LCSC women’s basketball team signs guard DePeel from CBCC

05-19-08

Nikki DePeel, who played guard the past two seasons at Columbia Basin Community College in Pasco, Wash., has signed a letter-of-intent to play for the Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball team next season, LCSC coach Brian Orr has announced. 

DePeel, a 5-foot-6 product of West Richland, Wash., earned several honors at both Hanford High and Columbia Basin.  

"We are extremely happy that Nikki has decided to join our basketball program,” Orr says. “The fact that she can play either point guard or shooting guard makes her an important piece to next year's roster. She is hard to defend because she is an excellent 3-point shooter but she also has the ability to get to the basket off the dribble. She is a tremendous competitor and one of those special players who has the ability to make big plays in big games. Nikki has earned several accolades throughout her career but one of her biggest attributes is her commitment to continue to get better every year and she is all about winning."  

DePeel is coming off an impressive two seasons at CBCC where she was a First Team all-Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Eastern Region selection both seasons and earned the region’s MVP honor this past year. She also was the MVP of the NWAACC Tournament and was chosen the Most Inspirational at the 2007 Tournament. 

This past season, DePeel shot 47.5 percent from the field (134-of-282) and 43.6 percent at the 3-point line (51-117). She led her team in scoring at 13.2 points per game, 3-pointers, steals (66) and minutes played. She finished second on the team in assists (80) and in free-throw shooting (77.6 percent). She also averaged 1.2 points per shot attempt. 

CBCC finished 28-3 overall this season with a perfect 15-0 mark in conference play. The 28 wins set a school record and the team finished with a 16-game win streak. 

In high school, DePeel was a four-year varsity letterwinner in basketball and earned First Team Mid-Valley League honors as a junior and a senior after earning second team honors as a sophomore. DePeel also served as captain all thee years. She was selected to play in the Washington All-State Game her senior year for the 3A/4A classifications, and also played in the Tri-City/Yakima area Media Classic Game. 

During her senior season, she was the Tri-City Herald’s All-Area MVP and also was an honorable mention all-state selection. She made the all-tournament team as a junior at the End of the Trail Tournament in Oregon City, Ore. She finished her high school career with more than 1,000 points. 

During high school, she shot 43.9 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from the 3-point line, 79.7 percent from the foul line, and averaged 12.8 points per game. 

DePeel, who is the daughter of Mike and Kelli DePeel, plans to major in Business at LCSC. 

DePeel is the fifth recruit, and first non freshman, signed by the LCSC coaching staff for next season.

The Warriors lost four seniors from last year’s squad, which posted a 29-5 record and won both the Frontier Conference regular season and tournament titles. The Warriors were seeded ninth at the national tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight round. The Warriors have had 17 straight seasons of 20-plus victories and have qualified for the NAIA National Tournament 12 times in the last 13 years.