OKLAHOMA CITY ? Oklahoma City University?s women?s basketball team has added five recruits in its quest for the Sooner Athletic Conference title and national prominence.
The class includes forward-center Romana Vynuchalova, a transfer from Penn State, and forward Nikki Wilson, a transfer from Fresno State.
?Those five will give us a chance to again compete for the conference championship and hopefully keep us competitive on a national level,? OCU coach Rob Edmisson said. ?We?re really happy with the class.?
Vynuchalova, a 6-foot-4 junior from Bratislava, Slovakia, averaged 2.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.2 minutes a game for Penn State last season.
?She runs really well and can score around the basket,? Edmisson said.
Wilson, a 6-2 junior from Chicago, averaged 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals for Trinity Valley (Texas) as a freshman in 2001-02 prior to coming to Fresno State.
?Nikki is a difference maker,? Edmisson said. ?She?ll become one of the most athletic players at her position not only in the conference but in the country.?
The Stars also added Carly Ballew, a 6-foot freshman forward-center from Oklahoma City. Ballew averaged 13 points and seven rebounds a game for Putnam City North High School last season.
?She has potential to have a great career here,? Edmisson said. ?I think she can contribute to us as a freshman, something that is hard to do in our program. She?s very strong and a great student.?
Viola Beybeyah, a 5-10 junior guard-forward from Oklahoma City, transferred to OCU from Pratt Community College. She averaged 13.5 points and six rebounds a game last season. Beybeyah played high school ball at Southeast High School.
?She can post up or shoot the 3,? Edmisson said. ?Her work ethic has impressed us this summer. She?ll contribute to our success, no doubt.?
Angela Kalanoska, a 6-1 freshman forward from Struga, Macedonia, brings serious shooting ability. She was the youngest member of the Macedonian national team ever.
?She?s a tremendous shooter,? Edmisson said. ?She?ll be a player who can play inside and out.?
OCU returns Alexandra Kotta, an honorable-mention NAIA Division I all-American in 2005-06. Kotta, a 5-11 senior, averaged 10.7 points a game and hit 1.9 3-pointers a game.
The Stars went 32-3 and advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals last season. OCU also won the SAC regular-season and tournament championships.