Miner Sports News

• Lady Miners sign four in early signing period for 2009-10 season
  published on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:44:10 -0600

  Missouri S&T signed high school players to national letters of intent in the recently completed early signing period to play for the Lady Miners in the 2009-10 season.

   

  Three of the four players who signed come from the state of Missouri, including 2008 all-state selections Katelyn Heil from Dexter and Hailee Parks from Sullivan.

   

  Following is information on the four players:

   

  CATHRYN HEIL, a 5-10 forward-guard from Dexter High School in Dexter, Mo.: Heil averaged 5.2 points and 2.4 steals a game last season in helping Dexter record 22 victories, its second-most in school history and a district championship.  She is the twin sister of Katelyn Heil, who was an all-state selection that also signed with Missouri S&T.  Heil is a three-sport athlete at Dexter, as she - along with her sister - compete in tennis and track and field.

   

  "Cathryn is a very athletic player who will give us some depth at the forward and wing positions," said Missouri S&T head coach Alan Eads.  "She can run the floor and guard people and she's a player who can score when she needs to."

   

  KATELYN HEIL, a 5-10 guard-forward from Dexter High School in Dexter, Mo.: Heil, Cathryn Heil's twin sister, was an all-state selection in Missouri Class 4 last season and co-player of the year in the SEMO Conference after averaging 18.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.  Those marks helped lead Dexter to a 22-5 record, its second-highest win total in school history and a district championship.  She broke the school's single-game scoring record by scoring 42 against a state-ranked Portageville team, including six three-point baskets.  Heil was named to the Class 4 all-state first team that also included current Lady Miner Courtney Kemp.

   

  "Katelyn is a scorer who can shoot from the perimeter or post a guard up or put the ball on the floor," Eads said.  "She is a player whom I really believe can come in and contribute right away.  Katelyn is an athletic, hard-nosed player who could be a candidate for "Miss Basketball" in the state this year."

   

  NATALIE MASSEY, a 6-1 center-forward from North Cedar High School in Mechanicsville, Iowa: Massey was a first-team all-district and all-conference selection as a junior when she averaged 14.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.  She also shot 45.8 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from three-point range during the 2007-08 season.  As a sophomore, Massey averaged a double-double with marks of 11.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.  Massey also competes in track and field, where he she holds the school record in the high jump at 5-4 and earned a berth to compete in the Drake Relays.

   

  "Natalie is another athletic player who can run the floor," Eads said.  "She has shown the ability to score and rebound at the high school level and should be able to help us at the four and five spots.  She plays at a smaller school so this will be a jump in the competitive level for her, but she has a lot of ability that we're excited about."

   

  HAILEE PARKS, a 5-11 forward from Sullivan High School in Sullivan, Mo.: Parks, who has earned all-state honors in each of the last two seasons, averaged 17.7 points, nine rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in her junior year at Sullivan, which reached the Missouri Class 4 sectional round.  She shot 42.6 percent from the floor, nearly 30 percent from three-point range and 77.1 percent at the free throw line.  She also had 43 steals and 22 blocked shots during the 2007-08 season.  As a sophomore, Parks averaged 20.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest with 33 blocked shots and 39 steals.  She has been named to the Four Rivers Conference all-league first team for three straight seasons.

   

  Parks enters her senior year at Sullivan ranked second on the career list for points with 1,458 (254 from first) and fourth in career rebounds with 808 (156 from first).

   

  "Hailee is a really athletic player for her size," Eads said.  "She has great footwork and has shown that she can score inside and outside.  She is a two-time all-state selection who can really fit into the four spot with her scoring and rebounding abilities.

   

  "We're really excited about this group of recruits," Eads added.  "We've been able to get some of the top seniors in the state during the early period to help fill some of the needs that we're going to have next season.  All four of these players are strong athletically and are also great academically, so they will fit in very well as student-athletes at Missouri S&T."

   

  The Lady Miners finished 24-7 in the 2007-08 season and finished second in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional to eventual national champion Northern Kentucky.  Missouri S&T is 3-2 thus far in the 2008-09 campaign.