Nov. 29, 2006
FAIRBANKS, AK - With the signing of two post players over 6-feet tall, Alaska Nanooks women's basketball coach Lynne Andrew turned her attention to the perimeter with the signing of shooting guard Nicole DeRosier of Puyallup, WA. The signing of DeRosier to a National Letter of Intent for the class of 2007 gives Andrew a polished player who loves to spend time in the gym.
"She's a basketball junkie. She can't get enough of it," Andrew said. "That was a big thing that stuck out with me when I was watching her. She's very fundamentally sound. I attribute that to the great programs she's been involved with both in high school and AAU but also the extra work she's done with her dad and on her own. That will make it a much easier transition for her from the high school to the college."
DeRosier visited Fairbanks and the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus Nov. 2. She watched the Nanook women defeat the Alumni team, hung out with the team, watched practice and toured the already snowy campus.
"I really liked the coaches a lot. That was the biggest thing. I got time to hang out with the girls and really liked them a lot, too. I'd never been to Alaska before and I loved it. It was really beautiful. There was a lot more snow than we get here," said DeRosier, the daughter of Joe and Tami DeRosier. "I've always wanted to play beyond high school. I've been playing basketball my whole life and I don't want to stop."
DeRosier attends Rogers High School, where she plays for head coach Danny Carlson. The 5-9 DeRosier has played all four years for the Rams but enjoyed a particularly successful junior season last year with 15.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists a game. Her play earned her second-team South Puget Sound League honors and helped lead the Rams two games into the league playoffs.
But DeRosier's basketball seasons don't end with the conclusion of Rogers' season. On the AAU level, she has spent the past two summers playing for coach Terry Graham and the Puget Sound Flight program, which also produced fellow Nanook recruit Nicole Bozek of Kamiak, WA. Andrew and assistant coach Benjamin Smith noticed Bozek while watching film of DeRosier.
"They were two players from the same program that were also friends who can make an impact in our program," Andrew said of DeRosier and Bozek. "The Puget Sound Flight is a great AAU program because the coaches care about the young ladies as players and as people."
DeRosier, who plans to major in education, said that knowing Bozek would be in Fairbanks with her made an easy decision even easier.
"The day that I got there to visit, she gave a verbal," DeRosier said. "That helped me out a little bit knowing that I'll have someone there that I already know."
Graham, DeRosier's AAU coach, describes her as a "fun kid" who is "very dedicated and committed to basketball." The latter might be an understatement. DeRosier plays high school and AAU, shoots at the local YMCA in her free time, helps train grade school and junior high players with her father's business and also works with her own trainer.
All of that adds up to what Andrew said is a complete player, which Graham attests to also.
"She's a great outside shooter who'll knock down a bunch of threes for you. Not to insult anyone else but she'll have better post moves than many post players have. Her value goes up a lot when she gets down close to the bucket," Graham said.