Huskers Add Junior College Standout

Lincoln - The Nebraska women’s basketball team has received a National Letter-of-Intent from Dodge City Community College standout Elena Diaz to play for the Huskers starting in the 2004-05 season.

Diaz, a 6-1 forward from Medellin, Colombia, becomes one of five junior college players and one of five international players joining Nebraska’s team next season. The Huskers’ seven-player 2004 recruiting class also includes a pair of high school standouts.

Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said Diaz’s athleticism would help her contribute to the Huskers’ inside game next season, while complementing the six other players the Huskers signed during the early period in November.

"Elena had a very good sophomore year. She will bring good athleticism to our program, and she is a gym rat and has a strong desire to get better," Yori said. "We’re going to have a lot more competition for playing time next year with the addition of seven newcomers. At nearly every position, playing time is going to be up in the air, so we expect that a lot of our upcoming season is going to be influenced by what our players do in the offseason."

Diaz, who averaged 14.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 49 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free throw line in 2003-04, starred for the Lady Conquistadors the past two seasons. She helped Dodge City to the 2004 NJCAA Region VI final and led all players in the tournament by averaging 11.3 rebounds per game. She also ranked fifth in the tournament in scoring with 17.3 points per game to earn a spot on the Region VI All-Tournament team. She added two blocks, two steals and two assists per game in Dodge City’s three Region VI Tournament games.

Diaz led Dodge City past Colby CC in the Region VI semifinal game by scoring a team-high 19 points. In the Lady Conquistadors’ Region VI quarterfinal win over Coffeyville, Diaz led all scorers with 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds.

Dodge City finished the season with a school record 26 wins against just eight losses, and Diaz claimed first-team all-region honors, along with first-team All-Jayhawk West Conference accolades for Coach Jim Turgeon.

Diaz added second-team All-Jayhawk West honors as a freshman in 2003, helping the Lady Conquistadors tie the previous school record for single-season victories with 22.