The Camas High School girls basketball program has seen some great success over the past couple of years, including a deep run in the playoffs last season. An instrumental member of the team, CHS Senior Faith Bergstrom, has committed to play basketball at the collegiate level. On May 29th, Bergstrom announced her commitment to Cal Poly University on social media.

Bergstrom described her high school experience as being “a blast”, but she also mentioned there have been several highs and lows.

She said, “The highs are when I’m doing something fun with the team, whether that’s winning a game or just hanging out with them. The lows are when we lose, especially when we had a good chance at winning or when it’s a season ending game.”

Part of the reason for the team’s great success is the culture and the supportive coaching staff.

Bergstrom said, “Our basketball culture is incredible. There’s never any drama, and we’re all super supportive of each other.”

CHS Girls Varsity Head Coach Scott Thompson said, “The girls that have played in this program over the last two years have built something special.  I can’t imagine a locker room with better chemistry.”

Bergstrom said about the coaches, “The coaching staff is really supportive. Everyone wants the best for us, and listens to us when we have questions or concerns.”

CHS Senior and teammate Katelynn Forner said, “Faith is a great teammate and leader. She puts her team first and pushes herself to do whatever she needs to for the team to succeed. She is all around a good person on and off the court. She is a huge piece to this team.”

Another teammate of Bergstrom, CHS Junior Ashley Bauer, said, “She’s a stud. She’s a hard worker on and off the court and really brings structure and holds up the team. Faith brings a sort of calmness to the team, especially on the court.”

Thompson added, “Faith influences with her focus, dedication, and her commitment to a ‘team first’ mindset.”

Bergstrom’s excellent play on the court has turned heads since her freshman year, when she received her first offer. Despite getting looks early on, she said that the recruiting process did not really start until the summer before her junior year.

“I got my first offer in September of that year (junior year), and was able to visit a few colleges before the season started. We had plans to visit more during the spring and summer, but Covid put an end to those plans, so instead I was doing a lot of phone calls and Zoom meetings with coaches. During the process I got offers from Southern Utah University, Eastern Washington University, University of California San Diego, Harvard, Penn, of course Cal Poly, and others,” she said.

Cal Poly appealed to Bergstrom more than the other schools because she really liked the connection she felt and the academics.

Bergstrom said, “I chose Cal Poly because I felt a great connection with the coaching staff, and when I was able to visit in October of my junior year the team felt like a family. I’m also going into mechanical engineering and they have a great engineering program.”

“My parents were a big help in the process, especially my mom. We looked at what schools would be a good fit for me in academics and location,” she added.

When Thompson heard the news, he was super excited.

“It is always a great feeling when one of your players calls with big news.  Faith surprised me, I thought she would be a later commitment, but I was really excited that she landed at Cal Poly because I think that will be a great fit on and off the court,” he said.

Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, Bergstrom is still finding ways to get in the gym and improve her game

She said, “In the offseason I’ve been playing with my club team Upper Left Legion. Right now our school team is having practices once or twice a week at the gym, but it’s nothing like what we’d be doing normally.”

As her senior season quickly approaches, Bergstom has goals for herself and the team. 

Bergstrom said, “Personally I want to focus on being a good mentor to the underclassmen and freshmen. As a team, I think we want to get as far as we can in the postseason.”