Press Release

APRIL 13, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: CHRISTINE FRANCIES, ASST. SID
260-481-0729

Thieke Commits to IPFW
Western senior will join Kokomo's Ashley Johnson as a Mastodon

By: Pedro Velazco, Kokomo Tribune

Kokomo, IN - When going head-to-head trying to land recruits, the women’s basketball program from IUPUI should have an advantage over IPFW.

IUPUI finished second in the Mid-Continent Conference this past season, posting an 11-5 league mark and a 17-11 record overall. The Jaguars can boast to recruits that they have a legitimate shot to make the NCAA tournament.

IPFW, on the other hand, finished the season 7-21 and has yet to find a conference, making an NCAA bid nearly impossible until the Mastodons find a home. What’s more, the Mastodons head coach resigned during the season before selecting interim coach Chris Paul the full time boss.

None of that deterred Western’s Hannah Thieke. After mulling her options, she knew she’d found a home at IPFW and when Paul was named the head coach, that sealed the deal. She recently committed to attend the Fort Wayne school and play for the Mastodons, choosing IPFW over IUPUI and some Division II schools. She’ll sign a letter of intent during the next signing period in mid April.

Thieke explained why IPFW was the best choice.

“First, their interest in me,” she said. “They really acted like they were interested in me which helped a lot. And when I took an official visit, I really enjoyed the coaches the most, and the girls really helped me fit in. And it just felt like I could fit into the program a lot better and get some playing time and learn to play college ball, and have some fun doing it.”

She also liked the atmosphere of the campus and what kind of basketball opportunity she was getting.

“I really liked the campus,” she said. “The campus is gorgeous and it’s not too big and it’s not to small. It fits me better than any other one. And then the basketball program, that’s just like how I’ve always played throughout high school. I like their style of play.”

She described the Mastodons’ style as “up tempo — get the ball and go.”

Thieke accepted a full-ride scholarship to attend IPFW. She’s undecided as to her major but is considering secondary education.

At Western, Thieke averaged 16.6 points per game as a senior, and did a little of everything. She averaged 5.5 rebounds and 5 assists. The 5-foot-9 wing hit 48 percent from the field, 77 percent from the line and hit 49 3-pointers on the season.

“She brings athleticism, she brings ballhandling, she brings another shooter to their game,” Western coach Kyle Barrentine said, explaining what IPFW will get in Thieke. “They have pretty much a good mix of players coming back next year, but I think Hannah can step in and play there.

“I think her best basketball is ahead of her because in the last year, she’s realized how good she can be.”

Thieke said she expects to play the shooting guard or wing forward position at IPFW, noting her strengths are “getting the ball where it needs to be and shooting.”

Barrentine saw those attributes grow.

“I think that’s something no one really saw until this year because she didn’t handle the ball much,” Barrentine said. “But she’s a good passer, a really strong passer.”

Barrentine said Thieke made a conscious effort to get better and take on more responsibility before her senior year after the graduation of Tiffany Reida, who now plays at Indiana State.

“After the season last year, Hannah made a commitment to improving: ‘What do I need to do to get better, because I know Tiffany’s is going to be gone and maybe I’m going to be relied on to do more things,’” Barrentine said.

“She really made a commitment to getting better to improve her conditioning. That’s probably the bottom line with her. She really decided ‘I want to play at the next level. I want to play college basketball, and at the same time I want to be in a position to be where [the Panthers] were two years ago.’”

At IPFW, Thieke will join another Howard County product, now excelling for the Mastodons. Former Kokomo player Ashley Johnson was recently named to the All-Independent Second Team following her junior year with IPFW.

Reprinted with the permission of the Kokomo Tribune. This story ran in the Tribune on March 27, 2006.

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