FSU Women's Hoops Inks Three Recruits
Big Rapids, Mich. – The Ferris State University
women’s basketball team has announced the addition of three
talented student-athletes, who inked with the Bulldogs during the
fall signing period and will be freshmen in eligibility during the
2010-11 campaign.
The incoming recruits include out of state prep guard
Sarah DeShone (Elkhart, Ind./Jimtown), standout
West Michigan forward/center Nikki Arner
(Ludington) along with guard/forward Ashley Rando
(Jackson/Northwest).
“It’s so exciting that we won’t lose anyone
after this season, yet we are adding three exceptional young ladies
to our roster for next year,” said 12th-year FSU head coach
Tracey Dorow. “As if practices weren’t
already competitive enough, their additions should only strengthen
our program.
“The pieces are all coming together and I couldn’t be
more thankful for the individuals that have chosen to become a part
of the Bulldog Basketball family,” she added.
Both Rando and Arner are coming off recent knee injuries, but have
been ranked among the state’s top prep standouts throughout
their careers while DeShone is regarded as one of Indiana’s
most talented playmakers in the backcourt.
The 5-9 Rando is a three-time All-Capital Area Activities
Conference (CAAC) honoree and a two-time Jackson Citizen Patriot
All-Area selection at Jackson Northwest High School. She has
tallied 757 points, 387 rebounds, 183 steals and 151 assists over
the course of her three-year career to date. Rando averaged 12.0
points and nine rebounds per outing as a junior in 2008-09 after
scoring a career-high 12.8 points per game as a sophomore.
"The first time I saw Ashley play with her AAU team I was
impressed,” Dorow said. “She’s such a strong
player around the basket, but can also step out and nail the trey
as well as attack the basket to score or create opportunities for
teammates. Plus, she's a lefty, which makes her even more difficult
to defend.
“Ashley is also a relentless competitor,” Dorow added.
“She’s so physical and works hard every single
possession and that is the trademark of a winner. Her excitement
about becoming a Bulldog is still evident today and I believe
she’ll shine at Ferris both on and off the basketball
court.”
The 6-2 Arner was among West Michigan’s leading scorers in
2008-09 by averaging more than 19 points per game for Ludington
High School. She also tallied nine rebounds a game for the Orioles
en route to attaining Class B First Team All-State accolades for a
second consecutive season. Arner, who led Ludington to a 16-6
overall record last year and notched her 1,000th career point in
the process as one of the most dominant player in the Lakes 8
Conference, was chosen to the Muskegon Chronicle Class A-B girls
basketball team and named to the Basketball Coaches Association of
Michigan (BCAM) Class B All-State Team under prep coach Al
Druskin.
"We saw Nikki play against one of our current players in Lindsey
Pettit during the state quarterfinals when Nikki was a sophomore
and we thought she had so much potential,” Dorow said.
“She has very solid perimeter skills and a real soft touch
around the basket. We were comparing her to our All-American Rachel
Folcik even at that age and she has continued to improve each
year.
“Her injuries have set her back a little, but she’s
bouncing back well and eager to compete this year,” added
Dorow. “Nikki was pursued by a number of Division I programs,
but she seemed like a natural fit in our program and was
comfortable with our players and staff. I think she could also
envision what we are trying to build here - a team that vies for
championships – and we expect her to make a major impact
during her time at FSU.”
Finally, the 5-7 DeShone recently became only the fifth career
1,000-point scorer in Jimtown High School history. DeShone finished
as the leading scorer in Elkhart County as a sophomore in 2007-08
at 16.3 points per game and helped the Jimmies notch a 22-2 record
along with a Indiana Class 2A sectional championship while
receiving all-area laurels. As a junior in 2008-09, she picked up
Indiana Basketball Coaches Association All-State recognition.
During the past two seasons, DeShone has led the Jimmies in scoring
and guided them to a 38-7 overall record. They finished as the
state runners-up during her freshman year.
“Sarah played AAU basketball with current post player Katy
Fox and came to camp at FSU going into her junior year where she
earned our MVP award because she made everyone on her team
better,” said Dorow. “She reminds me a lot of former
Bulldog standout Kristin Reinhart with exceptional three-point
range, a deadly pull-up jumper and the ability to find ways to get
to the basket and score or draw fouls.
“Her biggest weakness is that she’s too unselfish,
which coming into a collegiate program could be a strength,”
Dorow added. “With Becci Houdek going into her final year
next season, we knew we needed to recruit a point guard who could
learn the ropes quickly and be ready to take control on the floor.
Sarah’s that type of player and is preparing well to make the
transition to Ferris.”
The Bulldog women’s basketball team, which is currently 2-6
overall and 1-4 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(GLIAC) action, next hits the floor with a pair of non-league games
at Southern Indiana and Oakland City (Ind.) on Dec. 30-31. Ferris
has currently won 10 games or more 13 consecutive seasons and made
10 consecutive GLIAC Tournament appearances to date.
