Coach Lord signs talented out-of-state class for Barton women's basketball
With no returning out of state players on the roster, Barton County Community College women's basketball coach Lane Lord had his work cut out for him if the Cougars were to make another run at the Region VI title this season. From the early returns, it looks like the Cougars will once again be one of the teams competing for a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament this upcoming season.
Six new faces and a pair of returning redshirts will comprise Barton's out-of-state group this year. The Cougars already released the signing of Oklahoma City All-State point guard Latoya Jackson earlier this year. Barton also had returning redshirts Inga Muciniece, a 6-5 post from Latvia, and Ipek Turkyilmaz, a 5-10 shooting guard from Turkey.
Among the five new signees released by Coach Lord are three players from the Midwest that Barton will look to for instant contributions. A pair of players from Detroit and one from Cleveland all are transfers to Barton but two of them will still have 2 years remaining to play at Barton.
Gwen Edwards, a 6-0 forward, comes to Barton from Cincinnati State Tech, where she was a force for the Surge. She averaged 19.5 points and 9.1 rebounds a contest for Cincinnati State, who went 20-4 last season. She was a 1st team All Ohio Community College Athletic Conference selection as well as the newcomer of the year in the conference. Cincinnati Tech went 11-1 in the OCCAC to capture the championship. She will be a sophomore for the Cougars.
DePrice Taylor, a 5-7 guard, comes to Barton from Bowling Green University, where she red-shirted last season for the NCAA Division I school. She will be a freshman this season at Barton. Taylor was a highly sought after recruit out of Trinity Catholic High School in Detroit, where she garnered All-State Class D honors her senior season after averaging 19 points, 6 steals, and 5 assists from her shooting guard spot. She was rated the 39th best player in Michigan her senior season and the 16th best senior. She was the No. 4 off-guard in 2005 as rated by the Michigan High School Basketball Scouting Service. Trinity Catholic won the Detroit Catholic League her junior and senior season, going 23-4 her senior season and advancing to the state semifinals. She earned All East, All Catholic and All Metro honors in Detroit. Twice her senior year she topped the 30-point mark. Her junior season, Taylor averaged 20 points, 5 steals, and 4 assists.
Tiffany Haggen, a 6-2 post, comes to Barton from Detroit as well, by way of Tallahassee Junior College in Florida. Haggen was injured in the pre-season at Tallahassee and received a medical redshirt, so she will be a freshman this season for the Cougars. Haggen played high school at Detroit's Inkster High, where she averaged double figures in rebounding and scoring all four years of high school. Her senior season, Haggen averaged 16 points and 14 rebounds to earn All conference honors. She was a 2-time team MVP at Inkster and helped her team win or tie for the division title all 4 prep seasons. Inkster played for the 2002 state title and made it to the semifinals in 2004. Haggen also played volleyball and softball in high school.
Donielle Jones comes to Barton from Southwestern Iowa Community College, where she played 5 games last year. Jones is applying for a medical redshirt and may get that year back, but for now will be a sophomore at Barton. In her limited time, she averaged 9 points and 3 rebounds and hit 33 percent of her 3-point attempts.
Kristine Silaraja will join Muciniece on the team as players from Latvia. Silaraja played this past summer for the Latvia National Team Under-18 team in the 2005 European Championships. She scored 20 points in her team's final game of the Championships.
Turkyilmaz came to Barton for the spring semester this past season. She played for the Turkey National Under-18 team in the 2004 European Championships.
Muciniece is also back after sitting out last season for the Cougars as a redshirt. As a senior at Venstplis Secondary School, she scored 11 points, 2 assists, and grabbed 14 rebounds per contest.
Jackson was a Class 3A all-state point guard from Oklahoma City that averaged 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals her senior season.
Gwen Edwards
Freshman season at Cincinnati State Tech
19.5 pts, 9.1 rebs
OCCAC Newcomer of the Year
OCCAC 1st team
DePrice Taylor
Senior season at Trinity Catholic
19 pts, 6 stls, 5 assts
1st Team All State Class D, 1st Team All Metro Detroit
Junior season at Trinity Catholic
20 pts, 5 stls, 4 assts
Tiffany Haggen
Senior season at Inkster High
16 pts, 14 rebs
All State Class C
Team MVP (junior and senior)
Averaged double figures scoring and rebounding all 4 years in high school
Donielle Jones
Freshman season at Southwest Iowa CC (5 games)
9 pts, 3 rebs