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Benet's Beaumont, Naperville North's Hare make their college choices

Benet's Lenee Beaumont and Naperville North's Kenzie Hare crossed paths a few times during the Class 4A girls basketball playoffs.

Beaumont, a junior point guard, led Benet to a thrilling victory over Naperville North in the East Aurora sectional final. Nine days later, Beaumont and Hare shared a few minutes together on the court at Redbird Arena while receiving notice for being named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State team on March 5.

Maybe that's why it's fitting Beaumont and Hare finalized their college commitment this week, with Hare announcing her decision to attend Marquette on Tuesday and Beaumont committing to Indiana on Thursday.

Meanwhile, former Greta Kampschroeder, a former Naperville North player who was the 2021 Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area captain, is looking for a new school. She entered the transfer portal after her freshman season at Oregon State.

The 6-foot Beaumont picked the Hoosiers over a number of Power Five Conference schools. She reportedly had over 35 offers. Beaumont, who averaged 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists and made 78 3-pointers, said she built a strong connection with the Indiana coaching staff.

"I was basically talking to them throughout the entire process," Beaumont said. "I always felt important and a priority for them. They made that clear, always coming to my games and surprised me at Benet practices when it doesn't really benefit them in any way.

"They even came to one of my games, against Joliet Catholic during a snowstorm. The entire staff came down. That's extreme a bit, but stuff like that showed they wanted me. I always felt wanted by them."

Beaumont said she also had one other key factor driving her toward to choosing Indiana - winning.

"(Winning) was a big thing that played a factor for me," she said, laughing. "They were top 15 program for most of season. With Benet being a really good program, I really like to win. I don't like losing, so that was a key point."

Beaumont, who helped guide the Redwings to a Class 4A fourth-place trophy this season, said she was also interested in Michigan State, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Iowa. She said her first most recent unofficial visit sold her on becoming a Hoosier.

"I was considering a pretty good handful of schools but was probably down to close to two or three," she said. "I was always 100 percent confident about Indiana. I had a good feeling, but when I visited last Friday, that secured the deal. It's a great place with great people and the players are so welcoming. It's definitely very relaxing to (commit)."

Hare's recruitment process took a few more turns. She committed to Saint Louis early in her junior season while at Bartlett. She reopened her recruiting when Saint Louis fired coach Lisa Stone on March 18. Hare, the 2022 Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area captain, picked Marquette over DePaul and Belmont.

"I felt like (Marquette) was the perfect fit for me," Hare said. "I love the coaching staff and the culture of the program. Their main selling point was their family atmosphere. I got to talk to their players multiple times. I really felt like I was able to connect with them."

Hare, who averaged 20.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 3.0 assists in her lone season at Naperville North, admitted she was "better prepared and more knowledgeable" in her second stab at recruiting. She's said playing in the Big East Conference was another key factor.

"I'm super excited about the competition," Hare said. "The Big East is a great conference. I'm excited for the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament."

Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.comNaperville North player Kenzie Hare plays Neuqua Valley in girls basketball.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.comNaperville North's Greta Kampschroeder drives against Downers Grove North's Alexis Parker in a girls basketball game in Downers Grove Wednesday.
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