First-year Northwestern State women’s basketball coach Anna Nimz announced four signees Friday, rounding out the Lady Demons’ recruiting class of 2020.
Joining the NSU roster are two junior college signees – Alexia Marsh from Central Arizona College and Makayla VanNett from Hutchinson Community College – and a pair of Spaniards, Claudia Vidal and Andreea Cojocariu.
“We are excited to add four talented student-athletes to our roster,” Nimz said. “These young women will make us more competitive and allow us to implement the strategies and style of play we want to bring to Northwestern State.”
Marsh is a 5-foot-5 point guard originally from Goodyear, Arizona, who averaged 4.9 points and 1.6 assists per game during the 2019-20 season for the Vaqueras.
A three-sport letter winner at Tolleson Union High School, Marsh helped lead Central Arizona to a 28-3 record and a Division I Region I championship.
“We are incredibly excited to have Alexa join us at NSU,” Nimz said. “She comes to us from the No. 6-ranked junior college program in the nation where she played 38 minutes per game. She is the type of player you can’t afford to take out of the game. Her high motor and willingness to outwork her opponent will make her a great point guard in the Southland. She is going to elevate our level of competitiveness in games and at practice every day.”
Joining Marsh from the JUCO ranks is VanNett, a 5-6 shooting guard from St. Paul, Minnesota via Hutchinson Community College.
As a sophomore, VanNett ranked second on the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) while shooting 39.7 percent from 3-point range as Hutchinson won the conference championship.
VanNett finished her two-year Blue Dragons career third in school history in made 3-pointers. At Como Park High School in St. Paul, VanNett set a Minnesota prep single-game record with 13 3-pointers.
“Makayla can flat shoot it,” Nimz said. “She is joining us from the fifth-ranked junior college team in the nation where she shot almost 40 percent from the 3-point line and made 96 3s. She is a great player who comes from an incredibly disciplined junior college, and we really like her ability to spread the floor and draw the defense away from the rim. She will be prepared to step in and make an immediate impact.”
The Lady Demons went international for their other two spring/summer signees, dipping twice into Spain’s amateur ranks.
Claudia Vidal is an athletic 6-1 center who also played tennis at Cataolina’s Escola d’Arts de Vic, leading her team to its league title three times.
“We are very anxious to get Claudia here to the U.S.,” Nimz said. “She is a highly skilled post player who can play from the 3-point line and in. She has a strong basketball IQ and a willingness to grow in her craft. She will be a great asset to the program right away, and she possesses an extremely high ceiling.”
Vidal’s fellow Spaniard, Andreea Cojocariu, is a 5-9 combo guard from Barcelona’s IES Numancia.
“Andree has the skill to take defenders off the bounce or score on the perimeter,” Nimz said. “We are thrilled to have her join us, and I am excited for the opportunity to coach her. She brings a maturity and refined skillset to the court that will be a great addition to our program.”
The quartet joins a pair of fall signees – Osha Cummings and Erin Harris – to round out NSU’s recruiting class.
Photos: Submitted action shots of all four signees and a combined graphic.
