LUMBERTON — When Carly Hammonds signed to play basketball at Fayetteville Technical Community College on Wednesday, she became the fourth Robeson County player from the high school class of 2023 to join the Trojans program in recent weeks.

It was, in fact, one of the other three who did a lot of the work convincing Hammonds to choose FTCC.

“I was stressing about going to all these colleges and stuff, but I talked to (Sydney Jacobs) that’s on Fayetteville Tech too, and we had experience with each other for two years, so she brought a lot of information that I needed to hear,” Hammonds said. “She’s really a big part of my choosing to go to Fayetteville Tech.”

Hammonds joins Fairmont’s Sydney Jacobs, who she previously played with as a high school teammate at Lumberton before Jacobs transferred, along with Purnell Swett’s Nyla Mitchell and Red Springs’ Sydney Bell as part of the Trojans team for next winter. FTCC is a junior-college program competing in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

“It’s awesome that they’re getting together and getting these girls together, and believe in what they see in Robeson County and the growth and development and the players that we’ve made here, and it’s awesome to see them come together at the college level,” Lumberton coach Ivy Johnson said. “It’s really nice to see that Fayetteville Tech is coming into Robeson County and picking our kids up and believing in them to help them take their program to the next level, as they’re still trying to get their feet up and running in athletics, so that’s exciting to see.”

Hammonds averaged 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game in her senior season for the Pirates. She earned All-County recognition in each of the last two seasons.

“They’re getting a competitor that really loves the game,” Johnson said. “In the game, she’ll really be able to stretch the floor for them. They’re getting somebody that makes solid decisions and can handle the ball a little bit. They’re getting a solid basketball player. I think that she’ll be able to come in and make a difference right away. I’m proud of Carly and everything she did, and I think that FTCC is a great fit for her to get to her next level.”

Hammonds had other offers from Brunswick Community College and Cape Fear Community College, but ultimately chose a program that’s been recruiting her since her junior year.

“We have been after Carly since last year,” said FTCC coach Peace Shepard Easton, who was present at Wednesday’s ceremony. “She kind of just made the decision and finally jumped on board, so we’re glad that she finally made that decision.”

“I really didn’t want to go too far. So that was a good choice,” Hammonds said. “I’ve been dreaming to play college basketball and move to a higher level since I was smaller, so it really means a lot to me.”

While Hammonds is part of a Robeson County influx at FTCC, she’s also the second Lumberton player to sign for women’s basketball this year; La’Kayia Hunt previously signed to Methodist University.

“First of all it’s wonderful for them,” Johnson said. “But it does show that we’re doing the right things; we’re teaching the fundamentals, we’re getting the girls to compete when they’re on the court and getting them to do what college-level programs are looking for. It’s just something that’s really exciting as a program and gives these younger girls something to look forward to when they see these upperclassmen get opportunities to go play in college, and that’s what it’s all about is giving kids opportunities.”