Q&A With Recent Vermont Commit, Deerfield senior, Lexi Kerstein

Reigning CSL North Player of the Year verbally commits to Vermont women's basketball

I watched this Deerfield team play last year against Simeon, Evanston and Maine South, the latter in the CSL championship game.

I’d already heard of the play of the Kerstein sisters from pouring through stats and social media in the abbreviated 2020-2021, season, but to actually see the Warriors play in person this past season was a chance to see some of the most fun basketball I’d witnessed in a long while. Kerstein leads a group that features a cavalry of good athletes. It’s no surprise the Warriors are experiencing such success in multiple sports as of late (state semifinalists in soccer, anyone?).

With excellent ball skills, anticipatory defensive instincts, exemplary shooting, and an increasingly attack-oriented mindset with the ball in her hands, Kerstein has blossomed into a bonafide future D1 baller. She averaged 17.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.2 steals per game last season as an all-state 2-guard.

It won’t be terribly long until younger sister Nikki (Class of 2025), will be making big moves with D1 offers currently pouring in. That includes a late-April offer from Vermont as well for the younger of the sisters. Fellow Warriors guard Aubrey Galvan has multipower power conference programs reaching out.

The CSL Varsity Newsletter caught up with Lexi for a brief interview about her commitment.

CSLV: How long have you believed you could play at the DI level, and what was it like to start getting interest from high-level basketball programs?

LK: My confidence began to rise when I started my freshman year on varsity! It felt great to know that these programs believed in me just as I started to believe in myself.

CSLV: Since you were a freshman, Where has your game taken the biggest strides and when did Vermont first express interest?

LK: Since freshman year the biggest change in my game was learning how to get to the basket and becoming a scorer, not just a shooter. Vermont first expressed interest my sophomore AAU season.

CSLV: Ultimately what put Vermont over the top for you? What appealed to you most about their program?

LK: Vermont is an exceptional academic school where I hope to study Dermatology. My teammates and staff were so welcoming and genuine. They made my decision simple. I feel that the style of play at UVM is very similar to our quick transition game at DHS. I feel like it will be an easy transition for me!

CSLV: Otherwise, what are you most looking forward to about your senior year? And how good can the team be this year?

LK: I’m looking forward to playing my last season with my sister Nikki who is an awesome point guard. I believe with the talent we have on this team, if everyone stays healthy, we have a really good chance of becoming state champions.