Women's Basketball | 6/2/2014 5:29:00 PM
Complete release in pdfJune 2, 2014-Women's basketball coach Jory Collins has announced the addition of four players who will attend Emporia State and play basketball for Lady Hornets. Kelsey Barnwell, Breanna Bluma, Ashton Bruner, and Whitney Gordon will join early signees Krystie Miller, Jaycee Kramer, and Addie Lackey as newcomers for the Lady Hornets in the 2014-15 season.
"We are excited to announce the addition of four players to our spring class. We had a lot of shoes to fill losing five seniors and feel like we addressed every area," said Collins. "These four not only have the potential to be very good players in the MIAA but more importantly they fit in with our culture."
Bluma is a 5-8 guard from Burlington, Kan. She earned third-team All-Class All-State honors by Sports In Kansas and named first-team All-Class 4A by the Topeka Capital Journal and Wichita Eagle. She averaged 15.3 points per game for the Wildcats as they finished 22-3 her senior season. As a junior she was an honorable mention All-State performer as Burlington HS went undefeated and won the Class 4A state championship.
"Bre is a high IQ and high motor point guard. She is a relentless player on the defensive end and causes a lot of havoc for the other team," said Collins. "Offensively she sees the floor extremely well and anticipates plays before they happen. She won at a very high level at Burlington and we're excited for her to grow in our program."
Bruner is a 5-10 forward from McPherson, Kan. who is transferring from Barton Community College. She averaged 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game as the Cougars went 20-13 last season. She averaged 12.3 points and 6.5 rebounds as a senior for McPherson HS and earned second-team All-Class 4A honors from the KBCA. She was a first-team All-Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Division II pick and led the Bullpups to a 24-1 State Championship season her senior year.
"Ashton was the second leading scorer and rebounder for Coach Kruger at Barton. She is a terrific athlete who can run and jump with anybody," said Collins. "She is very good scoring in transition and getting to the rim in the half-court. Ashton also plays with a very high motor and is extremely active on the both ends of the floor. She will have the opportunity to impact us immediately."
Gordon is a 6-2 forward from Marion, Kan. by way of the University of Wyoming. She played in 26 games during her two years with the Cowgirls. She was a three-time Honorable Mention KBCA All-State selection at Marion HS...was named All-Area by the Hutchinson News and was a two-time First Team All-League honoree during her career...averaged a double-double her last two years for the Lady Warriors at 12 points and 11 rebounds as a senior and 14 points and 11 rebounds as a junior.
"We recruited Whitney coming out of high school and we are very excited to get her to Emporia State after she's had two years of experience at a high level of basketball," said Collins. "Whitney is a stretch 4 who can really shoot the three but also has the versatility to take smaller players into the post and take advantage. We like our 4's to be able to play inside and out and that's exactly who she is. She is hungry for the opportunity to make a bigger impact and we think she can do that for us."
Barnwell is a 5-8 guard from Jay, Okla. who played two years at UMKC. She played in 26 games with 14 starts for the Kangaroos, averaging 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last season. She was third on the team with 45 assists and had a team best 1.55-1 assist to turnover ratio. She led Kansas (Okla.) HS to a combined 59-7 record in her three years, including an Oklahoma 3A State Championship in 2009-10 and a runner-up finish as a junior. She was a three-time All-State selection by the Tulsa World and the Daily Oklahoman, twice earning first-team honors.
"Kelsey is a very versatile guard who could play the 1-3 positions. She comes from a great family of coaches and is a winner. She has a tremendous feel for the game and will come in and immediately be a difference maker for us," said Collins. "We will ask Kelsey to come in and be a scorer for us right away. She also has the makeup to evolve into a leader very quickly and have a positive impact in our locker room."
The Lady Hornets were 30-4 last year and won their second straight MIAA Tournament Championship in their fourth straight trip to the title game. Emporia State has gone to the regional championship in each of the last three seasons. They graduated five seniors but are set to return two starters from the fourth 30 win team in school history.
"We will only have four players that return with experience from last season. It will be a lot of fun coming together as a team with potentially nine players on the roster that didn't play for us last year," said Collins. "We won't have much MIAA experience but our talent level will be just as high if not higher than last year. I'm excited to get to work with the quality of individuals and players we will have in our program."
