough to get out and run the lanes on fast breaks, but she sees expanding her range as a part of taking her game to the next level.
"She's one of those kids who has a calming effect on the game," Lynch said. "She really knows how to play and even at the young age, she's just so gifted mentally she can fit in anywhere."
Peters has seen her game evolve since she started playing club basketball. During her first season with the Belles she was primarily a rebounder and defender, but this year -- her third with the team -- she hopes to take her game to the next level.
"I'd like to be a little more dominant in the game and in the class I'm in," Peters said.
Her coaches doubt there is anything she can't do.
"Haley is just a remarkable student-athlete," Casey said. "Her natural ability and work ethic speak for themselves both in the classroom and on the court. Having coached two McDonald's All-American and numerous [Division I] players, Haley may be the best to have ever played for Peddie. She is just that good."
"As far as her improvement, it's just about everything," Lynch said, "her ballhandling, her off-the-dribble shot, she has a really nice pull-up jump shot now, (and) she can shoot the three-ball."
"But what is truly amazing, is that she doesn't pick-and-choose where she wants to succeed," Casey added, "she wants to excel at everything -- and does."
