GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - On Thursday, March 14, Gridley standout senior forward Maddyson Tull officially declared her intent to attend Oregon Tech on a basketball scholarship, in a signing ceremony held inside the Gridley High School library.

But for the 6-foot-2 Tull, a four-year varsity player under Lady Bulldogs' head coach Becca McCray, playing basketball collegiately and having her education paid for almost didn't happen. It wasn't due to a lack of skill or talent, however. It was because Tull nearly quit basketball.

As a freshman four years ago, Tull was on the verge of giving up on the sport she loved and was prepared to not play in high school. That is where McCray stepped in and instilled belief in the youngster when she didn't believe in herself.

"When I came to her as a freshman, I was basically done playing basketball," Tull said. "But she (Coach McCray) told me that I have some potential and she was going to pull me up to varsity. I told her she was crazy. But after that I played for her over the next four years, and she helped me rediscover all the reasons why I started playing to begin with."

Fast forward to the end of her senior season, and the prolific prep player who amassed over 1,500 points for the Lady Bulldogs will soon be playing for the Oregon Tech Owls while pursuing a degree in respiratory therapy. After jet-setting across the country during her senior year visiting several schools that had shown interest, Tull said the decision to attend Oregon Tech was an easy one, and she knew it from the moment she stepped on campus for her first official college visit.

"When I went on my official visit I got to tour the campus and the respiratory therapy building," she said. "When I got to talk with the professor I knew that was going to be a good place to get my degree, so that was a major part of it. The second part was when I got to run with the basketball team I loved the atmosphere, and I loved the coach. It felt like a family, and it was everything I was looking for."

For McCray, seeing her pupil's hard work pay off has been quite the joyful experience.

"I'm so proud of her," McCray said. "She is such a hard worker, and she shows it. She's like one of my kids, and I feel like that beaming parent watching her progress each year, and finally she made it. It's like a proud parent moment."