Harnish said he is pleased with the players who have signed so far.
“You are always excited about your new kids coming in,” Harnish said. “I really think we will be more athletic next year and a better team that will fit my style in terms of full court press. There were a lot of things we couldn’t do this year because we weren’t athletic enough and we really couldn’t defend well because we were too big.”
Next year’s class includes 10 players, seven of whom played the guard position.
“I think we addressed [with the recruits] from what we lacked last year and that was guard play. We really didn’t have a true point guard,” Harnish said. “We were able to do that with Samantha [Sanders] from Denver East and also Mykal Suggs from Minnesota. Both are pretty good kids that can play the point guard and they have good quickness and athletic ability.”
The 10 players Harnish has signed so far include Suggs, 5-foot-10 from St. Paul, Minn.; Sanders, 5-6 from Denver; Lisa Durden, 5-9 from Inglewood, Calif.; Leona Garrett, 6-0 from Imperial, Calif.; Shelby Jones, 6-0 from Loveland, Colo.; DaRachia Johnson, 5-9 from Thibodaux, La.; Kyra Verniel-Peterson, 5-9 from Lafayette, Colo.; Ashley Soucie, 5-11 from Basalt, Colo.; Brittany Macey, 5-8 from Northglenn, Colo.; and Samantha Scheiber, 6-1 from Parker, Colo.
Suggs played at Johnson Senior High and finished her senior season averaging 15 points a game. She had 14 double-figure games, including a season-high 23 points against Roseville. As a junior, she averaged 15.1 points and shot 46 percent from the field.
“She is versatile where she can play the two or three guard position. She can shoot the 3-pointer,” Harnish said. “I am surprised that we got her with her ability. She is very aggressive and very athletic. She can play all three guard spots.”
Harnish is also excited about Sanders, who played at Denver East in Denver. Sanders was second team all-state in 5A helping her East team to the state championships. Sanders finished with 17 points in the championship game against Legacy to help East end a 13-year state title drought.
Sanders averaged 13.5 points a game last season. She also averaged five rebounds a game and shot 57 percent from the field. Sanders was the Denver Prep League Player of the Year, as well as the Denver Post second team 5A.
“Sanders is hopefully what we were looking for in a guard. She has really good quickness,” Harnish said. “I think she is the best point guard in Colorado or if not, she is one of the top five. I am looking at her have a big year.”
Garrett played for Imperial High in California, where she averaged 19.7 points and 10.3 rebounds a game. She also had 3.5 steals and two assists a game. Garrett scored 473 points her senior season, including having three 30-plus games in the final five games of the season. Garrett scored 36 points against Calipatria. Garrett was also the All-Imperial Press Player of the Year.
“Leona is a very athletic kid, who can play inside and outside,” Harnish said. “She has good range and can score.”
Durden is another player that Harnish inked from California. Durden played at Redondo Union in Inglewood, where she played basketball and also ran track and field. This past year, Durden concentrated on track and field and was one of the top sprinters in the state.
“Lisa is a very good 3-point shooter and handles the ball well,” Harnish said.
Johnson comes from the same hometown as current men’s basketball player and volleyball player Joe and Kathryn Stock. Johnson played basketball and ran track and field at Thibodaux High. Johnson is one of four seniors to sign to play junior college basketball from her high school.
Johnson was also was a 35-foot triple jumper this past year.
“DaRasha is another two, three guard that is also good defensively,” Harnish said. “She gives us some speed and will help us on the front.”
Jones comes to WNCC after having a successful career at Loveland High School. Jones was a first team all-Front Range selection of the Loveland Reporter-Herald, where she averaged 12 points and four rebounds a game, while playing a forward position. Jones connected on 29 3-pointers last season.
Jones’ best game last season was a 24-point performance against Air Academy, where she was 15 of 16 from the free throw line. She also had two other 20-point performances.
“Jones plays hard on the court and also can play inside or outside,” Harnish said. “I like her work ethic, and she is very aggressive.”
Another Denver Post second team selection was Kyra Peterson. Peterson played at Centaurus High as a guard. She averaged 12.5 points and three rebounds a game. She also connected on 26 3-pointers, had 50 assists and 45 steals.
“She is an extremely good 3-point shooter,” Harnish said. “She plays hard and shoots the ball very well. She had over 50 threes for her career.”
Another Colorado product is Ashley Soucie, a 5-11 forward. Soucie is the niece of former Cougar Danielle Stott, who played for Harnish in 1995-97. Soucie missed last season because of a new injury but has the same drive on the court that Stott had when she played for the Cougars.
“She was a guard in high school and I like her smarts and her basketball IQ,” Harnish said. “She plays outside and can handle the basketball.”
Two more Colorado recruits include Brittany Macey and Samantha Scheiber. Macey played at The Pinnacle Charter High School, where she earned Denver Post 3A honorable mention. Macey also played in the Colorado all-state basketball 3A game in March. She is also selected to play in the June 12 CHSCA all-star basketball game, along with WNCC recruit Kyra Peterson.
"Brittany is a quick guard that can penetrate to the basket real well," Harnish said. "She can create things off the dribble."
Scheiber is a forward that will be counted on in the paint, who played for Ponderosa High School in Parker. Scheiber averaged 7 rebounds, six points and had 29 steals as a senior. She had a season-high 14 rebounds against Gateway, and had 10 rebounds in a loss against state-champion Denver East.
"Samantha will make a name for herself for rebounding and her defensive ability to play inside," Harnish said. "She is a kid that plays hard."
Harnish said that rebounding was one of the team's weaknesses last year and with Scheiber along with the other forwards; they answered that need.
"We were a terrible rebounding team last year and with Leona and her athletic ability and her ability to rebound, and with Shelby from Loveland and Samantha from Ponderosa, we addressed the rebounding needs," he said. "We still have one scholarship open and we are looking for a big kid that can play inside.
"We have six or seven new guards coming in so that is going to help. So, we really need someone with a little bit of size to post up on the block and score for us. We are just waiting around for the best kid that can do that."
The Cougars home the season with three straight home games, beginning with Little big Horn College on Nov. 5. They will then face Hastings College junior varsity on Nov. 6 and Lamar Community College on Nov. 9.
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