By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
PHOTOS - here
Hammond, Ind.---Brenda Pennington, a 5'2" point guard from Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond, Ind., has signed a letter of intent to become the latest member of the 2016-17 Owens Community College women's basketball recruiting class.
Pennington, who will look to take over at point guard with the departure of the program's all-time career assists leader Briana Williams (Stebbins/Dayton, Ohio), will bring a large dose of scoring and athleticism to the position. She was named one of the top 60 seniors in the state by Hoosier Basketball Magazine and was nominated to the Indiana Class Basketball All-Star Classic.
In addition, Pennington scored over 1,200 points in her high school career, led her team to three straight GSSC championships in a row and was named a Second Team All-Area player three times.
"Brenda is a phenomenal point guard," said Owens Community College head women's basketball coach Michael Llanas. "She has tremendous upside, has great handles, is very quick, has about a 22-24 inch vertical and is just a tremendous leader. We have absolutely hit a home run on this kid. She also has the poise and the maturity to handle the adverse situations (we will face) as we head down the championship road in 2016-17."
As a senior, Pennington led the team in scoring at nearly 17 per game, while adding over six rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Over a six game stretch this past season, she averaged 21.3 points and led her team to a 5-1 record.
In the regional semifinal, she had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while making five of six free throws down the stretch to seal a victory. She followed that up with 17 points in the regional final and was named the top player in the regional.
As a junior, she also averaged six rebounds per game despite being the smallest player on the court, and she finished as the team's No. 2 scorer.
The Hammond, Ind. native joins a very talented recruiting class at Owens. In addition to her, the class includes Kamryn Troike, a 6'4" center from St. Wendelin High School in Fostoria, Ohio; Essence Cowan, a 5'6" combo guard from Lima Senior High School in Lima, Ohio; Kaylah Ivey, a 6'1" forward/center from Westerville South High School in Westerville, Ohio; Tazhia Petitt, a 5'11" power forward from McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio; and Denissa Sly, a 5'8" guard from Northmont High School in Clayton, Ohio.
Notes
The Owens women's basketball program recently finished a 29-7 season that included the program's fourth straight Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) championship, a Region XII District I championship and a fifth place finish at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Tournament. The team advanced as far as the NJCAA Elite 8.
It was the program's second straight and third appearance in the past four years at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament, where they have recorded three top 10 finishes in the past 4 seasons (7th in 2012-13, 3rd in 2014-15 and 5th in 2015-16). In 2014-15, the team advanced to the NJCAA Division II Final 4. The team has also captured five of the past six OCCAC championships and three of the past four Region XII District I championships.
Furthermore, the program has won at least 25 games in each of the past seven seasons. During that time, the program has compiled a 195-37 record (.841 winning percentage), including an 81-9 record (.900 winning percentage) in OCCAC play.
Head coach Michael Llanas, who recently completed his 12th season at Owens, has compiled a 294-96 record during that time. Furthermore, he has achieved a 127-29 record in OCCAC play with six OCCAC championships.