BUFFALO TWP — Sidney Shemanski thought her decision would have been made long before now.

It wasn't.

There were factors to consider beyond her control. Mitigating circumstances. A lot to think about and sift through.

The multi-sport senior star at Freeport was being pulled in three different directions.

Soccer, basketball or track and field?

It was overwhelming.

“It's been a crazy bumpy ride,” she said.

Finally, it was something other than sports that settled everything.

For a while now, Shemanski has wanted to be a physician's assistant and an opening in that program at Seton Hill University popped up.

Shemanski had to pursue it.

She volunteered at ACMH in Kittanning, shadowing two physician's assistants in the emergency room. She wrote an essay and procured letters of recommendation to get into the program.

Shemanski was accepted.

The next step was fairly easy. Seton Hill women's basketball coach Mark Katarski offered her a scholarship.

Shemanski finally got what she wanted — a weight lifted off her shoulders that had been pressing down on her for months, if not years.

“To finally make my decision now is crazy,” Shemanski said. “I thought I'd make my decision way earlier.”

Shemanski, though, had so many options it was daunting.

“When you play multiple high school sports, it's sometimes hard to know what to do,” said Freeport girls basketball coach Fred Soilis. “Once she gets an opportunity to focus on basketball full-time, her skills are really going to improve.”

Having so many choices was a good problem to have in some ways. On the soccer pitch, Shemanski was dominant at both midfield and forward. On the track, Shemanski was a gifted runner, placing third in the 400-meter run, fourth in the 800-meter run and running a leg on the Yellowjackets' 1,600-meter relay that placed sixth at the WPIAL Track and Field Championships.

She was second in the 800 as a sophomore and won the event as a freshman at the WPIAL meet. Shemanski also has two state medals in the 800 to her name.

But basketball became the front-runner for Shemanski.

This season was perhaps her best all-around campaign. She averaged 12.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.6 steals to help Freeport to a 17-8 record and a state playoff appearance.

The 5-foot-8 guard finished her career with 1,063 points, 630 rebounds and 260 steals.

Shemanski prided herself more on what she could do on defense than anything she accomplished on offense.

“I love playing defense so much,” she said. “In practice, my teammates always made fun of me — well, they didn't make fun of me, but kidded me — 'your arms are so long.' It was a huge factor.”

Shemanski was asked by Soilis to play virtually every position. As one of the tallest players on the team, she often crashed the boards. She brought the ball up the court as a point guard most of the time and when she didn't, she was occasionally asked to post up in the paint.

Her versatility was one of the reasons why she was regarded as one of the top basketball recruits in the state.

“That does help me a lot,” Shemanski said. “I played a lot of positions. Experience in high school playing everywhere is good to have.”

At Seton Hill, Shemanski will likely play off-guard or small forward.

“It's going to be weird not bringing the ball up,” she said, smiling.

Soilis said whatever Seton Hill asks of Shemanski, she can do it.

“Talking to the Seton Hill coach, she can probably play four spots on the court,” Soilis said. “I don't disagree with that. I'm happy for her. It's a great fit.”

What Shemanski will remember the most about playing high school basketball at Freeport has little to do with what happened on the court, even though she said she is proud of what her team accomplished in those four seasons.

“I'll remember all the team camps,” Shemanski said. “That's when we bonded. I'll just remember my teammates. We were all really tight. They are going to be my friends forever.”