Former Gering, WNCC basketball player Woods signs with Rogers State University in Oklahoma

Gering’s Yoda Woods played just one season Western Nebraska Community College before sitting out last season because she thought she was burned out of basketball.

It turned out she really missed playing the game and a few phone calls from collegiate coaches recently renewed her passion for the game.

“At first I was kind of shocked when (the coaches called) because it was out of the blue,” she said. “I made my decision that I was going to go to nursing school in Omaha and as soon as the (coaches) called me, I knew I missed (playing basketball) and I was going to play again.”

Woods change of heart led her to lace up her basketball shoes once again for Rogers State University in Claremore, Okla., a NAIA school that will field their first-ever women’s basketball team.

“I haven’t played in a year and I really missed it a lot,” Woods said. “I went to a visit to Eckerd College in Florida and I liked it a lot, but they didn’t have what I wanted to do. Then I went to Oklahoma and they have a really good nursing program.”

Woods is going into Rogers State thankful for getting another opportunity to play a sport she loves.

“After playing here and after my knee injury, I just kind of gave up on basketball,” Woods said. “I didn’t know if I was going to play again but I did miss it and playing again was always in the back of my head. I knew if I got another opportunity I was going to take it. Thankfully I got another opportunity.”

Rogers State head coach Amy Williams recruited Woods out of high school while Williams was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State.

Williams also has plenty of ties to Nebraska having served as an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, after playing four years with Brooke Schwartz at the University of Nebraska. Williams’ assistant coach is Mike Wells, a former Cougar men’s and women’s assistant coach.

Woods will be entering Rogers State as a junior, but will have three years of athletic eligibility remaining. Woods, who started 22 of 35 games for WNCC two seasons ago helping the Cougars to a 31-4 record, averaged eight points and five rebounds a game. At Gering, Woods was the Star-Herald player of the year as a senior while averaging double figures in scoring and rebounding.

Williams is looking for big things from Woods next season. “She told me that since I am coming from a JUCO, that I will be playing a big role and I should get a lot of playing time,” Woods said. “They recruited some freshman, but she wanted some players with more [college] experience. She said I will be a very good fit and she thinks I will be a good leader on the team.”

Rogers State will play teams mostly in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas. The closest the Hillcats will come to the Panhandle will be Nov. 16-17 when they travel to play in a tournament in Salina, Kan.

The Rogers State fielded baseball and softball teams this past spring with men’s and women’s basketball starting in the fall. They will also add soccer and golf teams in the coming years. When Woods visited Rogers State, she saw first-hand the improvements the school is making.

“The school has a lot to offer. They have $100 million in renovations,” she said. “This is the very first program they have had for basketball and I thought it would be exciting to be the first on their team. It is a starting point for a good career. I don’t know how good they will be, but I think it is really cool to be a part of a first team. I am looking forward to this opportunity and hope I can make the best out of it.”

Former Cougar Giovana Melo helped with WNCC volleyball camp

When Giovana Melo played for the Cougars from 2001-03, she never realized how much she would miss Scottsbluff and Western Nebraska Community College four years later.

But, after coming back earlier this month to help her WNCC volleyball coach Chris Green with a middle school volleyball camp, she is appreciative of how WNCC gave her her start in volleyball.

“It is awesome to come back here. I love the environment here,” Melo said while back in Scottsbluff for a couple days. “I love the people and I get along with coach Green really well. I miss here so much and wish I could be here more, but I am working volleyball other places. I wish I could come every year and do this.”

Melo played for the Cougars in the 2001-2002 seasons, helping the Cougars to back-to-back 57-win seasons. She also earned first team NJCAA all-American honors in 2002 and second team honors in 2001. Melo is currently second in career setting percentage with a 43.47 efficiency and ranks fourth in career points scored serving with 796.

After two stellar seasons at WNCC, Melo took her volleyball talents to Arizona State University, where she spent three seasons. She currently is a graduate assistant at Arizona State with the volleyball team well getting her master’s degree.

Melo said she is staying active in volleyball both playing and coaching. She has spent this summer helping at many camps. After the WNCC camp, Melo said she has camps in Washington and Arizona before the Sun Devils open preseason practice.

“I have been coaching a lot because I still love the sport,” she said. “I have been playing sand volleyball on the side so I can still play the sport.”

At Arizona State, Melo played every match as a junior and then suffered a season-ending ACL injury her senior year. She sat out the rest of the 2004 season and received a medical red-shirt allowing her to play in 2005. In her final season at Arizona State, she averaged nine set assists a game.

Melo said that hardest part of her volleyball career was her senior season when she had to endure sitting after tearing her ACL three matches into the season.

“It was really hard and it was one of the toughest situations I have been through in my career,” she said. “I had to work a lot to get back and I really wanted to get back to have one more year. I went through a lot, but I matured and it helped me through everything.”

Melo said while she had fun at Arizona State, it was WNCC that prepared her well for the Division I level. “I loved my teammates and coaches at Arizona State,” she said. “I loved playing at the high level because we were in the PAC 10 and we had really competitive competition. It is a lot different [going from junior college to Division I]. I think because we played at a really high level here especially at nationals. But, being at a DI and playing against the best athletes in the country was a great experience for me and it was awesome learning. I also learned a lot from him playing with him. It was a good experience being here.”

Someday, Melo has the dream of coaching at a junior college whether it be with Green as an assistant or has a head coach. Her time at Arizona State and WNCC has prepared the all-American setter from Riibeirao Preto, Brazil, well for the future.

“It has been good being a grad assistant at Arizona State. I have been learning a lot,” she said. “We have two good coaches there. One was with the national team and he is good with the girls. He has a lot of knowledge and I have been learning a lot from him.”

In fact, she even gave Green some ideas of training drills when she was here July 2 and 3.


“It is not that I am coaching him [Green], it is that I am giving him something that I learned while I am here working here with the girls. I have done all these camps throughout the summer and I have been learning these new drills and I am just giving him all these new ideas. I love to see this program be successful because I am an alumni here.”

Melo’s long term goal is to coach, but she also realizes that she wouldn’t have the opportunities that she has today because of Green and WNCC.

“I have no idea [where I would be if I didn’t come here to play volleyball]. I probably would be helping my family out or something,” she said. “I probably would be working and playing volleyball in Brazil. I like Brazil and the players professionally, but I really want to finish school here and coach.”

As for WNCC and Scottsbluff, she will always consider this as one of her hometowns.

“I have so many memories here on this court,” she said. “I just had a great time here with everybody. We had to qualify for nationals through a playoff and we had a game here where this place was packed. It was such a great environment and everybody was just cheering. At WNCC, everybody knew you. Going to nationals was awesome. I just love it here.”

WNCC former men's assistant coach hired at Rogers State University in Oklahoma

Former WNCC and Northeastern Junior College men’s assistant basketball coach Michael Wells has moved up to the four-year coaching level after being hired as an assistant coach at Rogers State University in Oklahoma. Wells joins head coach Amy Williams in starting up the first-year program.

“I am very excited to have Michael join our staff,” Williams said. “His basketball knowledge, work ethic, leadership ability, experience and organization will be instrumental in the development of our new program Michael and I have known each other for a long time and have a great understanding of one another.

Wells began his coaching career at Western Nebraska Community College from 2001-2003. He spent one year as an assistant for the women’s basketball team as well as one season aiding the men’s program. He helped the Cougars to two 29-win seasons and one Region IX Championship. WNCC sent nine players to Division I schools during his tenure.

After WNCC, Wells served as an assistant coach at Northeastern Junior College, helping the Plainsmen to the national tournament. Last year, he worked for the Albuquerque, N.M. Public School system.

Second day photos of WNCC softball camp

The second day of the WNCC softball camp is history as the young girls learned the fundamentals of hitting as well as competition. The participants even had their bat speed tested and the top speed was 60 mph by two girls. Here are photos from the second day of the camp.

Harnish inks eight more players for next year

Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball coach Dave Harnish saw some weaknesses after last year’s heartbreaking finish at the Region IX tournament. He has been hard at work during this off season to correct those weaknesses.

In turn, Harnish has added plenty of size and toughness with his incoming players for next year.

“The biggest thing I tried to do this year in recruiting is find tougher kids and kids that can compete, which is what happened in the championship game last year and the second semester,” he said. “Our defense slipped with playing with a passion and toughness. I think this group might not be as talented of a recruiting class, but they have a passion for the game and compete.”

The Cougar women have a nice nucleus of returners from last year’s 27-2 team in Alison Cheney, Chelsea Lyles, Dana Iverson, Carly Glisan and Emma Beddome. Harnish has nine new players signed for next year.

The newest recruits include 6-foot Michelle Lighthall of Colorado Springs, Colo., 6-2 Kat Harley from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 5-4 Cheri Palmer of Aurora, Colo., 5-7 Maggie Murtagh of Berthoud, Colo., 5-11 Eli Cosmo-Gonzalez of Denver, Colo., 5-9 Shaquilah Davis of Colorado Springs, Colo., 6-0 Tawny Drexler of Lakewood, Colo., and 5-10 Jenna Colwell of Hermit Park, Australia.

Palmer, who is one of the top recruits for Harnish, earned 3A Player of the Year honors while playing for Bishop Machebeuf High, where she averaged 20 points, four assists and three steals a game. She also made 28 3-pointers on the season, and had a season high 30 points in a game against Burlington.

Palmer has averaged in double figures since her sophomore year, scoring 15 points a game as a junior and 11.8 points as a sophomore. She helped lead Machebeuf to the 3A state title this year by beating Basalt 55-46.

“Losing Kiki [Taylor], we definitely needed a point guard, and Cheri is definitely point guard material. She handles the ball and sees the floor really well,” Harnish said. “I think she can be one of our better points guards we have ever had here.”

Murtagh is the younger sister of former Cougar Bridget Murtagh and brings the same kind of basketball savvy to the Cougar program. Murtagh averaged 15 points her senior year, including making 75 3-pointers. Maggie earned 4A honorable mention all-state honors.

“In a way, the two sisters are similar. Maggie is a very tough kid. She plays the game with a lot of passion. She loves the game and plays hard. I think her best attribute is she is a very good shooter. She shoots the three very well. She competes and plays hard,” Harnish said. “This year we tried to find some kids that could do that, play hard, and will do that a little bit better. I thought we lost that last year. I thought we were a little bit softer than in other teams that we have had. We tried to recruit some kids that we think are a little bit tougher and Maggie will give us that toughness.”

Davis is another guard recruit for next year, who averaged 12.9 points, four steals, and made 24 3-pointers her senior year at Sierra High in Colorado Springs, where she was first-team all-conference.

Davis is a player that Harnish said is tenacious on defense.

“Shaquilah was a late signee because she was looking at four-year schools, and we were looking for guards with size,” he said. “She is a great defender, and being 5-9 for a guard position, she will give us great size as well as being a great athlete that can score.”

The other recruits will provide some finesse on the inside, and among the inside players is Drexler. The 5-foot-11 forward earned honorable mention 4A all-state honors. She averaged 14.2 points and 10 rebounds a game last year. She also scored in double figures in 18 of 24 games for Golden High School.

Harnish said it was a surprise to get a talented player like Drexler, who was being recruited by many four-year colleges.

“I think she has great potential and is someone that is a little bit tougher, who can battle and be aggressive. Tawny definitely will do that for us,” he said. “She will be able to play the four or five spot of us.”

Lighthall will be another strong inside player for the Cougars next season. Lighthall averaged 16 points and eight rebounds last year at Manitou Springs, where she played basketball and soccer, earning 3A honorable mention all-state and first team all-conference honors. She was also a goalkeeper on the Mustang soccer team this past spring.

“Michelle is along the prototype of players like Dana and Carly, where she is able to shoot the ball and put the ball on the floor,” he said. “She will fit into our offense well because it is an offense that kids can go inside and out. She is the type of kid that can do anything and to find someone of her size that can do both makes you better.”

Kat Harley, another inside recruit, will only have one year at WNCC after playing one year at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, but Harnish said Harley will bring size inside. In high school, Harley averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks for Bishop O’Byrne High, leading them to three straight Division I city championships.

“Kat is someone who we haven’t had here in a while. She is a big, strong girl with size that we have lacked,” he said. “With her having a year of experience at the four-year level and the year they had last year at Alaska, we are hoping she comes in here and carries that over. Unfortunately, she will only be here one year, but we are expecting great things from her.”

Cosme-Gonzalez will also provide some depth after earning 5A honorable mention all-state honors for George Washington in Denver, where she averaged 14.5 points and eight rebounds a game, while shooting 66 percent from the field.

“I like Elli because she is an athletic kid, but knows how to score,” Harnish said. “She is also a good rebounder, but she also can put the ball on the floor and shoot the ball. She gives us athleticism. She knows the game and is a very smart player.”

Colwell is the final recruit. She comes to Scottsbluff from Australia. Harnish said that the University of Wyoming gave Colwell’s name to him and he is expecting great things from her.

Colwell averaged 14 points and nine rebounds in Australia.

“She is suppose to be a great rebounder and defensive player, who plays the game hard,” he said. “She is along the type of kid we were looking for this year. I found out the Australian kids play with a lot of passion, play hard, and are very smart. They know the game very well.”

These eight newcomers will join Scottsbluff’s SeLina Ysac, who signed with WNCC back in May. Ysac was a first team Star-Herald all-region selection, while averaging around 15 points a game for the Bearcats.

The Cougar women are set to open the season the first weekend in November at a tournament in Williston, N.D.

WNCC Softball Camp Photos

The WNCC softball camp had around 20 to 25 youngsters learn the fundamentals of softball on Tuesday in the first day of the camp at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff. Helping with the camp were Cougar softball players Kara Ryman, Whittany Foster, Amanda Hensley and Jessica Pexton. The camp concludes on Wednesday.

Here are some photos from the first day of the camp.

High School Volleyball Camp Photos

WNCC Cougar Palace had three volleyball nets set up and the courts were filled with nearly 50 high school volleyball players learning the fundamentals of the sport during Chris Green's Skills Camp July 5-6.

Green will have one more camp on July 9-10 for setters and hitters. That camp already has been filled as well to capacity. Green will instruct the hitters, while Scottsbluff volleyball coach Heidi Huck will handle the setting.