Emilee Komins #3
5’ 4” Freshman Point Guard
Constantine High School / Coach Mark Bradford
…….exceptional athlete in a small
package........MVP of the Constantine program all four years earning All
conference her last three years and All State Honorable Mention as a
senior........top 10 academically in her class (high honors)......member
of the National Honor Society........loves scrapbooking in her spare
time....major in Secondary Education with an emphasis on history.......
……..Her favorite player is Dee Brown
Coach’s
Comments: "This young
lady has been blessed with some outstanding physical tools and has
worked hard to develop them. She almost single handedly helped
turn Coach Bradford's program around and culminated her HS career by her
team winning district honors as a senior. Learning quickly what
the college game is about and has a very big upside if she continues to
progress at the rate she has so far. She's fortunate to have a couple
good mentors in King and Compher to help her over the 'rough' spots
she'll experience at first. We look forward to watching her game
awareness develop. We know that the effort part won't
be a problem." |
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Anna Clark #4
5’ 5” Freshman Point Guard
Vicksburg
High School / Coach Mike Roy
…….MVP of the Vicksburg program as a Jr.
and Sr. .............All Wolverine Conference in her last two years and
BCAM Honorable Mention as a senior..... three sport athlete who was
captain of all three teams senior year.......Solid academically with her
eyes on going for an MBA in business administration after she gets done
at Valley..........very competitive young lady who plays any game in her
spare time.......
……..Her favorite player is Candace Parker
Coach’s
Comments: "A former 'Cougar Cager', we've literally watched Anna
grow into a fine player. She's attended our camps since she was 8
and has a bunch of blue ribbons at home. A very 'feisty' player and she has been one of the pleasant surprises of
our early workouts, battling for time at the point guard position.
We like her energy and the skill set she brings. She's going to be a
very good player for us as she makes the adjustment from high school to
the college game. Nice basketball IQ for a freshman and she'll impact
our team this year." |
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Ericka King #5 5’ 6” Sophomore Guard/Forward
Battle Creek
Central High School / Tony Warren
…….Returning starter
at one of the guard spots......All City and Conference All-star for
three years in high school......….Graduated with High Honors academically…… loves spending time
with her family in her spare time......pursuing a degree in the Sports
medicine field, probably as an athletic trainer, hopefully in a
professional sport.........
……..Her favorite player is Jason
Hart (that's right, a relative!)
Coach’s
Comments: “Ericka's
work ethic has served her well and she comes into her 2nd season with
the Cougars as one of the team's captains. Her leadership has really
shown thru in our early workouts and I believe she's ready to have her
best season ever as a basketball player. She's shown extended
range from deep and can
also get to the basket, while her defensive awareness and intensity has
remained a constant. Her versatility makes her a valuable
commodity for the Cougars. She can play at the point or move to
the wing and be equally comfortable._____________________________________________________________________ |
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Nicole Compher #10 5’ 5” Sophomore Guard/Forward
Mattawan
High School / Troy Wright
……high energy guard
that returns a captain for the Cougars……. SMAC conference All Star as a Senior in
both Basketball and soccer in HS….. improved handling, passing and
shooting
skills have upped her stock immensely……received the Kalamazoo Gazette
Jack Moss scholar athlete award…..active member of the KVCC FCA
huddle... honor roll student pursuing a degree in business
administration or marketing.....Outside activities include texting,
being 'the organizer' and dancing.....
…….Her favorite player is Candace Parker
Coach’s
Comments: “Her
tireless
work ethic has paid dividends for 'Coley' and she has become a very solid
guard at the college level. The girl amazes us daily with the effort she brings. That has rubbed off on her teammates and
helps make everyone better. She
was again chosen by her teammates as one of the captains by showing
great leadership
and tremendous effort 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’ 8”
Sophomore Guard/Forward
Jenison
High School / Kevin VanDuyn
…... strong young lady from Grand Rapids area
program that competed in the tough OK Conference ……..can play in both the
post and on the wing and make a play……….good passer and returns as the
leading three point shooter on a team that shot 37.8% as a team to lead
the state last year …pursuing a degree in exercise science and
coaching....loves hanging out with
friends and making cookies in her spare time………
……..Her favorite player is Rip Hamilton.
Coach’s Comments: “'AJ' has this
'bull-dog' mentality that makes her a very
competitive, hardnosed
player who will battle with anybody. Of all of the returning
sophomores I believe that she has shown the most improvement over the
summer and comes in very focused on making an impact with this team. She's shown a
continued touch from the perimeter
and a quicker first step which will make her hard to guard. Her value as
an offensive weapon
adds tremendously to this team's depth on the perimeter. We like her toughness.” |
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Kristina Crane #14
5’ 8”
Freshman Perimeter
Portage Northern
High School / Coach Tim Rieman
…… Walk on from the up and coming program of Coach Rieman......excellent
speed and quickness with a skill set that's improving every day .........three year varsity player who was captain of the Huskies the
last two years.......named Most Improved as a Junior.......Elementary
education course of study........loves to spend time with family and
friends and EATING.
…….Her favorite player is Chauncy Billups
Coach’s
Comments: "Generally
there are not a lot of spots on our team for walk on players, but this
year we have a couple that could - with some continued hard work and
'seasoning' - contribute. KC is one of those. She's constant
motion with better than average speed & quickness, plus she's got that
'bubbly' personality that's great to have around. When her skills 'catch
up' to that quickness, she could be pretty special. It'll be fun
watching that happen!" |
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Mariah Hilliard #20
5’ 6”
Freshman Point
Guard
South Haven High
School / Coach Vince Bowman
……four year varsity player at South Haven.......1st team Wolverine
conference her last three years...........Class "B" All State as a Jr. &
Sr.......MVP for the Lady Rams as a senior.....wants to play beyond KVCC
and also work toward a degree in business advertising or possibly
business law.....writes poems in her spare time..
…….Her favorite players are Candace Parker & Allen Iverson
Coach’s
Comments: "Coming from
a team that was feisty, but really struggled to put "W's" on the board,
Mariah stood out on her high school team, but always kept her teammates
involved. She is a basketball 'junkie' and is one of the most
skilled players to come along in a while here at KVCC - and that's
saying something. We've had some pretty good players! She's a
cousin of former Cougar star Melba Melton and she's challenging for time
at the point guard spot. Exceptional Basketball IQ for a freshman.
Should be an exciting year for her - and us!" |
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Kaitlin Betley-Oleksyn #22 5’ 4”
Sophomore Point
Guard
Parchment High
School / Coach Larry Bailey
……transfer from Grand Valley State......2004 graduate of Parchment HS
where she was a four year starter and two year captain for Coach
Bailey.....also four year soccer player.....KVA All Star two years in
both basketball and soccer.....National Honor Society member.......Going
into social work....
…….Her favorite player is Tayshawn Prince
Coach’s
Comments: "There's no
one on this basketball team that I respect more than 'Bet'. She's
picked a tough row to hoe, trying to make a contribution to this team
under her circumstances - and at first there was a LOT of question in my
mind whether she could - but the effort she's putting forth is amazing.
It's been four years since she's played competitive basketball, but she's a
very 'savvy' player who I know will give it her best shot. In my
heart I know she'll make it!" |
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Alexis Szekely
#24 6' 2”
Freshman Forward/Center
Kalamazoo Christian
High
School / Coaches Bill Hoffman & Dawn Rhem
………Do-it-all player for one of the most consistent area
programs.....follows her sister to Valley as a 1st team All Area player
and two year KVA All Star......pursuing a career in the nursing
field.......looking to transfer to a four year school, continue playing
basketball, and get a 4 year degree in nursing.... enjoys spending time
on Facebook in her leisure time..........
…….Her favorite player is Michael Jordan
Coach’s
Comments: "Very skilled
and athletic post player who has had a few early season set backs
physically, but what we have seen is enough to make us believe that when
healthy she'll be in our post rotation for playing time and maybe even
challenge for a starting spot. That'll be a chore with a couple of
seasoned vets in front of her, but we really feel she has the potential
to be a very good player. Getting to know the speed and physical
style of the college game will be crucial to her development and
understanding she has to play hard every possession will turn her
into a quality contributor. She hasn't backed down
in early workouts and it's only a matter of time!" |
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Latoya Crockett #30
5’ 9” Freshman
Guard/Forward
Bangor High
School / Coach Mary Spade
……outstanding athlete who has been
out of the competitive arena for a couple of years.....this 2005
graduate was a two year All State, All Conference player who was also a
track athlete - earning a bronze medal at the MHSAA State meet as a
junior in the 200 meter dash.......computer programming course of
study...loves to spend time with her two girls whenever she has a
minute....
…….Her favorite players are Sheryl Swoopes & Tim Duncan
Coach’s
Comments: "We
recruited 'Toya' out of high school but 'life' got in the way and we had
to wait. When she showed up at open gym this summer and said she
was going to give it a shot I was happy, but skeptical. She's
shaken off the 'rust' and has re-opened our eyes with her athletic
ability and effort, but it hasn't been easy. My money's on her to
attain her goal of playing at the next level and receiving her degree in
computer programming and in the meantime she'll provide us with more
depth on an already veteran team." |
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Ja'nee Morton
#32 5’ 8”
Sophomore
Guard/Forward
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......wants to pursue a degree in secondary education...... has
the dream of playing Division I and in the WNBA........enjoys reading and
eating in her spare time.......
………Her favorite players
are Deanna Nolan and
Chris Paul
Coach’s Comments:
“'J-Mo' has
spectacular physical skills and has the potential to play beyond KVCC.
She's working
hard to join us in January for the bulk of the league season and post
season play. Consistency is key for her,
both on the court and in the classroom. When she makes it back she will
be one of the most feared players in the league having made her presence
felt as a freshman. Gaining an understanding of how hard she has to play
every time she steps on the floor will
result in a maturity that will help her - and us attain our goals.
We feel good about
what she will contribute." |
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Dee Dee Closson #40
6’ 0”
Freshman Forward/Center
Parchment High
School / Coach Krynn Brand
……Wolverine Conference three sport All Star player in basketball,
volleyball and track as a Jr. and Sr. ..........All area in basketball as
a Sr. .....All State two years in track......Jack Moss scholarship winner
from the Kalamazoo Gazette as female scholar athlete.....
......Graduated with High Honors and Top Ten in her class.......National
Honor Society member.........marketing major.......
…….She doesn't really have a favorite player in the pros
Coach’s
Comments: "Dee Dee joins
her big sister on the Cougar roster and brings tremendous athleticism.
Joined us after the KVCC volleyball season where she was a late addition
and became a solid contributor to the Cougar VB team. She has
unlimited potential as a basketball player and is a very good offensive
rebounder. In addition, one of the things that caught our eye was the
quickness of her hands and the strength in the post she demonstrated.
We look forward to watching her develop into the player we know she can
be." |
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Jeannie Closson
#42 6’ 2” Sophomore Forward/Center
Parchment High
School / Krynn Brand
..... Returns
as a 2nd team Western conference All Star after almost averaging a
double/double last year ……. Outstanding student in her
pre-nursing curriculum with a 4.0 as a freshman.......... Winner of the prestigious B'Nai Brith Scholar Athlete
Award as a senior ........extended range and strength will make her one of the top
players in the state……loves
to spend time camping & golfing with friends & family..…
………Her favorite
player is Tayshaun Prince
Coach’s Comments:
“Jeannie is one of
the kids that was tested under fire last year and will be special this
year because of it.
She's a great student in both the classroom and on the
basketball floor. We - and she - feel strongly that a lot of schools missed
the boat with Jeannie and we 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 shown that she is one of the premier
players of the
league and is set to have a spectacular year.” |
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Danielle Bachleda #44
5’ 9” Freshman
Forward
Bridgman High
School / Coach Amy Houghton
……four year honor roll student........four year varsity soccer player
making 1st team all conference all four years, all region and All State
her senior season...... ......All Conference in basketball as a
senior........Education major...... loves to (you guessed it!) play
soccer in her spare time.......
…….Her favorite player is Dirk Nowitzki
Coach’s
Comments: " A walk-on
for our team, Dani has turned the coaching staff's head with her hard
work, tenacity and a nice shooting touch. Practice reps are
helping her become more 'fluid' in her movement on the floor and her
strength - she's one of our strongest kids - makes her hard to deal with
on the boards. A product of C-D basketball, we feel that with continued hard work
and gaining an understanding of what it takes to play at this level, she has a
fine upside on the hardwood. We look forward to helping her get
there." |
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Caitlin Krull
#54 6’ 0” Sophomore Forward/Center
Three Rivers High
School / Chase Cottingham
…….another strong
player out of the Three Rivers program..….... Western Conference Honorable Mention as a frosh…….Best
defensive rebounder on the club and came on very strong as the year
progressed offensively.……..Strength is strength……loves to spend time with family in her spare time……..wants
to be a high school teacher with a minor in special education……..
……Her Favorite player
is Michael Jordan
Coach’s Comments:
“Caitlin showed us last year that she belongs among the best post
players in the conference. She has good quickness in the post and
her extended shooting range makes her a hard guard for most post players.
We feel
that she will continue to build on her fine first year and will be attractive
to a lot of four year schools. Improved touch around the bucket will
increase her shooting percentage and along with Jeannie Closson, she gives us
one of the best one-two punches in the post in the league.
I feel certain that she will challenge for further post season honors this
year."
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