ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul head women's basketball coach Amanda Johnson has announced the signing of four new Golden Bears, including Shawna Mell, Makayla Johnson, Alyssa Daugherty, and Jadyn Hanson.
The Golden Bears will graduate five players at the end of the 2018-19 year, all of which have averaged over 18 minutes per game through CSP's 4-1 start to the season.
SHAWNA MELL (F, 5-11, Fr., Rush City, MN / Rush City HS)
Rush City High School: Lettered four times in basketball, four times in volleyball, and once in track and field for the Tigers … named an All-Conference selection three times in basketball, three times in volleyball, and once in track and field (honorable mention) … also awarded All-Subsection honors twice and Great River Conference MVP once … averaged 15.2 pppg, 8.2 rpg for the Tigers and helped lead them to a 87-13 record in her time on the varsity team … also a member of the wind ensemble, pep band, jazz band, math league, NHS, Elementary mentoring, and the A-Honor Roll.
Personal: Plans to major in elementary education at Concordia with minors in spanish/math/coaching … has aspirations of attending graduate school after her time at CSP … her father, Craig, played basketball at UW-River Falls from 1990-1994.
Coach Johnson on Mell: "Shawna is a solid forward who has great basketball IQ and takes pride in her defense and rebounding. She is a physical, hardworking kid who really loves the game of basketball and it shows by how hard she plays when she is out on the basketball court. She will be a coachable player who I know will be willingly to do whatever is asked of her while she is a player at Concordia."
MAKAYLA JOHNSON (C, 6-0, Fr., Champlin, MN / Champlin Park HS)
Champlin Park High School: Received letters in basketball, diving, and academics for the Rebels, breaking diving records for Champlin Park … involved in NHS and FCA in high school.
Personal: Plans on majoring in nursing with a minor in education at Concordia … aspires to become a postpartum nurse or work in a NICU … her late father Dontae Johnson played basketball as a power forward for Mankato State from 1996-2000.
Coach Johnson on Johnson: "Makayla is an athletic post player with great size. She has a strong competitive attitude that has been so much fun to watch. She has a high ceiling for how good she can be and I am really looking forward to working with her as her post coach next year."
ALYSSA DAUGHERTY (G, 5-8, Fr., Zimmerman, MN / Zimmerman HS)
Zimmerman High School: Lettered five times in basketball and three times in volleyball for the Thunder … named to the Granite Ridge All-Conference team three times and was recognized once as the conference MVP … named to the All-Conference academic team five times … also named an All-State honorable mention … ranks as Zimmerman's all-time leading scorer with 1,933 points through her junior season, averaging 21.8 points per game … has also racked up 417 rebounds, 364 assists, and 357 steals in her high school career … has shot 47% from the floor and 75% from the free-throw line for the Thunder … part of a Zimmerman team that was conference champs and section runners-up in 2016-17 and 2017-18 … also involved in NJHS and NHS.
Personal: Plans to pursue a pre-dental path at CSP with a minor in biology and aspires to be an orthodontist … has an older sister and a younger brother.
Coach Johnson on Daugherty: "Alyssa is quick combo guard who is a major threat offensively. She not only can shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor, but with her quickness she is able to also get to the rim and finish well at the basket. I love that we are able to use her at either the 1 or 2 position."
JADYN HANSON (G, 5-6, Fr., St. Michael, MN / St. Michael-Albertville HS
St. Michael-Albertville High School: A four-time letter winner for the Knights … an All-Conference selection in the Mississippi 8 conference in her sophomore and junior year … named an All-State player after her junior season … averaged 13.8 points per game for the Knights and led the team in steals in her junior campaign … part of the program that was the Mississippi 8 conference champs in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
Personal: Plans to major in business management and minor in sport management at CSP … has an older brother and sister.
Coach Johnson on Hanson: "Jadyn is a quick point guard who is a great ball handler and sees the floor extremely well. She is aggressive on both ends of the floor by offensively being able to create and attack the basket, and defensively taking pride in locking down her player. Jadyn has the ability to come in as a freshman and make a big impact at the point guard position right away."
