Some might say Elaina Kline-Ruminski was destined for basketball greatness. When your father was a two-time All-Ohioan in high school who went on to a hall-of-fame college career at Bowling Green and is the founder of TNBA (The National Basketball Academy) — well — there is no denying basketball is in your blood. But God-given athletic ability is only good if you do something with it. The daughter of Shane Kline-Ruminski has done that, and that is why she has earned and accepted a college basketball scholarship at Division II Walsh University. “It has taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am now,” said Kline-Ruminski, a standout guard for the Gilmour girls basketball team. “I’ve always had natural ability with my size, athleticism and speed. I work very hard at it. I’m still not really developed all the way. Once I get there, I’ll be even better.” Kline-Ruminski leads the Lancers in every offensive category except for 3-pointers made. Heading into this week, the 5-foot-9 senior is averaging 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.3 assists per game. Her 11 3-pointers made are fourth on the team, but that’s generally because her driving ability forces defenses to collapse, and her court vision allows her to find the open player on the perimeter for long-range goals. “It’s been a lot of time, work and effort to get to this point,” said the youngest of two children born to Shane and Heather Kline-Ruminski. “I’m proud of myself and that he is my dad. He has helped push me to where I am now.” Surrounded by her family, Elaina Kline-Ruminski signs a letter of intent to play college basketball at Walsh University. (Neal Busch – For The News-Herald) Shane Kline-Ruminski was a two-time All-Ohioan at West Geauga, where he helped lead the Wolverines to back-to-back state runner-up finishes in his prep days before moving on to the college level. Now it’s his daughter who is headed off to college soon. She had plenty of college opportunities, but her primary focus was on Walsh, Lake Erie College and John Carroll. “Walsh just jumped out,” Kline-Ruminski said. “I really love the chemistry they have in that program with the team and the coaches. I went to a practice and I loved the atmosphere there. They have good chemistry and a sense of community. That is important to me.” She plans to major in criminal justice, saying, “I’ve always been very interested in the justice system. I love watching crime documentaries. I’m thinking about going into forensic science or something to do with that.” Kline-Ruminski’s role has changed over the years at Gilmour. After being more of a role-player for the past two years while Michigan State-signee Helen Holley and current John Carroll freshmen Katie Puletti and Nicci Finazzo were more of a focal point of the offense. She’s a scorer, a facilitator with the ball in her hands and a ferocious defender. This past week she averaged 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, four steals and three assists in three games, with wins over Cleveland Central Catholic and VASJ along with a loss to state-ranked Akron Hoban. The way her game has evolved to this point is the kind of game she said she will need when she enters Walsh next season. “I knew I had to take on a bigger role this year as a leader,” she said. “This gives me confidence to go into practice next year and play as hard as I can to work for my spot and play to the best of my ability at the next level.”