Kirsten Smith #00
6’0” Freshman
Post
Paw Paw
High School / Gary Mitchell
……KVCC's first player from the highly
respected Paw Paw program…… Wolverine
Conference All Star in three sports for basketball, volleyball and
track... ...a member of the
National Honor Society, a recipient of the McDonalds'
Athlete of the Week Award and Outstanding Athlete of the Year at Paw Paw…….plans a career
in Nursing…….A member of the KVCC Volleyball team, which is one of her favorite
things outside of basketball.
.
……..Her favorite player is Michael Jordan
Coach’s
Comments: “We're really
pleased to have an athlete such as Kirsten in our program. She
brings a great attitude and a lot of versatile athleticism to us and we
look forward to having her join us after the volleyball season is over.
She's a post player that kinda flew under the radar a little bit and
that's a good thing for us. We feel she can be effective in both the high and
low post. We'll be glad when she gets here after volleyball.”
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Ericka King #5 5’6”
Freshman
Guard/Forward
Battle Creek
Central High School / Tony Warren
…….one of the "do
everything" guards off Coach Warren's Bearcat team that was always a
threat in the SMAC mega league......All City and Conference All-star for
three years......has a defensive ‘knack’ for being around the ball…….Graduated
with High Honors academically…… loves spending time with her family in her spare
time......looking to go into the Sports medicine field, probably as an
athletic trainer, hopefully in a professional sport.........
……..Her favorite player
is Dwayne Wade
Coach’s
Comments: “Ericka has
really caught the coaches eyes as one of the hardest workers on a team that
prides itself on it's work ethic. She's a threat from deep and can
also get to the basket, but her defensive awareness and intensity has upped her stock in
the rotation and the versatility she displays makes her a valuable
commodity for the Cougars. She can play at the point or move to
the wing and be equally comfortable. That versatility, plus that
defensive prowess, will prove to be an asset for us. ”
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Nicole Compher #10 5’5”
Freshman Guard
Mattawan
High School / Troy Wright
……high energy guard
with very good athleticism……. SMAC conference All Star as a Senior in
both Basketball and soccer….. strong handling, passing and leadership
skills needed for the guard position……recieved the Kalamazoo Gazette
Jack Moss scholar athlete award…..active member of the KVCC FCA
huddle... honor roll student who's pursuing a degree in business or
advertising.....Outside activities include FCA, shopping and "Guitar
Hero"....
…….Her favorite player is Wilt Chamberlain
Coach’s
Comments: “If
work ethic means anything, and in college basketball it most certainly
does, then Nicole is going to develop into a wonderful college player.
The girl amazes us daily with the effort she brings. That kind of
stuff rubs off on teammates and makes everyone better. She takes a
great deal of pride in how she plays and has shown very nice leadership
qualities in the early season workouts. We're confident that
Nicole will get the most out of her considerable abilities. ”
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Alicia Jesnek #12 5’7” Freshman Guard/Forward
Jenison
High School / Kevin VanDuyn
…... strong young lady from Grand Rapids program that
competes in the tough OK Conference that produced Miss Basketball 2005,
Alyssa DeHann…….Captain of her team as a junior and senior.......can play in both the
post and on the wing and make a play……….good rebounder and shooter with
a very nice touch out to “3” …studying exercise science and
coaching....loves to hang out with
friends in her spare time………
……..She doesn't really have a favorite pro player
Coach’s Comments: “'AJ' is a very
competitive, hardnosed
player who will battle hard with anybody. She still recalls having had to
guard the 6'8" DeHann as one of her biggest challenges in her high
school career. She's shown a very good touch from the perimeter
and a good defensive awareness in early drill work. Her time on the floor
will be determined by how she is able to guard quicker wing players and
how she responds to the speed of the game. We like her toughness.”
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Shannon Dumond #14 5’8”
Sophomore Guard/Forward
Wayland Union High
School / Coralie Miller
……2nd year player
for the Lady Cougars who was a named one of the "top 100" players in
Michigan by the Detroit Free Press coming out of high school……..Class "A" Honorable Mention All
State……capable of playing every perimeter position …… Leading minutes
freshman from last year's sophomore dominated team….has prepared herself
for a 'breakout' season and will be one of our leaders on and off the
floor.....Played with the high exposure West
Michigan Warriors AAU team…… ...A student in the dental hygiene
program, 'Duey' enjoys spending time with family and friends when not
studying or playing basketball.
…….Her favorite player
is Chauncey Billups
Coach’s
Comments: “Shannon
proved last year that she can compete in this league at a high
level. She will provide valuable leadership to the young and
talented group of players around her.
She has kind of 'come out of her shell' shown some things over the
summer and in Fall workouts that we hadn't seen from her. SHe's
quicker and stronger than last year and is ready to lead us in the
pursuit of our team goals for success. Obviously our expectations for Shannon are very
high!”
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Terrica Drisker #20 5’2”
Freshman
Guard
Battle Creek Central
High School / Tony Warren
……Part of a spectacular defensive tandem at guard
for the Bearcats in 2006……..tremendous jumping ability tends to
compensate for diminutive size……exceptional quickness and strength…….
…….Her favorite player is unknown
Coach’s
Comments: “We made a
connection with our 'Little One' at team camp when she was a senior and
just stayed in touch with her and Coach Warren. We love her
quickness and speed and believe she can be a lock down defender while
continuing to hone her offensive skills. We know she has
shown an ability to get to the basket, but she has been slowed by some
early season physical problems and has yet to see any game action.
We feel that when she’s healthy she can step in and make an impact with our
team. She’s small but she has tremendous physical tools and we think
she'll become an excellent player while working hard to get the job done in the classroom as well.”
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Jessica Sanders #23 5’8” Sophomore Guard/Forward
White Pigeon High School
/ Jeff Baechler
…... Sophomore player who has excellent speed and
strength......All
State Honorable Mention as a senior and two year MVP of her basketball
team……displayed a nice touch from three as a freshmen.....after playing
volleyball for the Cougars as a freshmen, decided to concentrate on
basketball as a soph....pursuing a degree in business and would like to
continue to play basketball…….enjoys playing softball and playing with
her new puppy, Kayden in her off time………
……..Her favorite player is Allen Iverson
Coach’s Comments: “Jess has made the
commitment to basketball and we expect her to be one of our leaders this
year. She's been slowed a bit in pre-season by a couple of nagging
injuries, but appears to be working thru those and will be expected to
help lead us. She really didn't get a lot of opportunities last year because of the tremendous sophomore depth, but we feel the ability
and desire is there to make an impact this year. We know that she's a
spectacular athlete and we expect her to transfer that to the floor. We believe she is capable of helping
us play the way we like to play.”
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Ja'nee Morton
#32 5’8”
Freshman
Guard / F'wd
Canton High
School / Brian
Samuelski
……. Detroit Free Press and BCAM All State player for Coach Samuelski at
Canton High School……All Metro West by the Detroit News and Free Press……Observerland
first team and overall 4th ranked area player......Exceptional quickness
and speed, plus a very strong vertical makes her a threat all over the
floor........wants to pursue a degree in secondary education...... has
the dream of playing and coaching in the WNBA........enjoys reading and
eating in her spare time.......
………Her favorite players
are Deanna Nolan and Tony Parker
Coach’s Comments:
“'J-Mo' has
spectacular physical skills and we feel has the potential to play at a
high level beyond KVCC. She reminds us of a former Cougar who is
now playing Pro Ball overseas - Danaea Williams. Similar skills.”
Like the rest of
our incoming freshmen consistency is the key for her. As she begins to
get a feel for the college game and be
disciplined in how she plays she's going to open some eyes around the
league. Gaining an understanding of how hard she has to play
everytime she steps on the floor will be an important first step.
Expectations are high for her - and for us. We feel good about
what she will contribute."
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Jeannie Closson
#42 6’2” Freshman
Post
Parchment High
School / Kryn Brand
Four year
varsity player……. Three time Kalamazoo
Valley Association
Conference All Star ...... National Honor Society member who graduated
with High Honors ……Winner of the prestigious B'Nai Brith Scholar Athlete
Award ......All Conference and All State in track running the 400
meters……..brings quickness and speed in the post, in addition to range
out to “three”……Currently undecided as to academic emphasis.......loves
to spend time reading and camping with friends and family....…
………Her favorite
player is Tayshaun Prince
Coach’s Comments:
“As the coach at
Hackett I got more than a casual look at Jeannie starting in her
Freshmen year and spent time trying to figure out a way to defend her.
She's a great student in the classroom and a willing pupil on the
basketball floor. We strongly feel that a lot of schools missed
the boat with Jeannie and look forward to helping her become the player
she wants to be. She's a fine scorer with a 'knack' around the
basket, a very nice mid-range touch and a developing perimeter three
point game. She has the potential to be the surprise of the
league.”
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Cassie Bonzelaar #52 5'11”
Freshman Post
Jenison High School
/ Kevin VanDuyn
..........Fundamentally
sound post player from the OK Red Conference in Grand Rapids........solid
post defender with deceptive quickness......Graduated with Academic
Honors...........Strong physical player who has also shown a nice
shooting touch out to three..........going back and forth between a
career in physical therapy or elementary education.......enjoys
rollerblading and....working??!
.........Her favorite
players are Richard Hamilton and Diana Taurasi
Coach’s
Comments:
“We got a chance to watch Cassie play in both high school and AAU and it
seemed she felt more comfortable player the more physical AAU game.
That appealed to us and although 'dinged up' a bit so far in early
practices has worked thru a lot of stuff to perform at a pretty high
level. Her great work ethic and a sincere 'want to' attitude
has shown thru in our workouts. What role she
plays for us this year will certainly be determined by how quickly she
catches up to the speed and pace of the game and how well she can guard
someone. Based on early progress I would say she is learning daily
and could end up giving us some valuable depth in the post.”
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Caitlin Krull
#54 6’0”
Freshman Post
Three Rivers High
School / Chase Cottingham
…….another strong
player out of Coach Cottingham's Three Rivers program..…....four year
varsity player and named All Conference her senior year…….expected to provide
a strong post presence at both ends of the floor…….great attitude and work ethic……..very strong young
lady who’s not afraid to be physical in the post……loves to spend time with family in her spare time……..wants
to be a high school teacher with a minor in special education……..
……Favorite player
is Ben Wallace
Coach’s Comments:
“We were one of several schools 'wooing' Caitlin and we're very pleased
that she chose Kalamazoo Valley. She has excellent quickness in the post and gives us
a strong, physical presence on the box and is really beginning to show an
understanding of what we we're looking for from our post players.
We feel
strongly that she will be able to step in and shoulder a big part of the
load in the post for us as she continues to learn the college game.
She's a fierce competitor who is
really hard to guard when she plays on balance & under control.
We look forward to watching her develop.”
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