Lehigh University favors FAB EGGENSCHWILER….TOO!

https://youtu.be/2nAF_BAtHaE

This time things are different. Not because I am writing about Fab Eggenschwiler for the 2nd time in a week. This time it’s different because Fab Eggenschwiler has chosen to attend LEHIGH UNIVERSITY. In my heart I knew it was Lehigh U from day one. FAB took the other visits and followed the recruiting drill. But in the end we all knew it was Lehigh. The real story is how Fab Eggenschwiler found her way to the world of D1 basketball.

The odds of a girl playing Division one basketball are slim at best. Just like the odds of two young kids leaving the country of  Switzerland. Not knowing anyone and coming to America and starting a life together. But that’s exactly what Fab parents Sabine and Dominick  did long ago, before becoming citizens of the Untied States. The odds of them being successful were slim. But they did it with hard work and dedication. Something they passed along to there middle daughter Fab. But with success comes a price, Mr. and Mrs. Eggenschwiler have made real sacrifices along the way. So has there daughter and yesterday those sacrifices were rewarded. That reward game in the form of a free education at one of the best schools in America. In order to end up at Lehigh, Fab and her parents did things the old fashion way…THEY EARNED IT.

The rumor is, I have always favored Fab…guess what the rumor is true. I have favored Fab for many reasons. None better that the fact that she did the hardest thing in sports to do…SHOW UP! Fab has been showing up since 4th grade. She showed up when I jumped up and down, when I yelled, when I made her run, when I told she was not working hard enough. When I gave her dirty looks and complained. She showed up whenever I asked her to show up. She showed before and after all those grueling dance lessons. She showed when she was tired after hours of studying. She showed her when her tank was empty and she had nothing else to give….Fab earned all the scholarship offers she received. Lehigh just won the sweepstakes. But it was me who won years ago, when a little girl and her family decided to play basketball.  They gave up something they all loved, there free time. It was hard but she did it, they did it. When it came to picking a high school, she gave up her friends and all the good stuff that comes from going to your local high school to attended RBC. It was not easy to do…but she did it. While others saw doubt….Fab Eggenschwiler saw the BIG PICTURE.

It’s not easy watching somebody  criticize your daughter. It so much easier to find a cushy nice teaching environment . It’s not easy to stick with one AAU team your entire life, who does this anymore. But Fab doesn’t run away and hide when things don’t go well. It’s why she is so successful. It’s why no matter how hard things get, she will always handle it with flying colors. Fab Eggenschwiler understands adversity is part of life. It’s what makes you grow. There is a reason, she was named a rare junior captain at RBC. Coach Joe Montano knew Fab was special. He knew it, the day she put a RBC uniform on. I knew it the day I met her. I knew when her mom sat in the stands and watched me coach her daughter hard, when NOBODY ELSE WAS AROUND. I knew it because no matter what I asked FAB  to do…she would do!

I always was concerned for Fab along her journey. I was concerned that her beauty would make others jealous and envy her. I know young girls and I know,  they can be hurtful with words and mean spirited. But Fab carries her beauty with such grace and  elegance. That it’s impossible not to love her. It’s her style that makes it so easy to like her, she is polite and embraces all those around her. She understands what team really means. It can be on or off the court, she is always inclusive to all. It’s why Captain Fab is my favorite. She is my favorite because she does things nobody else can do. Like have a 4.6 GPA and will be the  valedictorian at RBC one day. You see Fab Eggenschwiler understands it’s about hard work and sacrifices every step along the way. YES I FAVOR FAB AND LOVE DOING SO!

It’s rare when everything is right. One D1 coach text me yesterday.

“we just received the phone call. Fab is going to Lehigh, I’m happy for her Tiny. I just wish we could have landed her and it had nothing to do with basketball”.

That coach was right and his program did an amazing job of recruiting Fab. He was right because Lehigh and Fab are perfect for each other. No school could  possibly be a better fit . Her  dad was an engineer major, her brother is a  engineering major.  Lehigh University is a place for high achievers and Fab  is one of the biggest. She unlike many others who sign at a college. Will continue to work, she will be ready, the day sets foot on campus.

Fab brings light to anything she is part of. It’s why her journey to Lehigh and parents journey is so uplifting. Her mom and dad were not basketball people. They knew little if anything about the sport, basketball found them. Now there daughter plays for the Swiss National Team, now there daughter will play at LEHIGH UNIVERSITY….Now they can sit back and relax, knowing all the hard work, the  craziness of all the comes with chasing a dream, has come true...I FAVOR FAB BECAUSE SHE CHASED A DREAM AND MADE IT COME TRUE…CONGRATS MISS SWISS!!