NORRIDGEWOCK – When Cindy Blodgett’s college friends were going to parties, she was going to the gym, turning on the lights and practicing her basketball shots late into the night.

Her dedication to the game paid off: She set scoring records at the University of Maine and now plays in the WNBA.

Blodgett talked about focusing on goals and staying drug-free when she visited a fourth-grade classroom Thursday at Central Elementary School. She also said getting an education was as important to her as playing ball.

“When I am done playing basketball and get a regular job, I can look back and say I got it done in the classroom, as well,” she said.

Blodgett, who is a member of the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs, is playing in France during the offseason this winter after quitting her job as assistant women’s basketball coach at Boston University.

She told the students it was never too early to establish good habits to help them attain their own goals.

Blodgett was peppered with questions, but not all the queries came from children. “How do you feel about being a role model for a 62-year-old woman?” asked Carol Clement of Norridgewock.

Blodgett will be entering her fourth season in the WNBA next year, and her third with the Monarchs. Last year she served as an assistant coach at BU, which finished 8-21.