Marija Zinic, a 6-foot-2 forward from Serbia, has signed a national letter of intent to play women’s basketball at Kansas University.
“Marija is a skilled post player who will give us added depth and will be a nice complement to the post players we have returning,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
Zinic will play this summer for the Serbia & Montenegro Junior National Team with fellow KU signee Ivana Catic before joining the Jayhawks in August.
“She has great international experience, which will be an asset,” Henrickson said.
Zinic posted averages of 10 points and six rebounds during the qualifying rounds of the under-18 European Championships in 2004.
She is the fifth member of Henrickson’s signing class.
The others are Catic, a 5-8 point guard; Jennifer Orgas, a 6-2 forward from Omaha, Neb.; Shaquina Mosley, a 5-6 point guard from Central Arizona CC; and Sophronia Sallard, a 5-10 forward from Syracuse, N.Y.
With 10 players on this year’s roster, the Kansas University women’s basketball team will need some help next year.
Coach Bonnie Henrickson has taken the first step.
Henrickson announced Wednesday the signing of two recruits to national letters of intent: point guard Ivana Catic of Serbia and Montenegro, and forward Jen Orgas of Omaha, Neb.
“We’re thrilled,” Henrickson said. “The two most critical needs for us right now are at point and in the post.”
Orgas, a 6-foot-2 forward, was recruited hard by other Big 12 Conference schools and caught the eye of Henrickson during an offseason tournament shortly after Henrickson’s arrival at KU in March. Orgas gave her oral commitment soon after and attended Late Night in the Phog last month.
Catic attended Late Night, too, though she hadn’t yet committed. The 5-foot-8 guard, who will play at Mount deChantal Academy in Wheeling, W.Va., gave her word to Henrickson soon after.
“She loved it,” Henrickson said. “That’s the atmosphere and love of basketball that she was looking for.”
The Jayhawks are anticipating the signing of two more recruits in the next week and plan to keep their eyes open for players to sign during the spring signing period.
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Volleyball signs two: KU volleyball coach Ray Bechard also signed a pair of players Wednesday, including a highly touted setter out of Kansas power Roeland Park Miege.
Katie Martincich, a 5-10 setter from Shawnee, signed with KU after a decorated career during which she led Miege to three straight Class 5A titles. Bechard said Martincich was “the top setter prospect in this part of the country.”
KU also signed 6-2 middle blocker/outside hitter Savannah Noyes, who earned Nebraska Super State status at Indianola (Neb.) Southwest High.
Kansas University women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson has felt the power of “Late Night in the Phog.”
Three recruits attended the event Oct. 15, and two have committed orally to play for the Jayhawks next year.
The most recent pledge is Ivana Catic, a 5-foot-8 point guard originally from Serbia.
Jen Orgas, a 6-2 forward from Omaha, Neb., already had committed.
It also has been reported that Sophronia Sallard of Syracuse, N.Y., and Shaquina Mosley of Lancaster, Calif., have committed to KU.
Sallard is a 5-10 high school senior; Mosley is a sophomore point guard at Central Arizona Community College.
Kansas University women’s basketball signee Tamara Ransburg is back on the roster. Ransburg, a 6-foot-4 forward from Virginia Beach, Va., averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds as a high school senior last season. She signed with the Jayhawks, but was not listed on the preseason roster until Monday.
KU coach Marian Washington said Ransburg has met eligibility requirements and will begin practicing with the Jayhawks today. She will be eligible when Kansas plays its first exhibition game on Nov. 13.
The Kansas University women’s basketball team will be conducting walk-on tryouts from 6-8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, and from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15 in the Horesji Center. Any Kansas University female full-time student is welcome.
Interested women should stop by the women’s basketball office, 280 Parrott Center, with proof of insurance and a physical that is no more than one year old. For more information, call 864-4938.
November
6 Houston Jaguars (exhibition), 7:05 p.m.
10 Fort Hays State (exhibition.), 2:05 p.m.
16 Grambling State, 7:05 p.m.
20 at Creighton, 7 p.m.
23 Kansas vs. Hampton, 2:30 p.m., at San Juan Shootout, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
24 TBA at San Juan Shootout
25 TBA at San Juan Shootout
30 vs. Alabama State, KU Credit Union Jayhawk Classic, 7:05 p.m.
December
1 Oregon or St. John’s in KU Credit Union Jayhawk Classic, 5 p.m. or 7 p.m.
5 at Arizona State, 8 p.m.
8 Weber State, 2:05 p.m.
13 Wichita State, 7:05 p.m.
22 at Saint Louis, 2 p.m.
28 Georgetown at St. Joseph’s Classic, Philadelphia, 4 p.m.
29 St. Joseph’s Classic Philadelphia
January
2 at Texas Tech, 7 p.m.
5 Texas A&M, 2:05 p.m.
9 at Baylor, 7 p.m.
12 Missouri, 1 p.m. (FOX)
16 Colorado, 7:05 p.m.
19 at Nebraska, 7:05 p.m.
23 at Kansas State, 7 p.m.
26 Oklahoma State, 2:05 p.m.
29 at Colorado, 8 p.m.
February
2 at Oklahoma, 1 p.m. (FOX)
6 Iowa State, 7:05 p.m.
9 at Missouri, 3 p.m.
13 Nebraska, 7:05 p.m.
17 Kansas State, 3:05 p.m.
23 at Iowa State, 7 p.m.
26 Texas, 7:05 p.m.
March
5-9 Big 12 Tournament, Kansas City, Mo.
Roster
2 Sharonnpencer, 6-0, Soph., F, Los Angeles, Calif.
3 Blair Waltz, 6-2, Fr. G/F, Leawood.
4 Kristin Geoffroy, 6-6, Sr., C, Los Alamitos, Calif.
11 KC Hilgenkamp , 5-10, Sr. G, Arlington, Neb.
12 Katie Hannon, 6-2, Sr, G/F, Rochester, N.Y.
13 Keila Beachem, 6-0, So., F, Chicago, Ill.
14 Valerie Migicovsky, 6-4, Fr., F, North Bay, Ontario.
21 Leila Meng6, So., G, Stockholm, Sweden.
22 Selena Scott, 5-5, Sr., G, Austin, Texas.
24 Chelsey Thompson, 5-10, Fr., G-F, Louisville, Ky.
33 Nikki White, 6-3, Sr., F-C, Memphis, Tenn.
34 Brandi McGinest, 5-10, Fr., G-F, Long Beach, Calif.
