Women's Basketball Commit (2015) - West Branch's Melinda Trimmer

[ysuindy]

Saw some Twitter mentions over the weekend and today's Alliance Review has a story that is behind the pay wall but the headline confirms that West Branch junior Melinda Trimmer has committed to Coach Barnes and the Penguins.

First team All District and Special Mention All State and Northeast Buckeye Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore

http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1959350106/NBC-Girls-Basketball-Player-of-the-Year-West-Branchs-Melinda-Trimmer

Melinda Trimmer, West Branch
THE NUMBERS  Trimmer led the Warriors in scoring (16.5), assists (7.3) and free throw percentage (77.6) for the second straight regular season. She also led the team in steals (2.3). She also shot 42.1 percent from 3-point range (going 40-of-95) and grabbed 3.7 rebounds per game. In the class room, Trimmer carries a 4.0 GPA.

WHAT SHE DOES  A do-it all point guard, she helped lead the Warriors to an NBC title and a spot in the Division II district finals. The Warriors finished 23-3 this year, with Trimmer becoming a two-time first team All-NBC pick.

WHAT HER COACH SAYS “She creates a lot on offense and defense to help our team win. It is hard for us to take her out of a game. ... She makes the other players around her better.” — West

[Wick250]

So she is just starting her junior season.  Correct?  Have we ever had any girl commit this early to our program?  Barnes is really impressing me.  This is premature and it might blow up in our face, but there is a distinct possibility that Boldon did us a big favor.

[ValleyTalk]

Barnes is also recruiting Ursuline sophomore Tanya Beachum. Been told by some she may be better than Courtney Davidson (Michigan State, now YSU azzt) and Tyra Grant (Penn State). Unlike those two guards, Beachum is a monster down low that reminds me a lot like Brandi Brown. Having Davidson on the staff, her former head coach, helps us here too.

Great pickup in Trimmer. She sounds like a fantastic addition to the program and sounds like the type of recruit Barnes would have came across at UWGB.

Excited to see him coach.

[ysuindy]

So she is just starting her junior season.  Correct?  Have we ever had any girl commit this early to our program?  Barnes is really impressing me.  This is premature and it might blow up in our face, but there is a distinct possibility that Boldon did us a big favor.

Yes a junior.

Wick, I don't recall any basketball (women's or men's) or even football committing this early to YSU. 

Of course an early commit may really blow up ( in a good way) on the court and end up heading elsewhere.  Happened here in Indiana with a kid who committed last Spring to Indiana State, had a great Summer ball season and is now committed to Morthwestern.
 

[Wick250]

Indy,

Very true, and you figure this young lady must be very good to receive our early offer.  No guarantees but I think that girls and their families keep commitments more often than boys. 

There is a brief article in today's Vindy about Barnes appearance at the Curbstone Coaches.  Don't know if it is online.  If not, here is a brief summary:

Barnes praised Ed DiGregorio and called him a great mentor.  He wants to reestablish Ed's pattern of recruiting locally and in the region.

Barnes dislikes recruiting jucos and transfers.  Wants freshmen that he can develop over four years.

That is certainly just what I want to hear as we climb out of the pit created by the Hill travesty.

[ysuindy]

Wick - the story is on-line and I read it this morning.  Liked what I read. 

I have no idea how Barnes is going to work out, but taking an assistant coach from the top program in the League seems smart to me.  I think we would all be happy to develop a program like UWGB, which is a lot like the program we used to have here. 

Barnes seeking the counsel of Coach D is smart on lots of levels.

[Spiderlegs]

All early signs indicate that Barnes is a better and more aggressive recruiter than Boldon, and Boldon was not shabby by any means. Barnes has a way with the girls and their families, and he seems to share Boldon's gift for finding talent in small Midwestern communities not visited by the big-time D-I recruiters.