Nov. 16, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Continuing a trend of successful and impactful recruiting, women's basketball head coach Robin Pingeton and her staff had two players sign National Letters of Intent to join the Redbird women's basketball program on Friday, Nov. 16. Guard Katie Broadway and forward Danielle Hellickson will both join the Redbirds in the 2008-09 season.
"We are excited about both Danielle and Katie joining our basketball family," Pingeton said of her two newest recruits. "They both bring great athleticism and talent to our program and are quality young ladies."
Broadway hails from Betalto, Ill., and is a senior at Civic Memorial High School. The 5-foot-10 guard is a three-time First-Team All-Mississippi Valley Conference selection and a three-time team MVP. The past two years, she was the Alton Exchange Player of the Year, becoming the youngest player to receive that recognition.
"Katie has had a great high school career; her statistics speak for themselves," Pingeton said. "I like her size and strength at the perimeter. She has a scoring mentality with the ability to shoot from three-point range and create shots for herself off the dribble."
Over her first three years at Civic Memorial, Broadway averaged 23.3 points, 2.5 assists and 4.0 steals per game. She is already the school's all-time leader in points (1348) and steals (230). She was a second-team all-metro selection by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and a special mention all-state pick as a junior after setting the school single-season records for points (560), field goals (210), three-pointers (40) and steals (94).
Broadway, who also considered Indiana State, Missouri State and Southeast Missouri State, felt right at home when she visited the ISU campus.
"I really like the Missouri Valley Conference for women's basketball," Broadway said. "When I went to Illinois State to visit for the first time, I already felt like I was a part of their family. The whole team is very close knit. I felt like I had the same commitment and beliefs as the coaches and players. The coaching staff has been in touch with me since I was a freshman and I felt closer to them than I did with any other team."
Jonathan Denney took over the head coaching duties of the girl's team at Civic Memorial two years ago after nine years as the head coach of the boy's program, but it didn't take him long to realize the Broadway is a special player.
"I wish I had taken over the team earlier so I could have had more time with Katie," Denney said. "She is a special kid with a lot of talent. I have been up to Illinois State a few times and she is the prototypical player for coach Pingeton and her style of play. She is a complete player and can really handle the ball off the dribble."
Hellickson is a St. Louis, Mo., native and has spent time in two different high school programs. After being home schooled through eighth grade, Hellickson enrolled at Tower Grove Christian Academy for her freshman and sophomore seasons. She transferred to Incarnate Word Academy last year and is currently a senior there. In her first season with the Red Knights, the 6-0 forward played more of a reserve role, averaging 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
"Danielle is somewhat of a late bloomer and I truly believe that her best basketball is ahead of her," Pingeton said. "After transferring to Incarnate Word, she played behind several Division I recruits and it took some time for her to adjust to the new system. I anticipate that her stats will improve drastically this year and she will be an impact player for that team. She has good size, athleticism, strength and quickness that will continue to develop over the years. I do not believe there are many athletes with Danielle's make-up in our conference."
While at Tower Grove, a smaller institution than Incarnate Word, Hellickson showed flashes of the player she is capable of being with a second-team all-conference selection as a freshman and a first-team nod as a sophomore. Like Broadway, Hellickson, who was also considering Southern Illinois and Creighton, chose Illinois State because of her impression of the coaches and players in the program.
"I chose Illinois State because of the bond I had with the coaches and players," Hellickson said. "I felt a great closeness between the players and coaches at Illinois State that I didn't feel anywhere else."
Incarnate Wood head coach Dan Rolfes echoes coach Pingeton's sentiments about the potential Hellickson has and the type of season she could have as a senior.
"In her first season, Danielle was in more of a reserve role and this season she will definitely be one of our go-to players," Rolfes said. "Last year was a big learning process for Danielle, playing behind some very experienced, very talented players. This year she has made a huge transition from a reserve role into a starter. She is a wing player who can play both inside and outside. She has great range, can penetrate and is a tremendous rebounder. I am confident she can do a lot of things to benefit the Redbird program."
Illinois State will have three seniors finish their careers at the end of the 2007-08 season, making room for the new recruits and sophomore forward Emily Hanley, who is sitting out this season due to NCAA regulations after transferring from Eastern Michigan.
