MCC trio to play hoops at next level

Tuesday, May 1, 2007
John J. Mesh/McCook Daily Gazette McCook Community College sophomores, from left to right, Clinton Napoleon, Staci Moore and Kyle Wamsley signed letters of intent to play basketball at four-year schools next year.

Three more McCook Community College sophomore basketball players signed letters of intent Monday to play at four-year schools.

Staci Moore, a 5-foot-5 guard from Cambridge, signed to play for the Dickinson State (N.D.) women's basketball program.

Clint Napoleon, a 6-6 forward from Hilltop Baptist High School in Colorado Springs, will return home to play for NCAA Division II University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.

Kyle Wamsley, a 6-6 forward from Cheyenne Wells High School in Arapahoe, Colo., will play for former MCC coach Lance Creech at Hastings College.

Wamsley's brother Craig also played at MCC and Hastings College.

Moore, who has a 3.5 grade point average at MCC, plans to major in physical education at Dickinson State with a goal of becoming a high school or college coach.

"The education (at Dickinson State) is good," Moore said. "I can get out of school in two years. I really liked the coach."

Moore, who averaged 8 points a game for the Indians for two years, will play the shooting guard or 2-guard at Dickinson State.

"They play all out and like to fly down the floor," Moore said. "The coaching styles are a lot alike."

Former MCC women's coach Michelle Orton, whose husband Ty will coach the Dickinson State men's team next year, said Moore was a great player and great student at MCC.

"Staci is a confident player -- we liked her fire and intensity," said Michelle Orton. "She was a leader for us who sacrificed for the team. She took charges -- she did everything."

Napoleon, who averaged 14 points a game during the second half of the 2006-07 season for the MCC men's basketball team, said he chose UCCS over Colorado State-Pueblo, Dakota Wesleyan, Sioux Falls University and Mayville State.

"I wanted to be close to home in Colorado Springs with family and friends," said Napoleon, who plans to major in elementary education with a goal of going into dentistry. He carries a 3.0 GPA.

Napoleon said he will play the 3 (small forward) and 4 (power forward) spots for the Mountain Lions, who play in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and posted a 16-12 record.

"They lost a couple players, including their leading scorer Patrick Hannaway," Napoleon said. "They've got some big men coming in and a guard from Texas. We should be pretty good."

Napoleon said playing at MCC for Ty Orton prepared him for the opportunity both mentally and physically.

"I learned a lot on and off court -- I learned how to be a man. It was a blessing to come here and play for two years."

Wamsley chose Hastings College over offers from CSU-Pueblo and Dickinson State. He carries a 3.67 GPA and plans to major in business management.

Hastings College's business management program was what tipped the scales in the Broncos' favor.

Wamsley said he will play the 4-spot (power forward) for the Broncos, who will lose two seniors to graduation, including guard Krae Dutoit, a McCook High School alumnus.

"They just had good people," Wamsley said. "The connections (former MCC coach Creech, his brother playing there) helped. The experience and competition level at MCC are obviously going to help."

Creech said Wamsley should be able to help the Broncos right away.

"With the loss of a power forward to graduation, this gives us a chance for Kyle to step in and play right away inside. We'll lose eight seniors next year and that's part of the decision.

"Kyle solidifies the post for two years. This area's been good to us. We've recruited a lot of good players from Southwest Nebraska."

Ty Orton said both Napoleon and Wamsley were solid contributors to the MCC men's basketball program for two seasons.

"Kyle was an All-Conference player for two years," Orton said. "He just worked his tail off. You knew what you were going to get from Kyle -- he was going to rebound and play hard. I was fortunate enough to have the Wamsleys for five years -- great family.

"Clint has been a great athlete and a great kid. He does everything you ask. He will be playing for a great coach (Russ Caton) and he's going to be around his family. This is something big for him. He's going to be a good player for coach Caton. We were blessed to coach these kids."

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