Colorado State University Athletics
CSU women add five, including NCAA tournament veteran from Virginia
11/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2009
By Amanda Nutting
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The Colorado State women's basketball program has signed Sam Martin, Hayley Thompson, and twins Mandy and Amber Makeever, to National Letters of Intent, as well as transfer Kelly Hartig to a financial aid agreement. Head Coach Kristen Holt made the announcement Wednesday.
"The thing I am excited about with the entire group is they are very good players and people," said Holt. "They are all excited about being at CSU; it's not just a place to play college basketball. They will infuse this team with a lot of energy and passion. They are coming here to win championships, and that is why we recruited them."
Martin, a 6-2 forward from Chaparral High School in Parker, Colo., has led the Wolverines for the last two years. She posted 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks per game her junior year, shattering her own school records established the previous season. She was named both all-conference and second-team all-state (Denver Post).
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| Hayley Thompson |
"Sam was the first kid to commit to us back in July," said Holt. "She was a highly recruited player out of Chaparral, so I am very excited to get her. Sam is a forward that can run the floor, shoot the ball extremely well and has good range on her shot. She has very good hands which allows her to rebound the ball well. I am really excited about Sam and what she is going to bring to this team on and off the court."
Thompson is a 6-1 shooting guard and aggressive rebounder for the 2009 Colorado 4A state runner-up Mullen High School basketball team, out of Denver, Colo. Thompson is a two-time first-team all-Centennial League selection going into her senior season. Last year, she was also an honorable mention all-state player and first-team academic all-state. As a junior, Thompson posted 11.2 points per game while leading the team in rebounds (7.4 per game).
"Hayley can shoot the three and is an excellent rebounder from the wing position," said Holt. "She is a tremendous student academically, and she just really gets it, as far as understanding the way the team is put together. Hayley is a really good kid and will be a great addition for us."
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| Mandy Makeever |
Mandy Makeever is a 5-10 guard from Peaster High School in Peaster, Texas. Last year she helped lead the team to a 31-3 record and a No. 4 state ranking, averaging 18.6 points per game. She also pulled down 7.2 rebounds per game and racked up 50 blocks on the season. She was named all-region by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, and all-state by the Texas Girls Coaches Association. She was also voted top player in the region. Over the summer, she was picked as an AAU All-American at the Premier Basketball Super 64 Tournament, in addition to being named MVP at the University of Oklahoma's team camp.
Amber Makeever is a guard standing 5-11 from Peaster High School in Peaster, Texas. She averaged 15.2 points per game alongside her twin sister, Mandy, and grabbed 4.7 rebounds per game for the Greyhounds. The Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Offensive MVP, she also was voted the seventh-best player in the region.
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| Amber Makeever |
"Both are wing players," said Holt. "Mandy can probably play a little bit of the point if we needed her to, as she is more of a combo guard. Amber is a 2 or 3 player that does all the little things. They are coach's kids as their dad, Mark Makeever, is their high school coach. They are just hard-working, gritty players that fundamentally can do pretty much everything as far as handling the ball, shooting and playing solid defense. I anticipate they are really going to be able to impact our program."
Hartig is a 6-3 forward from ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo. Having helped the University of Virginia to the NCAA tournament each of the last two years, including the 2008-09 campaign as a starter, she is transferring to CSU and will not play during the 2009-10 season. Ineligible as a transfer until the end of the 2010 fall semester, she will be a redshirt junior when she suits up for the Rams in December of next year.
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| Kelly Hartig |
"I'm really excited to have her because of her experience," said Holt. "She was a great player coming out of high school. She can score facing the basket, she moves really well for her size and I am really excited for the fact that she is going to be able to come in and help us out this year in practice and be able to get familiar with our system."
A starter in 32 of the Cavaliers' 34 games last year, Hartig helped the Cavaliers to the second round of the NCAA tournament, as the No. 5 seed in the Trenton Region. Averaging 18.4 minutes per contest, she was second on the team with 20 blocked shots. She also averaged 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 points.
The team also advanced to the round of 32 in 2007-08, when they were a No. 4 seed. Among three multi-block games on the year, Hartig batted away two shots in the first round of the NCAA tournament. In two seasons at Virginia, she played in 60 games with 32 starts, averaging 14.6 minutes, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 points. She also blocked 33 shots.
As a senior at ThunderRidge, Hartig was a Street & Smith's honorable mention All-American and the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report ranked her No. 7 in the nation at power forward. She helped lead the Grizzlies to a 2006 state semifinal appearance and also competed for an AAU team, the Boulder Rockies, averaging 12.0 points per game and 6.0 rebounds.
