It came down to her visits to Pittsburg State and Washburn, and Lindy Arndt went for the opportunity to be part of a consistent winner, just as she was in high school.
Arndt — the player whom Emporia High coach Bill Nienstedt calls the best he’s had in his nine years at EHS — signed to play basketball at Washburn on Monday in front of a large gathering of friends and faculty in the EHS library.
“Everyone knows what they have,” Arndt said. “A good program and a winning history, and good coaches, good players. I’m just excited, because they do have a good program up there, and I think it’s one that I’ll fit well into.”
The 5-foot-11 small forward completed a superb high school career with a season that earned her a second straight All-Centennial League first team selection and first team All-Class 5A honors. Arndt averaged a team-leading 13.1 points per game and shot 52.7 percent from the floor, and she was once again Emporia’s leader at the defensive end of the floor. Bringing the athletic ability and size to guard any position as needed, she was selected to the Centennial All-Defensive squad for the third straight year. Emporia finished 18-4 this season.
Arndt visited Pitt State a few weeks ago, then took a visit to Washburn the following week.
“After my visit to Washburn, Washburn felt more like home,” she said. “It’s a place that I could see me living in the next couple of years, maybe living there after college, and it just felt more comfortable there.”
Right before Arndt signed, Nienstedt lauded her as an athlete, as a basketball player and as a person, and made a bold assertion; though he’s coached other fine players, such as recent Division I signee Sadie Webb, he called Arndt the best he’s had at EHS.
“I really firmly believe that,” Nienstedt said. “She’s clearly the best defender I’ve ever been around, because she can guard the other team’s point guard, their shooting guard, their post player. She’s just so good, so solid defensively. And then she developed her offensive skills, got better every year.
“I’ve been lucky; I’ve coached a lot of good players, but never coached one better than her.”
Before Emporia State stole the local women’s basketball spotlight with its National championship run, Washburn won this year’s MIAA regular season championship, eventually finishing 27-4 on the year. Coach Ron McHenry’s team won the National title in 2005, and the Lady Blues have won six of the past eight MIAA regular-season and tournament championships.
“I think she’s got a chance to be a very important part of their team because she’s such a good defender, first of all,” Nienstedt said. “I think she’ll need to improve her offensive skills some, but I think they’re getting probably a better player than they even realize they’re getting.”
cheese (anonymous) says...
Why is ESU letting this player leave Emporia??
May 4, 2010 at 1:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )