It wasn’t easy for Molly Bent to leave her friends and basketball teammates at Barnstable High School, but her move to Tabor Academy two years ago has paid off in a big way.

In June, Bent made a verbal agreement to play basketball at the University of Connecticut after she graduates next spring. She will be the first Tabor student to play for the team. Being part of the famed women's team is something the rising senior couldn’t have imagined a few years ago.

“My goal was looking at the Ivy League and other Division 1 schools,” said Bent, who plays point and off guard. But, “I always had dreamed of playing for UConn.”

A friend told Tabor coach William Becker about Bent's skills when she was a freshman. He talked with Bent's father and high school coach, George, about her coming to play.

“I knew she would benefit from playing against some tougher competition and stronger players,” Becker said.

They weren't quite ready for her to make the change then, but during her sophomore year, they contacted him again. This time, she decided to apply and got in.

Bent was nervous about switching schools, but the opportunities on the court and in the classroom were too much to pass up.

“With their academics it was a no-brainer for me,” said the all A student.

Like many who transfer to the school, Bent repeated her sophomore year, and she says it took that year for her to feel at home on Tabor’s campus.

“Every year since I’ve gone to Tabor, I’ve gotten more comfortable,” said Bent, who goes home most weekends to be with her parents, George and Kathy, and siblings. “This finally being my third year, I feel very comfortable.”

The extra year also helped Bent’s skills on the court.

“It just gave me more opportunities to better my skills and get in the position that I am now,” Bent said. “I’m so grateful for that.”

While basketball got her to Tabor, she wasn’t always convinced that it was her top sport. Bent also plays on the Seawolves’ soccer team, where she was a captain last year.

“To be honest, I didn’t know until last summer that I wanted to play basketball in college,” she said. “I played soccer my whole life.”

Bent said soccer gives her the opportunity to take a break from basketball, and she wants to keep playing even as she sets her sights on a basketball career at UConn.

Like soccer, Bent has played basketball since she was a kid, beginning as early as first grade. Her dad was her coach right up until she made the move to Tabor.

“He was a fun coach. He taught me how to push the ball in the offensive end, how to play fast up-tempo style,” she said.

That gave her a good basis for playing at Tabor. Becker said she has grown as a leader since joining the team and is unfailingly hard working and positive.

“She gives you one hundred percent all the time,” he said. “I have to take her out and sub her for a few minutes or she would run herself into the ground.”

Becker says that dedication extends to her school work. This year she got a 5, the highest possible score on the Advanced Placement calculus exam. She also received awards for being the best student in calculus, taught by Becker, physics and creative writing as well as the student most dedicated to excellence in her class.

Back on the court, Becker said his star player has benefited from teammate Araion Bradshaw.

“They're probably the best back court I've ever seen,” said Becker, who has coached at Tabor 23 years. “The opportunity to play against players of her caliber every day have allowed her to develop into a very special player.”

The past two seasons, she has helped her team reach the finals in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class A tournament.

For her final season, Bent's goal is to see the team win, and with a full summer schedule playing with the Rhode Island Breakers, she is getting ready.

Of the team, she said, “I just love everything about it.”

If all goes according to plan, Bent will officially sign with UConn in the fall.