Your future, our focus
Greybull’s Wright, Colorado’s Turner Join Lady Trappers
Northwest College women’s basketball team is looking to put a strong defensive front on the court next season with the signing of two defensive-minded recruits. Kendall Wright from Greybull and Raquel Turner from Aurora, Colorado, were early recruits for NWC head coach Camden Levett — and he’s excited for what each will bring to the program.
“Those are two really athletic guards that will create offense with their defense for us. They just get after it. They understand the game,” Levett said of Wright and Turner. “They have different styles of play, but both of them got up and pressed a little bit last year from watching them play. That’s something we want to do again this year. Both of them are elite defenders.”
KENDALL WRIGHT
Wright brings an impressive prep resume to the Lady Trappers, having been named the Wyoming 2A Player of the Year. A three-sport athlete in high school, Wright also excelled on the volleyball court and the soccer pitch for the Lady Buffaloes.
Wright began playing basketball in the first grade for a club team in Billings. She and her family moved to Greybull when she was in the fifth grade, where she began playing travel ball on a team coached by her dad.
“Ever since I can remember, I was always playing basketball,” she said. Wright had originally planned on going to Sheridan College to play soccer and basketball, but Levett was able to sway her into wearing Trapper red this season.
“I first saw Kendall [Wright] at an elite camp at Montana State last summer, and I followed her senior year very closely,” Levett said, adding, “The thing about Kendall is she had played a lot of sports at Greybull and excelled in all of them, so I pitched her hard on just focusing on basketball. I’m glad she chose basketball, because she had offers for different sports at different schools.”
For her part, Wright said she felt an instant connection with Levett and his style of coaching.
“Signing with NWC just seemed like a better fit for me,” she said. “Playing at NWC is going to be way more competitive than anything I’ve ever played before, and that’s a challenge I’m excited about. And I’m excited to play with the other girls on the team, I love the ones I’ve met so far.”
Levett said Wright is a versatile player who can play a variety of positions.
“I think Kendall is a kid that play one through three for us,” he said. “She understands the game — she knows when she needs to go score it and when to get teammates involved.”
The addition of Wright will bring the number of Big Horn Basin products on the Lady Trappers to three. Powell native Aubrie Stenerson has also signed at NWC — and they’ll both join former Lovell Lady Bulldog Mikkel McIntosh, who is returning to the Lady Trappers for her sophomore season.
Levett has made a point to recruit locally when he can, and vows to continue to do so.
“I think getting girls from the area is huge for us,” he said. “I try to get the best of the best from the inside out. I start recruiting close, and then branch out from there, and we were able to do that this year. And I’m not just taking kids that are close — these are All- State basketball players. And they’re going to fit our system well and what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s a cool environment we’re building here.”
RAQUEL TURNER
Turner was another early recruit for Levett, joining the Lady Trappers from Eaglecrest High School in Aurora, Colorado. It’s a school that boasts an enrollment of over 2,500 students.
Turner began playing basketball in the second grade and was a four-year varsity player for the Raptors in Aurora. She earned All-Centennial League honors her senior year, averaging 7.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Turner finished her prep career with over 700 career points and played in the A-Town All-Star Game twice.
Turner heard about NWC through her high school coach, and decided to visit the campus at Levett’s invitation. The point guard said she really enjoyed the community support she saw for the Lady Trappers, as well as Levett’s commitment to academics as well as athletics.
“I came for a visit in November, and then I just stayed in contact with Coach Cam after that,” she said. “I liked him as a coach because he puts academics first, and that’s really important.”
With Turner playing varsity for four years at the “huge” basketball program in Aurora, “I think that says a lot about her work ethic and her ability as a basketball player,” Levett said.
“She’s been guarding girls for four years who are now DI players. I think she’ll be another elite defender for us.” Coming from a larger program, Levett said he expects Turner to make an immediate impact.
“I don’t think it will be a big jump for her coming to the college ranks,” he said. “She’s very unselfish, and I see her leading our press this year, getting teammates involved.”
Turner admits to being nervous about being so far from home next year, as she and her family are very close.
“I think it’s going to be a bit of an adjustment, but I’m excited for this new journey,” she said. “I’m really nervous, but I think it will be good.”
There will be one familiar face when Turner begins classes in the fall: She and fellow recruit Samiyah Worrell played against one another in high school.
“I played against Samiyah my junior and senior year, I think we played three times,” Turner said. “We’re going to room together, so I’m pretty excited for that.”