Lady Griz signing completes husband-wife recruiting effort

[Grizbacker1]

Lady Griz signing completes husband-wife recruiting effort

MISSOULA - Basketball at the University of Montana will have a husband-wife flavor starting next season.

Women’s basketball coach Robin Selvig announced Thursday that Shaunte Nance-Johnson has signed to play Lady Griz basketball next season. She is the wife of Anthony Johnson, the 6-3 guard from Yakima Valley Community College the Grizzly men’s basketball team signed last week.

A 5-5 point guard, Nance-Johnson is a 2005 graduate of Henry Foss High in Tacoma, Wash. She played at Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho, as a freshman in 2005-06, then transferred to Yakima Valley for the 2006-07 season.

At Foss High Nance-Johnson was a two-time Narrows League MVP, an all-state selection, a McDonald’s All-American nominee and a member of the 4A West team at the 2005 Washington State Coaches Association All-State game.

After helping the NNU Crusaders to a 17-11 finish in 2005-06 as a freshman, Nance-Johnson joined the Yaks in 2006-07. As a team captain, she averaged 9.6 points, 4.7 steals, 4.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. Nance-Johnson was the defensive point of attack on a YVCC team that forced an average of 26 turnovers per game.

Playing in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC), Yakima Valley won the Eastern Region regular-season championship in 2006-07 with a 12-2 record. The Yaks finished 29-4 overall, advancing to their third straight NWAACC tournament final four.

Nance-Johnson did not play in 2007-08. During her year away from basketball she coached the girls basketball team at Riverside Christian School in Yakima while Johnson completed his second year at YVCC. They were married on Nov. 1, 2006.

Nance-Johnson will enter the Lady Griz program as a junior in eligibility.

Nance-Johnson becomes the first junior college transfer to join the Montana women’s basketball program since Jill Greenfield and current assistant coach Annette Rocheleau transferred into the program prior to the 1979-80 season.

“Junior college is not the route we traditionally go,” Selvig said. “Nothing against JC transfers, but we like kids in our program who come from the bottom up, developing in the program and looking forward to when it’s their time. That’s just the way it’s worked for us.

“But this situation just worked out well for everyone involved. The men were recruiting Shaunte’s husband, and we had only two kids in that (junior) class and a scholarship available with Betsy Snead’s departure.

“We started checking her out and we really like what she can bring to our program," Selvig said. "She’s a prototype point guard who has great speed and quickness. She’s a great kid and a real leader. She’s an impressive young lady who is going to make a great addition.

“Point guard isn’t necessarily an area of concern for us because of Mandy (Morales), but depth at the point guard is definitely an area of concern. For any (incoming) player to have an immediate opportunity with the kids we have returning, that would be the position.

“Again, it just worked out well for everyone. Shaunte just wanted to be with her husband and have an opportunity to play again.”

The signing of Nance-Johnson brings Selvig’s 2008-09 recruiting class to four. During last November’s early signing period Selvig signed high school seniors Ashley Ferda of Whitefish, Mont., Ali Hurley of Anaconda, Mont., and Tianna Ware of Bakersfield, Calif.

 

[mtgrizrule]

This is a great add. She gives us some much needed athleticism and quickness which will be a huge help defensively alone. She also will allow Morales to be utilized some at 2 and 3 too. In turn could mean a fresher and better Morales more often. I also think this helps out Rogers too. I look forward to supporting her as a LG the next 2 years. Maybe this could be a new recruiting trend for the GRIZ and Lady GRIZ.

Most importantly, this makes "CITY" happier. (just kidding) :thumb:

 

[citygriz]

stars aligned, fortune willing, basketball gods smiling, tides receding, fate prevailing, men's program helping, robin signs a quick african-american point guard. hallelujah!! citay feels like he owns boardwalk with a hotel and somebody named vanderbilt just landed on it.

 

[ronbo]

I think Tianna Ware is African American also but I can't find a pic.

Ware (first name pronounced (ty-ANNA), a 5-10 guard, is currently a senior at Ridgeview High School in Bakersfield. She has been the starting shooting guard for the Wolfpack since her freshman year, earning All-Southwest Yosemite League (SWYL) honors all three seasons.

Ware, the SWYL Rookie of the Year in 2004-05, averaged 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.2 assists as a junior to win her third consecutive team MVP award.

Ware, who has been in Honors and Advanced Placement courses throughout her high school academic career, has played on numerous AAU teams, most recently with the California Swish. Also a part-time track and field standout, Ware was third in the long jump at the Kern County meet as a sophomore.

"At first I was uncomfortable with the thought of playing at the University of Montana," Ware said. "I didn't think that I would blend in with the team, the school or the coaches. But as time went on and I began to speak with Coach Selvig more and more, the more comfortable and relaxed I became.

"When my father and I visited (in October), I'll admit that I was scared. But that all changed after meeting the team. Everyone was so welcoming, and the coaches had such a cordial presence about them. As we carved pumpkins at Coach Selvig's home, I began to feel more and more a part of the team, and that is what I was wanting the most.

"Coach Selvig is a great guy off the court, but I know he does everything he can to push players toward their potential in practice, even screaming! All college coaches push their players to their limits and beyond, but there is something about Coach Selvig that makes me think he will do it better than the average coach.

"Visiting the University and the city and the people, I was able to imagine myself being there for the next four or five years ... and that brought me a lot of joy. Signing with Montana was very unexpected of me to my friends, but I believe this decision is the best one I have made in a long time. Stepping outside the California box is going to be great for me. I know Coach Selvig and the Lady Griz will ensure that."

"Tianna has great speed and quickness, and she has a lot of basketball tools," Selvig said. "She plays hard, and she's going to be a great defender for us.

"Tianna has enough athletic ability to do things around the basket and possesses enough speed and quickness to do things away from the basket. And she's an outstanding student.