Kennedy senior Morgan Martin has committed to play college basketball at Eastern Illinois University, she announced Wednesday morning on her 18th birthday.

Martin, 6-foot-1, transferred to Kennedy during the summer of 2012 after being an all-state player in Quincy, Ill. She suffered a season-ending knee injury last year and played in only two games for the Cougars during the 2012-13 campaign.

Martin announced her college decision in an e-mail to media outlets. Here is the text of her announcement:

"Good morning! I am both excited and blessed to announce, on my birthday, that I will be playing NCAA Division 1 basketball at Eastern Illinois University.

"I chose Eastern over other schools mostly because of the amazing coaching staff. The brand new head coach, Debbie Black, was an assistant at Ohio State under Jim Foster for eight years, and has played in the WNBA, overseas in Australia, and for the USA Olympic team, winning championships.

"Alongside her are three assistant coaches that all have played with and against her in each of those capacities. A possible post college playing career is very appealing to me, and I believe that the coaches at Eastern can help me. I have really formed a great relationship with the staff, and the current players are very welcoming.

"There is great tradition at Eastern only to be continued with the strong credentials of the new coaching staff. The women's basketball team won the Ohio Valley Conference last year and beat Missouri in the first round of the WNIT. Because of the multiple OVC championships, the Panthers won the Contender Cup last year.

"I also chose Eastern because of the strength in my intended majors (biology and chemistry). I really connected with the professors in the science department. At Eastern, I can get into labs as soon as my freshman year, versus having to wait until I'm an upperclassman.

"The fact that Eastern is only five hours away from my home is also a big plus. My family can come and watch me play regularly. The school is the right size for me. It is not too big or small. I love the older, quaint architecture and the college town of Charleston.

"My signing date is between the 13th and 20th of November, and I can't wait to start my summer school and preseason workouts with my new team in June. It's a big relief and tremendous feeling having verbally committed, and now I can focus on helping Kennedy this season."