Loralyn Murdoch has secured some much-needed size from south of the border.
On Monday, the head coach of the UNBC Northern Timberwolves women's basketball team received a commitment from Kellie Fluit, a five-foot-11 post player from Lynden, Wash. Fluit, who becomes the first American recruit in the history of UNBC women's basketball, will help ease the loss of graduated post players Erin Beckett and Maria Neumann.
"I'm hoping that this is a start to filling those holes," Murdoch said. "The fact that she's got some experience and she's had good coaching and she seems to fit the mould academically, I think it's all a positive thing for the program moving forward."
Fluit, a graduate of Lynden High School, has already played two years of college ball. She spent her first year with the Wenatchee Community College Knights and played this past season for the Whatcom Community College Orcas. By the end of the year with the Orcas, she was averaging 10 points and six rebounds per game. She's a strong positional player who has a nice touch around the bucket.
"I shoot about 50 per cent off my jumper," she said. "I'm not the fastest player or the tallest player but I'm considered a smart player with a lot of experience."
For the 2012-13 season, Fluit was considering staying close to home and suiting up for Northwest University, an NAIA school in Kirkland, Wash. But, a brief visit to UNBC earlier this month and a court session with some of the current Timberwolves convinced her to take her basketball and educational pursuits north.
"The coach I really liked and the girls seemed really awesome and seem like really good ball players," she said. "The campus is beautiful and the educational programming I hear is very good up there."
Academically, Fluit will continue to work toward a bachelor of arts degree. Eventually, she wants to become an elementary school teacher.
When Fluit was on the Northern Sport Centre hardwood with the T-wolves, she and veteran guard Mercedes Van Koughnett developed near-instant chemistry.
"They played very, very well together," Murdoch said. "They're similar in the fact that they understand the game and know the game."
Fluit also showed she doesn't back down when challenged physically.
"She matched up with Emily Kaehn and at the end of the evening they were both exhausted and bruised," Murdoch said. "So that's a huge bonus for me to have someone who's going to be as physical rebounding-wise as Emily. [Fluit] is not a big player but she plays big so that's really nice to see."
The Timberwolves, who spent 13 seasons in the B.C. college league, are preparing for their first year in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association.
