Women Add Feickert, Sign A Total Of Seven For 2006-07
Nov. 10, 2005
LAWRENCE, Kan. — University of Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson announced Thursday that Rebecca Feickert, a 6-2 forward/center from Goodrich, N.D., has signed a National Letter Of Intent, bringing the 2006-07 signing class to a total of seven student-athletes.
Feickert joins Lindsay Ballweg, LaChelda Jacobs, Kelly Kohn, Danielle McCray, Sade Morris and Porscha Weddington – who each signed a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday.
“Although we knew what time to expect each player to sign, it was exciting as each one rolled in,” Henrickson said. “It’s a class we’ve been working on since the day we got here, and it’s a class we’re very proud of. I think we achieved a lot of balance with this group, adding players at every position with different strengths. We’re thrilled about the quality of depth we are going to have on the perimeter. Inside, we’ve added players with different styles. We’ve added tremendous athleticism, power and playmaking, while adding to our overall size. The quality of these kids as people, makes this signing class even more satisfying.”
The class is headlined by McCray, a local product of Olathe East High School who is ranked as the 30th best player in the country by All-Star Girls Report (ASGR). McCray was the first player of the group to commit.
“We found that once we got the commitment from Danielle and her family, the kids started to recruit each other. Once they were able to meet, they communicated with each other about what their goals for the program are, and how excited they are to be able to play with other quality players. Throughout the process, all they ever wanted to know was, `who else are we going to sign?’ And, I think they are all just as excited about this class as we are.”
With the seven commitments Kansas inked in the early signing period, which runs through Wednesday, Nov. 16, Kansas has concluded its early signings.
“The strength and depth of this class is a credit to the commitment of our assistant coaches — Karen Lange, Kyra Elzy and Katie O’Connor,” Henrickson added. “They’ve done a great job of building relationships based on trust with players, parents and coaches throughout the country. The dedication and the time they’ve put in has been phenomenal.”
Kansas signees at a glance
Name (position, height, hometown – high school)
Lindsay Ballweg (guard, 5-10, Overland Park, Kan. – St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
Rebecca Feickert (forward/center, 6-2, Goodrich, N.D. – Sheridan County HS)
LaChelda Jacobs (guard, 5-10, Mansfield, Texas – Mansfield Summit HS)
Kelly Kohn (guard, 5-9, Adrian, Mich. – Adrian HS)
Danielle McCray (forward, 6-0, Olathe, Kan. – Olathe East HS)
Sade Morris (forward, 6-0, Norman, Okla. – Norman HS)
Porscha Weddington (forward, 6-1, Temple, Texas – Temple HS)
Pronunciations
Lindsay Ballweg — Ball-wegg
Rebecca Feickert — FI-curt
LaChelda Jacobs — Luh-Chel-duh
Kelly Kohn — Cone
Sade Morris — Suh-Day
Porscha Weddington — Por-shuh
Lindsay Ballweg (guard, 5-10, Overland Park, Kan. – St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
One of two Kansas natives in the signing class, Ballweg (5-10, guard) is a senior this season at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kan. Considered one of the top prospects in the state, Ballweg led the Saints to the class 6A state championship as a sophomore in 2004 and to a third place state finish in 2005. St. Thomas Aquinas has posted a 46-4 record in that span. Known for her three-point shooting, Ballweg has 131 career treys and needs 23 three-pointers in her senior season to take over the Aquinas school record. In three years, Ballweg has accumulated 1,025 career points. Last season as a junior, Ballweg averaged 19 points and three rebounds per game, while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 76 percent from the free throw line. She was named first team all-state by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, All-Sun Country First Team, MVP of the Eastern Kansas League, Metro Sports First Team and KC Star All-Metro First Team. Ballweg is coached in high school by Rick Hetzel.
Henrickson on Ballweg
“Lindsay is a fantastic shooter with good size. She will have the ability to come in as a freshman and knock down the three, but also has the potential to develop a nice mid-range game as well. While she is the best three-point shooter in the class, she also has shown the ability to put the ball on the floor.”
Rebecca Feickert (forward/center, 6-2, Goodrich, N.D. – Sheridan County HS)
Feickert, a 6-2 forward/center, is set to play her senior season for Sheridan County High School, made up of students from her hometown of Goodrich, N.D. and McClusky, N.D., in 2005-06. As a junior, Feickert was the only non-senior member of the North Dakota Class B girls all-state team. A versatile player, Feickert averaged 22 points, 16 rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists and two steals per game, while also stepping behind the arc to hit 32 three-pointers. She shot an impressive 85.4 percent from the free throw line. Her long list of honors includes being named a unanimous first team all-state selection as a junior and second team all-state as a sophomore. Feickert is coached in high school by Brent Hintz. A well-rounded individual off the court, Feickert owns a 4.0 GPA and is class president. She is considering majoring in law or accounting.
Henrickson on Feickert
“Rebecca is a very skilled, smart, face-up post player. She has shooting range out to the three-point line, which allows her to draw defenses out and open up space in the paint. What also impressed us about Rebecca is her tremendous work ethic. She’ll be able to play both high and low post and gives us great balance at the position.”
LaChelda Jacobs (guard, 5-10, Mansfield, Texas – Mansfield Summit HS)
Jacobs, a 5-10 guard who is a senior at Mansfield (Texas) Summit High School this season, is rated as a top-30 senior in the state of Texas. Entering her fourth year as a varsity starter, Jacobs is coming off a junior season where she led Mansfield Summit to a 33-6 record and a trip to the Class 5A Region I semifinal. She averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game en route to being named first team all-regional and first team all-state by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and the Texas Girls Coaches Association. A hard-nosed defender, she was named district Defensive Player of the Year. Jacobs played on the summer circuit for DFW Elite, which won the adidas Tournament of Champions title in the summer of 2005. She also participated in the adidas Top Ten camp. She comes from a school with great tradition in grooming talented guards such as Texas Tech’s Erin Grant, led by National Coach of the Year, Samantha Morrow. Jacobs, who owns a 3.5 GPA, intends to major in elementary education.
Henrickson on Jacobs
“LaChelda could quite possibly be the most athletic player that I will have ever coached. Her energy on the defensive end and ability to control the ball handler is impressive, and she is fast — can flat out fly from baseline to baseline. On the offensive end, she can play any of the guard positions. As a freshman, she has a chance to be our best perimeter defender.”
Kelly Kohn (guard, 5-9, Adrian, Mich. – Adrian HS)
Kohn, a 5-9 combo guard, is a senior this season at Adrian High School in Michigan, which plays its high school basketball in the fall. After finishing last season with averages of 21.2 points, seven rebounds, five steals and four assists per game, Kohn is posting even better numbers this season — upping her averages to 22.5 points on 52 percent shooting, 9.6 rebounds, five assists and five steals per game. Recently, Kohn scored her 1,300th point and took over her school’s scoring record. A candidate for the Michigan Miss Basketball Award this season, Kohn’s resume includes being named Class A third team all-state (top 15) as a junior by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan and special mention all-state (top 20) by the Associated Press. Also an excellent student with a 3.8 GPA, Kohn was named Academic All-State. Adrian HS, which is in position to make the state playoffs, is 15-3 so far this season. She is coached by Scott McKelvey.
Henrickson on Kohn
“Kelly has a great basketball IQ. She can shoot the three, is solid from midrange and also athletic enough to put the ball on the floor and finish at the rim. Some of her other strengths are that she has excellent court vision and is a great passer. It’s because of those traits that she’s been able to be the kind of player who makes her teammates better.”
Danielle McCray (forward, 6-0, Olathe, Kan. – Olathe East HS)
McCray, a 6-0 forward, from Olathe (Kan.) East High School is one of two local players to sign for KU. Ranked as the 30th overall player and the seventh-best wing in the country by ASGR, McCray is the highest rated player in the signing class. As one of Kansas’ top high school talents, McCray has posted 18 points and nine boards per game for her career. She was named first team all-state as a junior by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association and the Wichita Eagle. She has been selected All-Metro by the Kansas City Star for two seasons. This past summer, she was named an adidas Top Ten Camp All-Star. Also a standout in track and field, McCray is a Kansas state champion in the discus, shot put and triple jump. McCray, coached by Jeff Hulse, was the first player in the class to commit.
Henrickson on McCray
“We are absolutely thrilled to sign a local product ranked as high nationally as Danielle. The strength she possesses and her commitment to fitness is hard to find. She’s a powerful and explosive player, and also has a good mid-range game and passes very well. The commitment of Danielle and her family to our program was key to our recruiting efforts for the rest of the class.”
Sade Morris (forward, 6-0, Norman, Okla. – Norman HS)
Morris is a 6-0 forward from Norman, Okla. As a junior for Norman High School, Morris averaged 12.8 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals points per game and helped the Tigers win the Class 6A state championship. On the summer circuit, Morris plays for the Air Oklahoma Stars who won the 17 and under AAU national championship and the Junior Olympic title this past summer. Rated as one of the top 30 wing players in the nation by ASGR, Morris has racked up numerous accolades including being named to the prestigious Daily Oklahoman Super 5, which honors the top five players in the state regardless of class. She also was honored with 6A all-state honors from the Sunday Oklahoman and Street & Smith All-American Honorable Mention. This year, she will contend for Player of the Year honors in the state of Oklahoma. She is coached by Matilda Mossman. Morris intends to major in pre-med.
Henrickson on Morris
“Offensively, Sade can be described as a great slasher. She has an ability to score, either taking it to the rim or with a pull-up jumper. She plays for a great high school coach in Matilda Mossman, and her AAU team won the national championship this summer. Another thing I like about her is her defense — she is going to be a great defensive player in this league.”
Porscha Weddington (forward, 6-1, Temple, Texas – Temple HS)
A 6-1 post player from Temple, Texas, Weddington is the top candidate to replace Crystal Kemp in the paint. Weddington is rated the 16th-best player in the state of Texas after having a break through season as a junior when she helped Temple High School to a 23-12 record and a second round finish in the Texas 5A state tournament. She posted 14 points and 6.5 rebounds per game en route to being named first team all-state. Additionally, she earned Tem-Cat MVP and offensive Player of the Year honors. She comes from an athletic family as her father, Mike Weddington, was a football player at the University of Oklahoma and for the Green Bay Packers. Weddington is coached in high school by Don Layton. A good student, Weddington owns a 3.5 GPA and was invited to participate in the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C.
Henrickson on Weddington
“Porscha reminds us of Crystal (Kemp) in terms of her ability in the paint. She’s very explosive and finishes well around the rim. She has good size and runs the floor well. We’ll look to her to be that low post force on the block.”
