Lake County Gazette

In the end, Kayla Caudle realized she had everything she wanted right here at home.

The Vernon Hills High School hoops star recently signed a letter of intent to attend DePaul University and play for Coach Doug Bruno next season.

Caudle’s choice came after much grappling and goes against her initial position, which was that she should put distance between the university she attends and her high school roots.

“DePaul, for me, I thought at first was super, super close to home, only about 45 minutes away,” she told the Chicago Tribune. “I was skeptical because I didn’t want to be that close to home. I wanted to feel like I was at college.”

But the more she got to know Bruno and DePaul, things started to change for Caudle, who averaged 15.3 points and 14.4 rebounds as a junior.

In the end, she settled on the Big East school over the likes of Saint Louis and Bradley. She had 16 offers in all.

“The biggest part for me was the education piece,” Caudle told the Tribune, adding that she plans to study international business. “It’s a great school academically, and their business school is great. That sold me. Coach Bruno is an amazing coach, worked with the Olympic teams and his (DePaul) teams are successful. To be a part of his teams and legacy is kind of cool. That made it a good fit for me.”

Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner said he envisions Caudle’s game reaching new and extended heights with the Blue Demons.

“DePaul is a great program for Kayla,” he added. “They like to run, and she can certainly run. They like post players who can rebound. She gets a lot of rebounds, some out of her zone, and she can defend. As she gets older, she will get more length to her shot.”