Nov. 14, 2006
FAIRBANKS, AK - With a solid group of young perimeter players already in the fold, Alaska Nanook basketball coach Lynne Andrew had one primary goal this recruiting season: Size. On Tuesday, Andrew and the Nanooks added another post player to the puzzle with the signing of 6'1" Canadian prep star Amonda Francis of Coquitlam, British Columbia to a National Letter of Intent.
"Amonda is the type of player that brings a dimension that we don't currently have in our program," Andrew said. "She's a strong post player but is deceivingly versatile."
"She came up here and fit right into the camaraderie of the team. That's huge," Andrew continued. "She came and said, `This is where I want to be.'"
After visiting Fairbanks in late October, Francis said she liked everything she saw: the campus, the team, the coaching staff and, of course, the Nanook hockey team's win over Ferris State.
"I'm just really excited. I had a lot of fun with girls and everyone else was so nice," Francis said. "I love hockey. It's our national sport here, obviously. I felt like I was at home when I was watching them play."
Despite being a high schooler, Harris brings a wealth of experience to the table. Francis stars for Gleneagle Secondary School during the winter and plays for the British Columbia Provincial Team in the summer. The high school senior has had great success on both teams.
"She's seen a lot of success at some high levels and is very experienced," Andrew said. "She has a love for the game. All she wants to do is school and basketball."
Francis, who has won numerous tournament MVP and All-Tournament awards, led the Under 15 B.C. Provincial Team to a national title in 2004 and again this summer with the U17 team. Her coach on the Provincial teams, Shaun McGuinness, said she was a key cog in each run. McGuinness describes Francis as a "hard worker" and a "two-way player."
"She's got strong offensive moves, especially with her back to the hoop. For a post player she runs the court really well, so she can be quite effective in the transition game," McGuinness, an assistant coach at the University of British Columbia, said. "Defensively she's a tenacious rebounder. She's got a pretty good package in regards to being able to play both ends of the court."
Francis posted impressive stats for Gleneagle last season leading the team in most statistical categories. She also had a monster effort at the 2005-06 AAA Senior Girls Provincial Championships last spring. Over seven games, the then-junior put up a tournament-high 25 points a game plus 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 steals and nearly a block a game for the Talons.
Francis also excels at shot put and netball, a team sport similar to basketball that is popular outside of the US. She earned an invite to play on the U21 Canadian National netball team in 2005. Off the court, Francis is a solid student involved in leadership activities who volunteers as a coach and referee for youth sports in her hometown. She plans to enroll in the justice program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Francis joins 6'2" Nicole Bozek of Mukilteo, WA in Alaska's Class of 2007. Andrew is excited about how the class is shaping up so far.
"Basketball-wise, she and Bozek are two posts who are going to come in and contribute right away," she said. "I went for height but I also went for versatility. Both these young ladies are going to bring that to the program."
