NEWS

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City's Johnson commits to Iowa basketball (January 2010)

Susan Harman
Iowa City Press-Citizen

A little home cooking, access to laundry facilities and the belief that she was joining a program that played the game the way she wanted to play it convinced City High forward Virginia Johnson to give her commitment to the Iowa women's basketball team on Sunday.

Johnson will join former Little Hawk teammate Kelly Krei as a Hawkeye. Krei is starting for Iowa as a sophomore.

Although she was recruited by many Division I schools, the 6-foot-1 junior picked Iowa over Rutgers, which is coached by former Iowa coach Vivian Stringer.

"I love it here," Johnson said. "My mom is a big Hawkeye fan. It must be in the genes, I don't know. It's just the way they play. I really like their style. Coach (Lisa) Bluder, I think she's an excellent coach.

"I was kind of on the edge," she said. "I just needed something to push me one way or the other. Watching them play, I don't know, I just enjoyed watching them."

Johnson is a two-time all-state selection despite her youth and currently is averaging 23.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. She leads the Mississippi Valley Conference with a 24.4-point average in league games, is third in field-goal percentage at 56.3 percent and is fourth in rebounding (10.6).

Johnson scored the winning basket in City High's state championship game as a freshman, hauling in a three-quarter court pass from Kim Rickels and driving in for a layup as time expired. She also is an accomplished softball player and high jumper for the City High track team.

"Family is the main component," Johnson said. "I couldn't move to New Jersey. I just like it in Iowa because you're close to home and you can come do your laundry and get home-cooked meals. I like it here."

Johnson likely will play the small forward spot in college. She has played inside and out for City High. She sometimes has to bring the ball up court against pressure. She has developed a reliable mid-range jump shot this season and she can run the court all night long. A natural athlete, Johnson even played some football in junior high.

Recently Johnson's mother sent a letter to Iowa indicating that her daughter would not make a decision on recruiting for at least two months. That seemed to relieve the pressure that Johnson was feeling to make a decision.

"I think at the moment that I realized it really was my decision, that I really could do whatever I wanted, then I realized Iowa would be the best decision," Johnson said. "Once the pressure was gone it just clicked that, 'Hey this is where I want to go.'"

 

Duke commits to SFCC

Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Mariah Duke has committed to play basketball at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, MO.

 

Rogers signs with Iowa (November 2009)

IOWA CITY - University of Iowa Head Women's Basketball Coach Lisa Bluder has announced that Jade Rogers has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Iowa next fall.


"We are eager to have Jade Rogers join our team," Bluder said. "Jade is a tremendous kid that loves the game, and has grown up as a Hawkeye fan. Jade will be a versatile player that can play a number of positions. She can post up or she can shoot the long ball. She is also a good rebounder. Jade has had a great career at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, and is looking forward to continuing her career as a Hawkeye."


Rogers, a 5-11 forward, is from nearby Hiawatha, IA, and attends Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. She led the state in scoring (22.3) and rebounding (13.4) as a sophomore, and was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. She also earned first team all-state, all-district, all-metro and all-conference honors.
Rogers suffered an ACL injury during the summer of the 2008, but returned to the court and helped lead Kennedy to the semifinal round of the state tournament. Rogers played in 17 games as a junior and averaged 17.9 points and 10.6 rebounds. She was named first team all-state, all-district, all-metro and all-conference, along with being named to the state tournament all-tournament team.


As a freshman, Rogers earned second team all-state honors, along with first team all-district, all-metro and all-conference recognition.
Rogers currently has 1,089 points (18.5 per game average), which is fourth on the all-time scoring list at Kennedy. She also holds school records for single-game rebounds (20), single-season rebounds per game (12.6) and is on pace to become Kennedy's career rebounding leader. Rogers is also a three-time team captain.
Rogers has also lettered in volleyball. She helped lead the Kennedy volleyball team to a state tournament appearance this year.

 

 

Klopfenstein signs with Truman State (November 2009)

Nov. 16, 2009 – Truman women’s basketball head coach Michael Smith has announced the signing of four student-athletes who will be joining the Bulldog squad for the 2010-2011 season. Smith inked two guards and two forwards during the early signing period.

“We are excited about this early signing class, as these individuals fill some needs that we were looking for to continue to move this program forward,” Smith said. “The thing that stands out to me the most is that they all come from winning programs. They’ve tasted success and will bring that to campus next fall.”

Kayla Klopfenstein, a 5-foot-9 guard from Marion, Iowa, connected at a 38% clip from three-point range on the way to averaging eight points, three rebounds and three assists per game as a junior. She was a second-team all conference and was an all-metro selection at Linn Mar High School, starting on back-to-back state tournament semifinal teams in 2008 and 2009.

“As a coach, you always try to find a player that does all the little things, and that is Kayla,” Smith said. “Her work ethic and desire to win is what stood out most to me during the recruiting process. Her best basketball is ahead of her and we’re excited that it will be as part of the Truman program.”

 

Hogg and Orton sign letters

     Megan Hogg and Kiersten Orton both signed letters to play women’s basketball. Hogg will go to Northwest Missouri State and Maryville, while Orton will go to the University of Central Missouri.

     Hogg was the Warriors’ top scorer last season with 269 points, while Orton scored 267. They shot 47.1 and 45.0 percent from the floor, respectively. Orton led the Warriors with 126 total rebounds, while Hogg was second with 108.

     Hogg had 28 assists, 11 blocks and 29 steals for Waukee last year. Orton had 38 assists, 4 blocks and 36 steals for the Warriors in 2008-09.

Paige commits to Wisconsin (May 2009)

MARION — Morgan Paige didn’t expect to make a decision so quickly. But, she figured after a visit to the University of Wisconsin last week, why wait?
“I just didn’t feel the need to wait,” Paige said Monday in announcing her verbal commitment to play women’s basketball at Wisconsin, beginning in the 2010-11 season.
Paige, a junior at Marion High School, took an unofficial visit to Madison last week. “We went last Wednesday, and I went to class and watched the girls go through individual workouts,” Paige said. “I got to hang out with the team, and after I saw the way they interacted with the coaches, I felt it all kind of clicked.” By Friday, Paige had made up her mind. Wisconsin had won out over Drake. She also turned down Northern Iowa and Creighton.


“She told me (Wisconsin) had everything she wanted,” said Sherryl Gaffney-Paige, Morgan’s mother and coach. “I asked her if she was sure. She said she was sure. I’m excited for her. You know when you have the fit, and she said Wisconsin just fit for her.” Paige is a two-time first-team all-state selection. She helped lead the Indians to the state semifinals as a sophomore. Last season, Marion finished 22-2, with both losses coming to Dubuque Wahlert, including one in the regional finals.
She was the starting setter for the 3A state-championship volleyball team last fall.

A 5-foot-9 guard, Paige averaged 20.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game last season. She is one of three current female Metro girls that have committed to the Big Ten. Jaime Printy (senior, Linn-Mar) has signed to play at Iowa; Jade Rogers (junior, Cedar Rapids Kennedy) has committed to the Hawkeyes. 
Wisconsin was 19-15 last season, 6-12 in the Big Ten, and reached the third round of the WNIT. “They’re starting to switch their offense toward a running, motion offense,” Paige said. “They graduate two or three of their guards between now and the time I’ll get up there, so I should have an opportunity to go up there and make an impact.”

Other Iowa girls that have figured prominently in the UW women’s program include Robin Threatt (Cedar Rapids Jefferson), Barb Franke (Cedar Falls) and Stephanie Rich (Washington, Iowa).

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