Samantha Thornton to Play in Alaska

Umpqua sophomore Samantha Thornton has accepted a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Alaska next year. Thornton, who attended Olympic High School in Bremerton, Washington, averaged 18 points and 7 rebounds per game for the Riverhawks. For her efforts, she was named 1st Team All Southern Region and was selected to play in the NWAACC All Star Game. Click here to read the article released by the University of Alaska, including quotes from the Nannoks coach Cody Burgess : http://alaskananooks.com/news/2012/4/17/WBB_0417122607.aspx

Stanford Cardinal Basketball Examiner: Will Westhead style challenge Stanford women's supremacy?

UCC's style of offense and Kristi Fallin are mentioned in this Bay Area article:

Stanford Cardinal Basketball Examiner: Will Westhead style challenge Stanford women's supremacy?

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The Best Player to EVER Come out of Onahill, Idaho

is without a doubt UCC sophomore Cassie Scheffelmaier, who after being named 1st Team All NWAACC Southern Region, recently signed a National Letter of Intent and received a full basketball scholarship to Carroll College in Helena, Montana.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/womensbasketball/2009-04-28-3435027022_x.htm

At the beginning of the season I was working on our web page rosters when Cassie walked in to the office, saw what I was doing, and quickly informed me that she wasn't really from Kootenai, Idaho like I had listed. Kootenai was the name of the high school but not the town. When I asked her where she lived Cassie told me that the nearest town was Harrison but they received their mail in Cataldo. "Well, where do you live?" I asked again while laughing. "Just out in the country on a hill." Cassie replied. So I hit the delete button and erased Kootenai from the web page roster and typed in "Onahill" instead. (On a hill) Cassie and I both laughed for a while and then forgot all about it.

Until we played in the Clackamas Thanksgiving Tournament and the starting lineups were announced. "At guard, a 5'8' sophomore from Onahill, Idaho. . .Cassie. . . Scheffelmaier!!" I smiled, Cassie chuckled, and her parents, who made the trip over from Idaho laughed out loud. Then Cassie proceeded to turn in arguably the best single game performance in the history of the NWAACC, not to mention Onahill, Idaho, when she scored 50 points and grabbed 21 rebounds!

After that game every announcer declared that Cassie was from Onahill at all home and away games and not a single person ever caught on to our inside joke. However, one of the coaches recruiting Cassie did mention that their whole staff spent nearly an entire day trying to locate Onahill before finally giving up and deciding to ask us where the heck it was!

I think it's safe to say that there will never be another player like Cassie Sceffelmaier from Onahill, Idaho. Who knows? Maybe next year the roster can list her new home town as Hanna, Montana!!

University of Oregon Announces Signing

The following article showed up today on the University of Oregon's athletic department web site:
http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4307&SPID=236&ATCLID=3735717&DB_OEM_ID=500

Kristi Fallin Signs at University of Oregon

When our players are being recruited by four year schools I tell them that there are four factors to consider: location, school, basketball program, and money and they need to decide which of these factors are the most important. Are they willing to take less money in order to go to a good program in an great location? Do they want/need a full scholarship even if it means playing on a lousy team in a bad location? Etc. Etc. Lots of possibilities. Most get two of the four. The lucky ones get three of the four. Kristi Fallin got all four!

On Monday Kristi signed a National Letter of Intent and accepted a full scholarship to play at the University of Oregon, which is only an hour away. She is going to be coached by newly hired Paul Westhead, who besides winning both NBA (LA Lakers) and WNBA (Phoenix Mercury) Championships, runs an offense that wants to get a shot off in the first five seconds of each possession and generates a lot of three pointers at the end of the fast break and sideline break.

Last season the leading three pointer shooter in NCAA Division 1 made 116 threes. Kristi made 118. We play fast but not as fast as Westhead's shoot first ask questions later style of play. Kristi has a chance to be very, very successful in that system.

Follow the links below to read about Kristi's signing on the NWAACC website, in The News-Review, and on Douglas County Sports Online
http://www.nwaacc.org/news.php?id=744

http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20090504/SPORTS/905049921/1012/NONE&parentprofile=1056

http://www.douglascountysportsonline.com/sportsline/kristi-fallin-to-play-basketball-at-oregon.html