April 13, 2000
Truman Women's Basketball Signs Four Recruits
Head women's basketball coach Karin Nicholls has announced that four individuals have signed national letters-of-intent to attend Truman State University in the fall.
Emily Turnbull, a 5-6 point guard from Toulon, Ill, Stark County High School, signed an NLI on Wednesday (April 12).
"Emily will fill a much needed position for us," Nicholls indicated. "She is an exceptional shooter and has good ball-handling skills which should enable us to do more offensively."
Turnbull was an an all-state selection as a junior and senior, and also earned first-team all-conference recognition both years. She was a four-year academic all-conference choice. Turnbull scored 8.4 points a game and grabbed 2.7 rebounds during the 1999-2000 season, as well as charting 4.0 steals and 5.9 assists per game.
"The atmosphere was right for me and they (the Bulldogs) are a winning program," Turnbull said. "The team's chemistry was there, and it just felt right."
Turnbull is also involved on student council, and has competed in track and golf for four years.
Ashlea Wood (pronounced Ashley) also signed an NLI on April 12. She is a 5-10 guard/forward from Kirksville, Mo., Kirksville High School.
"Ashlea is someone who has all the potential to play at this level," Nicholls indicated. "I expect her to evolve into a good play for us."
Wood averaged 9.1 points and 3.5 rebounds a game this past season, playing a key role in the success of the Kirksville girls team which advanced to the Missouri Class 3A Quarterfinals. Wood was named a Wendy's player of the game seven times this season, as well as Team Dannco's athlete of the week. She was an honorable mention all-conference and all-area pick and a second-team all-district choice.
"I'm really excited about attending Truman and playing for Coach Nicholls and Coach Russell," Wood said. "This is what I've wanted to do for a long time. They have really turned the women's team around and made it one of the top competitors in the conference.
"I've been attending Truman games since I was little ... there are a lot of connections with my family and the University, since most of my mom's family have degrees from Truman, my sister is a junior there now ... and my mom played at Truman when women's basketball was just a club sport."
Anne Westhoff is the third signee and a 6-0 guard/forward from Webster Groves, Mo., Webster Groves High School. She averaged 20.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, two assists and four steals per game this past season.
"Anne is a versatile athlete and able to play several positions," Nicholls said. "I expect her to have an immediate impact on the team."
Westhoff was selected for first-team all-Suburban Conference honors as a junior and senior. Also her senior year, she was chosen for first-team all-West County and honorable mention all-metro, and was named team MVP. Westhoff claimed the Ray Moss Outstanding Female Senior Athlete Award, earned the Statesman Award and was named St. Louis Post-Dispatch prep sports player of the week.
"I was interested in Truman because of its excellent education and after visiting Truman and meeting the coaching staff and team, I felt it was the place I wanted to play ball," Westhoff said.
Jessy Fletcher, from Atlanta, Mo., and a junior college transfer from John Wood College in Quincy, Ill., will join the Bulldogs.
"Jessy is coming off an outstanding year and has always been associated with winning programs," Nicholls said. "I think, she'll bring competitiveness and versatility to the squad. She is probably one of the best recruits we've signed at Truman since I've been here."
She earned NJCAA honorable mention all-America honors last year after averaging 18.7 points and 11.7 rebounds a game. Fletcher was also a first-team all-conference and all-region 24 performer, as well as athlete of the year for the Collegiate Conference of Central Illinois. She scored 1,014 career points at John Wood and had 579 rebounds during her two-year stint.
"When I was in high school I talked about how awesome it would be to attend Truman on a basketball scholarship," Fletcher said. "I guess it was my dream. The distance to home, the beautiful campus, the teammembers, and the coaching staff made it easy to go to Truman."
The Truman women's basketball team completed the 1999-2000 campaign with a 17-9 record and 12-6 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association for a fourth-place finish. Nicholls is in her fifth season with the Bulldogs, and as a collegiate head coach, and has a career record of 71-64.