MNU All-Decade Team: Women's Basketball

All-Decade: Volleyball, Women's Soccer, Football, Men's Soccer, Men's Basketball, Softball, Baseball

The 2010s were a great decade for MNU Athletics. Every program qualified for the national tournament at least twice, Cross Country and Track & Field made their returns and had great success, 2 teams played for the National Championship, and Women's Basketball won it all in 2016. With all the great athletes to come through Olathe in the last 10 years, it's difficult to nail down All-Decade teams. But I'm going to give it a shot. Your Sports Information Director, Chad Jenkins, along with a handful of coaches and fans, will publish an All-Decade team for our team sports starting with the Spring of 2010.

The Process
There's no one way to do this, but here's how I'm going to do it:
- One player from a specific season will represent one starting position on the court/field. One great season by one player usually trumps a solid career from another.
- Academics, behavior, and likability are not going to be considered. I can't know enough about the personal lives of these athletes to make that judgment. I'm putting together the best players at each position, period.
- I've asked for input from some coaches and fans, but ultimately the final decision is mine. So direct your hateful e-mails to yours truly.
- For Women's Basketball, we are using 6 positions: Point Guard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Power Forward, Center, and 6th Man. Since basketball seasons are split between years, I'm going with the second half of the season as the main year. So the 09-10 season is the start of the decade and 18-19 is the end.

Why Are We Doing This?
Because it's fun. If you or your relative or buddy didn't make the squad, it's not personal.

Who Are You to Make These Decisions?
A fair question. I'm the guy who has watched pretty much every home event in every sport since the Fall of 2007, and I'm in control of the athletics website.

Enough! Just Get Started!
Agreed. Here we go...

Point Guard
MNU had only 2 All-Conference Point Guards in the decade, but I'll use this opportunity to figure out how to deal with a few one-year studs that have come through the program. I mentioned earlier that one great year usually trumps a good career, but the spirit of that arbitrary condition was more for those who had one huge season in the midst of a full career...not one great season in an abbreviated career. Admittedly, a previous spot on these teams went to an abbreviated career athlete, but the great season was overwhelmingly impossible to ignore (and they didn't stay just one season). So yes, this is imperfect, but that's my explanation.
- Navia Palu had an excellent career at the point as MNU began its remarkable run of national tournament appearances. Steady, intelligent, and a natural leader, her last 2 seasons ended with a conference title and two Sweet 16s. She became an assistant coach and was part of the National Championship staff in 2016. Honorable Mention All-Decade for sure.
- Kechelle Figueroa averaged 16.6 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.0 steals in 2019. She was named 1st team All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-America as MNU reached the Sweet 16. I loved her game and personally rooted hard for her, but the junior transfer didn't return and I can't put her on this team.
- A player with which I have zero issues as the MNU Women's Basketball All-Decade Point Guard is Kyleesha Weston in 2016. Extremely underappreciated when it came to awards and honors, the money player finally got her due as the National Championship Most Outstanding Player in MNU's title season. Those familiar with her career will probably be as surprised as I was to see her only honors were a single Conference Player of the Week selection and a 3rd team All-Conference nod in 2015. But in her senior season, she recorded a triple double and averaged 9.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.7 steals for the National Champions. Consistent, reliable, and smart, she was often counted on to close out close games. In the national tournament, she averaged 11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.4 steals. In the title game, she scored a career-high 21 points (of MNU's 49 total) en route to the Most Outstanding Player honor. If you want a tough, pass-first, lockdown defender who can finish at the rim, you want Kyleesha Weston leading your team.

Shooting Guard
MNU's All-Conference Shooting Guards this decade include Rachel Boan in 2012 & 2013 - who was a tough, steady player as MNU started to come into national prominence - and Jayden Oliver in 2017, who earned a 2nd team honor and Conference Newcomer of the Year. But Megan Balcom in 2016 is the MNU Women's Basketball All-Decade Shooting Guard. The 3-year starter had her best season as a senior as she led the National Champions in scoring at 14.0 points per game. Her best game was MNU's 2nd highest single-game total with a 42-point performance, and she was Conference and National Player of the Week. She was named 1st team All-Conference and 1st team NAIA All-America (MNU's first 1st-teamer since transitioning from NAIA D2 in the 08-09 season), and her ability to defend, finish at the rim or from mid range, and bomb threes in any situation makes her an easy call for this team. And she hosted one of my favorite promo videos...



Small Forward
The most versatile athletes play the 3, and the Pioneers have featured some special talents at the position. Kiley Herold had a great skill set (could be considered a 3, 4, or 5 depending on personnel) early in the decade for a team in transition, and she earned a 3rd team All-Conference honor in 2011. Alicia Washington was tremendous in 2018 as 1st team All-Conference, Conference Newcomer of the Year, Honorable Mention All-America, and recorded 33 & 32-point performances in a run to the Elite 8, but that was her only season with the Pioneers and I explained that above. My choice for MNU Women's Basketball All-Decade Small Forward is Kelsey Balcom in 2013 or 2014.
- Kelsey Balcom signaled a transition from really good top-25 teams to elite national contenders in the middle of the decade. Despite her teams not getting past the Sweet 16 (the loss in the first round in 2013 still hurts), she led the squad to a 30-3 season, a conference title, a conference tournament title, and a berth to Nationals in her first season. She was named 1st team All-Conference, Conference Player of the Year, and 2nd team NAIA All-America. She only averaged 13.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, but that was the era of phenomenally deep teams and the minutes were very spread. Digging a little deeper into the numbers, she averaged 0.5 points per minute as a junior and 0.7 points per minute as a senior (1st team All-Conference, 3rd team All-America). Playing full minutes would've put her closer to 20 than 10, (she put in 25 in her first game at Nationals) and the steady, multi-talented forward's 2014 season was the decade's best.

Power Forward
The power forward spot was loaded for MNU this decade. Even though Kendra Flemming was never recognized with awards and honors, I'd take her in my fox hole any day (with her permission). Jasmine Webb was a 1st team All-Conference selection and Honorable Mention All-American for the National Champions in 2016, and her play during that tournament earned her the Championship Hustle Award. Her back-breaking 3-pointer (the only of her career) early in the 4th quarter of the title game is a shot I'll never forget. And her dynamic athleticism was a matchup nightmare and a game-changer. But the MNU Women's Basketball All-Decade Power Forward is Jovana Jovovic in 2019. The 6-1 Serbian was inconsistent but clearly talented in her first 2 years at MNU, but she put it all together as a senior. She earned one Conference Player of the Week honor, and was named 1st team All-Conference & 1st team NAIA All-America as she averaged 18.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for a Sweet 16 team. She could finish around the rim and bury threes, but she was absolute money from 15 feet and teams simply couldn't stop her.

Center
The paint has been dominated by a handful of Pioneers this decade, and it's been difficult to choose which single season makes the list. Daria Sprew was a 4-time All-Conference honoree and 3-time All-American (2 honorable mentions and a 2nd team) as MNU went to Nationals every year. Tristin Wicks was Conference Freshman of the Year in 2015, National Champion in 2016, 2nd team All-Conference in 2017, and 1st team All-Conference & 3rd team All-America in 2018. And if you want a defensive stalwart and rebounding monster, you'd take Whitney Moia all day. In 2019 she was 2nd team All-Conference and Conference Defensive Player of the Year. She was 3rd in the country with 3.5 blocks and 8th with 11.0 rebounds per game despite just 20 minutes per game. But Bethany Rexroth's senior year in 2010 saw her average 18.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks. She also won 3 Conference Player of the Week honors, 2 NAIA National Player of the Week honors, 1st team All-Conference, Conference Player of the Year, and 3rd team All-America. In one of the best individual games I've ever seen, she shot 21-28 for an MNU single-game record 43 points to go with 16 rebounds and 9 blocks in a 4-point victory. Despite the big numbers and great careers of the others in this section, Rexroth's monster 2010 is the MNU Women's Basketball All-Decade Center.

6th Man
The 6th man spot isn't just a cheat to get one more on the All-Decade team, but the honor won't go to an actual 6th man. Some of the players mentioned above but not yet chosen are the nominees for this final spot. As with the men's list, I'll try to explain my thought process. Our options are: Daria Sprew 2015, Jasmine Webb 2016, Tristin Wicks 2018, and Whitney Moia 2019. I am a huge fan of all these players and my criticisms are minor.
- Moia: elite defender, elite rebounder, tireless motor, but the lack of consistent offense is the only knock
- Wicks: reliable in the paint, solid defender, great on and off the court, but not in the elite level
- Webb: fantastic athlete, unique talent, limitless energy, but the overall numbers are just below the rest
- Sprew: rock solid in any year you want to choose, the glue for the teams which took the program to the next level, no complaints
The MNU Women's Basketball All-Decade 6th Man is Daria Sprew in 2015. Her arrival as a freshman in 11-12 was in line with the program reaching Nationals for the first time since the transition from D2 to D1 in 08-09. MNU hasn't missed Nationals since. She was very good every year, as evidenced by 1st team, 2nd team, and 2nd team All-Conference honors in her first 3 years. But her senior year was her best. She led the conference champs with 14.6 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. And was named 1st team All-Conference & 2nd team All-America. I hardly ever disagree with these types of awards, but for my money, she was also snubbed out of Conference Player of the Year honor in 2015. An odd title for someone who started every game (except the Senior Day of her freshman year) over 4 years, but she's my choice for 6th Man.

Your MNU Women's Basketball All-Decade Team:
Point Guard: Kyleesha Weston 2016
Shooting Guard: Megan (Balcom) Jackson 2016
Small Forward: Kelsey (Balcom) Bickley 2014
Power Forward: Jovana Jovovic 2019
Center: Bethany Rexroth 2010
6th Man: Daria Sprew 2015