Lady Blues ink four in early signing period

Nov. 13, 2002

Washburn women's basketball head coach Ron McHenry announced the signing of four high school players for the 2003-04 season Wednesday afternoon.

Larned High's Charlotte Dikeman, Great Bend High's Cindy Keeley, Topeka-Hayden's Anna Nimz and Osborne's Brooke Ubelaker each signed letters of intent to play for the Lady Blues in the early signing period which began today.

"This year we have another great class that will give us a solid future at Washburn," said McHenry.

PLAYER BREAKDOWN

Charlotte Dikeman (Larned, Kan./Larned High School) • 5-11 • Guard/Forward — Dikeman was an all-conference, all-area and honorable mention all-state Class 4A selection the past two seasons at Larned High. She was also named All Class Top Ten by the Hutchinson News in 2001-02, leading the Indians to a Mid-State Athletics Association title and 17-5 record.

As a junior last season Dikeman tied LarnedÍs single game scoring record with 37 points in a game and set school season records with 99 steals and 68 blocked shots. She also earned All American honors at the MIss Basketball Showcase in Kearney, Neb. last summer.

McHenry on Dikeman: "Charlotte is a versatile player who can play the two, three or four spots and does a number of things well on the basketball floor. She is a well-rounded player who can be an effective player in many different ways and has good size at 5-11."

Cindy Keeley (Great Bend, Kan./Great Bend High School) • 5-9 • Guard — Keeley is a three-time Western Athletic Conference selection at Great Bend High, where she earned Great Bend Tribune Area Player of the Year and first team Class 5A all-state honors as a junior in 2001-02 by averaging 21.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 5.0 steals.

She holds Great Bend records in single game (11), season (132) and career (337) steals. She also holds the single game and season scoring record with 40 and 473 points respectively, while entering this season 94 points from the career scoring record with 1040 career points.

Keeley is also an all-state selection in volleyball and holds Great BendÍs 300-meter hurdle record in track. Her father Mike played football and baseball four seasons at Washburn.

McHenry on Keeley: "Cindy is an unbelievable athlete who has the ability to play both guard spots. She can score, put the ball on the floor and is a great defender. She is very athletic and has the potential to be a great scorer in this league."

Anna Nimz (Topeka, Kan./Hayden High School) • 5-9 •Guard — Nimz was a Class 4A first team all-state and third team all-class all-state selection at Hayden in 2001-02, where she helped the Wildcats to a 20-6 record and second place finish in the Class 4A state championship.

She also set a school record with 421 points to average 16.2 points a game and moved into fifth on HaydenÍs career scoring list at 788. She earned all-city first team honors after earning second team honors in 2000-01 and earned unanimous All-Centennial League honors after being named all-league in 2000-01.

She also helped HaydenÍs volleyball team to two straight runner-up finishes in the Class 4A state volleyball tournament the past two seasons.

McHenry on Nimz: "Anna has been a part of a big time winning program in the city and is a big time competitor who can play the one, two and three spots. She has worked really hard to improve her scoring ability and has great toughness and competitiveness. She is another great local kid and that is a huge plus for this program."

Brooke Ubelaker (Osborne, Kan./Osborne High School) • 6-0 • Forward — Ubelaker was an all-class all-state selection at Osborne last season, leading the Bulldogs to their second Class 2A state title in three seasons in 2001-02 by averaging 25 points, 9.2 rebounds and four assists a game.

In the state championship game last season, Ubelaker set a 2A state tournament mark with 37 points after scoring the final 27 points for Osborne to close the first half in a 55-33 loss over Ness City. During her career, the Bulldogs have posted a 76-2 record and played in three state championship games. Ubelaker is No. 2 on OsborneÍs all-time scoring list with 1,550 points.

She is also a former teammate of current Washburn point guard April Roadhouse, who is in her first season as a freshman at Washburn.

McHenry on Ubelaker: "Brooke has been a part of a big-time winning program that has lost only two games in three years. She has the ability to get the ball in the basket quickly. She has been one of the top players in the state the past two seasons and her work habits and talent give her an excellent opportunity to be a great player for us."