JUDA - Ellen Kiser has dreamed about playing college basketball for a long time, and the Juda senior will get a chance to do just that after signing a National Letter of Intent Wednesday to play Division I basketball at the University of North Dakota. Kiser is the first athlete in the history of Juda to sign a Division I scholarship.
"It's always been one of my goals to play Division I college basketball for as long as I can remember," Kiser said. "All of my teammates and coaches have been great help in pushing me."
The 6-foot, 2-inch Kiser averaged 17.2 points and 12 rebounds and four blocked shots per game last year, leading the Panthers to a 18-6 mark and a third place finish in the Six Rivers East Conference.
Kiser visited North Dakota in May and said she made her decision to accept the scholarship offer in July. She was looking at several other colleges including Iowa State, Colorado State, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but North Dakota was the only school that offered a full scholarship.
After visiting the school in Grand Forks, N.D., Kiser felt a connection with the coaches and the school.
"It's a beautiful campus," Kiser said. "I felt like I could see myself fitting in. It's a safe town. It felt like home to me.
"It was a tough decision. The more I thought about it, the easier it got because it was the right place for me."
North Dakota finished 15-16, 8-4 Great West Conference last year and finished third in the conference. The Fighting Sioux have won three NCAA titles, as well as 12 conference championships with the most recent coming in 2010. The Fighting Sioux for the third straight year have been selected to win the regular season title as voted on by the conference's coaches. The Fighting Sioux open the season at 7 p.m. Friday when they host Creighton at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
And with her commitment made, Kiser will be able to see the team that she will be joining in 2012, where she will bring her talents - talents North Dakota desired - to the court.
"They said they really liked the level of aggression I play with on the court," Kiser said of the North Dakota coaches. "They said they could see me in college doing quick post ups and boxing out."
Juda girls basketball coach Curt Brown said Kiser is a force at the defensive end.
She is adept at blocking shots and rebounding.
"The thing about Ellen that a lot of players see is that she is one of the hardest workers at practice I have ever had," Brown said. "She has worked really hard this summer. She will be a force on offense and defense."
Kiser took that work ethic and focused it further, foregoing the fall volleyball season so she could focus on improving her skills on the court, as well as in the classroom.
"I just wanted to take more time to practice basketball and to study because I had some had a lot of hard classes," she said.
Kiser said she wanted to fine-tune her post up moves, as well as build on other offensive skills.
"I wanted to improve my shooting range," she said. "That is always on my list to improve."
Polished, and now with her future plans sorted out, Kiser will look to lead the Lady Panthers one more time this winter, before switching out her purple and gold for North Dakota green and white.
"It's always been one of my goals to play Division I college basketball for as long as I can remember," Kiser said. "All of my teammates and coaches have been great help in pushing me."
The 6-foot, 2-inch Kiser averaged 17.2 points and 12 rebounds and four blocked shots per game last year, leading the Panthers to a 18-6 mark and a third place finish in the Six Rivers East Conference.
Kiser visited North Dakota in May and said she made her decision to accept the scholarship offer in July. She was looking at several other colleges including Iowa State, Colorado State, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but North Dakota was the only school that offered a full scholarship.
After visiting the school in Grand Forks, N.D., Kiser felt a connection with the coaches and the school.
"It's a beautiful campus," Kiser said. "I felt like I could see myself fitting in. It's a safe town. It felt like home to me.
"It was a tough decision. The more I thought about it, the easier it got because it was the right place for me."
North Dakota finished 15-16, 8-4 Great West Conference last year and finished third in the conference. The Fighting Sioux have won three NCAA titles, as well as 12 conference championships with the most recent coming in 2010. The Fighting Sioux for the third straight year have been selected to win the regular season title as voted on by the conference's coaches. The Fighting Sioux open the season at 7 p.m. Friday when they host Creighton at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
And with her commitment made, Kiser will be able to see the team that she will be joining in 2012, where she will bring her talents - talents North Dakota desired - to the court.
"They said they really liked the level of aggression I play with on the court," Kiser said of the North Dakota coaches. "They said they could see me in college doing quick post ups and boxing out."
Juda girls basketball coach Curt Brown said Kiser is a force at the defensive end.
She is adept at blocking shots and rebounding.
"The thing about Ellen that a lot of players see is that she is one of the hardest workers at practice I have ever had," Brown said. "She has worked really hard this summer. She will be a force on offense and defense."
Kiser took that work ethic and focused it further, foregoing the fall volleyball season so she could focus on improving her skills on the court, as well as in the classroom.
"I just wanted to take more time to practice basketball and to study because I had some had a lot of hard classes," she said.
Kiser said she wanted to fine-tune her post up moves, as well as build on other offensive skills.
"I wanted to improve my shooting range," she said. "That is always on my list to improve."
Polished, and now with her future plans sorted out, Kiser will look to lead the Lady Panthers one more time this winter, before switching out her purple and gold for North Dakota green and white.
