The John Brown women's basketball program announced the signing of five student-athletes last week, which includes freshmen Kimmy Deines, Courtney Fine and Mariah Knox and transfers Sofia Mendoza and Melody Williams.
The signings come just after John Brown's run to the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Fab Four. The five newcomers will look to help ease the loss of three starting seniors in Sierra Shipley, Kortni Barenberg and Kami Garrison.
"I am very excited about this class," noted head coach Jeff Soderquist. "We have a good balance of transfers and freshman. I feel this could be one of the better classes we have recruited over the years. I look forward to seeing them fit into the culture of our team while maturing as players and young ladies."
Deines, a native of Springfield, Mo., played three years for head coach Renee Temple at Glendale High School. There, she led the Falcons to a conference championship and a district final appearance her freshman season before landing a spot on the All-District and All-Conference teams in her senior campaign. The 5-foot-9 guard's senior season was highlighted by a 25-point performance in Glendale's 55-32 at Joplin High School on Feb. 17.
"Kim is a very skilled player and a great shooter," Soderquist said. "She can play a number of positions, and that creates a lot of value for her."
Fine is a four-year starter at Rowlett High School where she led the Eagles to a pair of bi-district championships in addition to another district crown. The 5-foot-8 guard averaged 12.5 points per game and dished out an average of 2.5 assists in her senior season. Fine, a native of Rowlett, Texas, earned a trio of All-District nominations, including a spot on the first team in 2014.
"Courtney is a guard that makes everyone around her better. She knows the game of basketball and has the ability to shoot and take people off the dribble," Soderquist said.
Knox capped off a tremendous senior season by recording six-consecutive triple-doubles for Bixby High School and head coach Melody Stewart. The 6-foot-0 forward played three seasons for the Spartans while guiding the squad to a state championship final appearance her junior campaign. The Bixby, Oklahoma, native is set to graduate in the top 30 percent of her class.
"Mariah is going to be a great dual-threat for us," Soderquist said. "She will find a lot of success in our system because she has the ability to shoot the three while still being able to score around the basket."
Mendoza joins the squad after playing one season at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. With the Golden Norse, the 6-foot-5 forward appeared in 29 games and scored an average of 8.8 points per game while collecting 7.8 rebounds per contest. Originally from Cartagena, Colombia, Mendoza notched a career-high 23 points in NEO's 70-66 win over Connors State (Okla.) on Jan. 8, 2013. She finished the 2012-13 season with 51 rejections, 32 assists and a 45.6 percent accuracy from the field.
"I feel that Sofia has a chance to be one of the premier post players in our conference," Soderquist admitted. "She and Eliana [Fernandez] both played at NEO, so we're looking forward to the chemistry that they can bring to the court."
Williams, a 2011 and 2012 National Home School Association All-American, will transfer in from NCAA I University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Before her lone season with the Ragin' Cajuns, Williams led her homeschool team to the NHSA national championship all three years of her career. The native of Ft. Worth, Texas, also was awarded the 2012 Pete Maravich award, which is awarded to the nation's most outstanding homeschool player. The 5-foot-10 guard/forward averaged 17 points and 4 rebounds, leading her team to a 45-6 record in her senior season.
With Louisiana, Williams saw action in 10 games and tallied a season-high four points on a pair of occasions. The first was in ULL's 83-73 loss at Sam Houston State (Texas) on Nov. 15 while the second came in the Rajin' Cajuns' 90-49 loss at Arkansas State on March 8.
"Obviously, we're very excited to have Melody come in with the experience she brings to the table," Soderquist noted. "She is a player that can play about any position on the floor. She has length but also possesses skills that guards usually have. This will make her very effective wherever we need her."
The Golden Eagles finished its 17th season under the direction of Soderquist in 2013-14. Beyond its appearance in the Fab Four, John Brown pieced together 28 total victories and 15 win in Sooner Athletic Conference play, both program records. JBU ended a 13-year drought against Oklahoma City, the eventual national champion, in the SAC tournament semifinals and made the program's first-ever appearance in a conference title game. At the National Championships, the Golden Eagles upended then-No. 1 Vanguard (Calif.) before completing an 18-point comeback in a narrow victory over Loyola (La.). JBU dispatched of Lyon (Ark.) in the Round of 32 to earn its first-ever win at the national tournament.
Sports on 04/23/2014