News
Crete star commits to N.C. State
BY RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star
Tuesday, Sep 11, 2007 - 12:36:05 am CDT
Marissa Kastanek’s long-time basketball dreams will come true, but it‘s going to be a while before she actually starts living it.
The Crete girls’ all-state junior guard orally committed over the weekend to play her college basketball at North Carolina State. Kastanek still has to wait more than a year to sign her national letter of intent (November 2008) and she won’t be on the Wolfpack team until fall 2009.
That seems like a long time off, but Kastanek was going through her version of rush week in making the decision. North Carolina State gave her a deadline of Sept. 14 to commit to the only scholarship it currently has for the high school class of 2009. That was fine with Kastanek. The timing was right , anyway.
“When I started playing as a little girl, my goal was to play in the ACC and on the East Coast where basketball is big,” Kastanek said. “It’s better to get (the recruiting process) done now.
The longer you wait, the more confusing it gets and the pressure mounts. Now I can just focus on basketball and helping my team win instead of worrying about impressing some college coach.’’
The 5-foot-9 Kastanek had a dozen Division I scholarship offers, a list topped by Nebraska, Kansas State, Michigan State and Minnesota. She visited the North Carolina State campus last April while playing a tournament in the area for the Cornhusker Shooting Stars. Kastanek also attended the Wolfpack’s elite camp in early August.
Kastanek, who can play both point and shooting guard, was a second-team Super-Stater last season as a sophomore, leading Crete to a 25-1 record and a Class B runner-up finish at the state tournament. She averaged 18.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, five steals and 4.5 assists per game.
Kastanek becomes the first Division I college basketball commitment from the state’s strong 2009 class, which could produce as many as six Division I women’s basketball recruits.
Kastanek is also a standout runner in track. She won the Class B, 800-meter run gold medal at the state meet in May.
The Cornhusker Shooting Stars is now on myspace!
http://www.myspace.com/cornhuskershootingstars
Summer Basketball: Southeast stars head Bison girls all-stars
BY MIKE PATTERSON
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN — Since KK Houser and Marissa Kastanek have played select basketball together since sixth grade, why should this summer be any different?
The two All-Nebraska players from Lincoln Southeast are teammates on the Bison Judds 17-and-under team within the Cornhusker Shooting Stars program. The team held its annual media day Wednesday before practicing at the Bison sports complex.
Its always great to play alongside KK, Kastanek said. And Ive got a good feeling about the rest of our team.
The under-17 squad, coached by Dan Lesoing, already has played in one tournament. The team went 4-1 at the Deep South Classic in North Carolina in mid-April.
We lost our first game down there, Kastanek said. But I think we learned from that.
The team consists of nine players — seven from the eastern half of the state. The two exceptions are Brooke Wehle from Denison, Iowa, and Kelsie Lliteras from Chadron.
The select summer team gives the players an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of college coaches, though Kastanek and Houser have little to worry about. Kastanek already has promised to sign with North Carolina State. The schools still in the running for Houser are Purdue, Michigan State, Iowa State, Creighton, Iowa and Minnesota.
She said she informed Nebraska last week that the Huskers are not on her short list.
Its been a long (recruiting) process, she said. Im going to decide sometime in August, after this summer season is over.
Lesoing said he has seen improvement in Houser just since the end of the varsity season — one that ended in a Class A title for Southeast.
Believe it or not, KK is even quicker, he said. And her ability to be more of a leader also has helped us.
Although Kastanek has pledged to North Carolina State, she said she isnt taking anything for granted since she cant sign a letter of intent until her senior year.
I always have to keep in mind that its not official, she said. And I also want to do everything I can to help this team win.
Chadrons Lliteras, whose hometown is an eight-hour drive from Lincoln, is staying with the family of teammate McKenzie Fujan of Wahoo Neumann.
I think its a blast to be able to play with girls on this side of the state, Lliteras said. And its a great opportunity for me to show what I can do.
Lesoing said he is excited about the talent level on the two teams — one for girls under 17 and one for girls under 15.
I think there might be 12 to 14 Division I kids here, he said.
The Bison Judds return to action Friday in a three-day tournament in Lincoln. Lesoing said he expects 40 teams — both boys and girls — to participate.
Kastanek said she is recovered from the injuries that slowed her during the spring track season. First it was her left foot, and then her right hip.
I think I overcompensated, and thats why my hip started hurting, she said. But Im feeling a lot better.
Houser said she is confident the team will play well.
Weve got great girls and a great coach, she said. I know were going to do really well.
The Bison Judds under 17 squad (with class this year): ,
, • Juniors: KK Houser, Lincoln Southeast; Marissa Kastanek, Lincoln Southeast; Kelsie Lliteras, Chadron; Brooke Wehle, Denison (Iowa). Sophomores: McKenzie Fujan, Wahoo Neumann; Alyssa Kamphaus, Seward; Meredith Wahl, Crete. Freshmen: Emily Cady, Seward; Taylor Moore, Milford. Coach: Dan Lesoing. , • Under 15 team: Sophomores: Tabitha Gennaro, Louisville; Alex Grant, Lincoln Pius X; Audrey Holmes, Omaha Concordia; Tara Nienhuesser, York; Rachel Thrash, Omaha Marian; Morgan Dority, Lincoln Christian. Freshmen: Faith Fantroy, Lincoln Southwest; Tina Fantroy, Lincoln Southwest; Kyley Simmons, Council Bluffs Lewis Central. Coach: Zach Isherwood. , • Schedule: June 13-15, Shooting Stars MAYB Classic, Lincoln. June 20-22, Adidas Midwest Classic, Ames, Iowa. June 26-28, Dakota Showcase, Sioux Falls, S.D. July 7-9, Showtime National Championships, Atlanta. July 11-13, Cy Fair Classic, Houston. July 22-24, Adidas Battle of the Plains, Lincoln; July 26-28, USJN Summer !
Finale, Chicago. July 29-31, Adidas Summer Slam, Cincinnati. ,
444-1350, mike.patterson@owh.com
Copyright 2008 Omaha World-Herald. All rights reserved.
Southeasts Houser ready to concentrate on team play
Theres a lot on the line personally for KK Houser this summer as the Lincoln Southeast Super-State guard performs her final auditions for NCAA Division I college womens basketball coaches at tournamen
Theres a lot on the line personally for KK Houser this summer as the Lincoln Southeast Super-State guard performs her final auditions for NCAA Division I college womens basketball coaches at tournaments across the country.
But the senior-to-be knows there wont be any ad-libbing while playing for the Bison/Judds Cornhusker Shooting Stars 17-and-under girls select team. Coach Dan Lesoing wants Houser sticking to the script as much as possible, and that means putting team ahead of personal ambitions.
For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:
http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/06/12/sports/doc4850860e214c5032864353.txt