ELLENSBURG (May 26) -- Two high school seniors from the east side of the state of Washington, including hometown product
Deaira Gordon, have been declared their intentions to continue their basketball careers at Central Washington University, head coach
Jeff Whitney announced.
Gordon, from Ellensburg, and
Daisy Burke from Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane will both join the CWU women's basketball program for the 2010-11 season as true freshmen.
Gordon, a 5-foot-11 forward, helped lead Ellensburg High School to four Class 2A state trophies and was a first-team all-state forward as a senior for the Bulldogs. She was a two-time all-Central Washington Athletic Conference (CWAC) selection who averaged 16.9 points per game as a senior for Ellensburg, which finished fourth at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Class 2A state tournament in March 2010. The Bulldogs also earned second-, fifth-, and seventh-place finishes at the state tournament over the course of Gordon's career.
“Deaira's ability to score both inside and out is what drew our attention to her early in the recruiting process,” Whitney explained. “We later discovered that she is a very well-rounded player on both ends of the floor, has great court awareness, and is an extremely good passer.”
“Deaira is a key component to our incoming freshman class,” Whitney continued. “She comes from a winning program, and the experience of being associated with winning programs was an overall key to our recruitment this off-season.”
Gordon finished her four-year Bulldog career with 1,221 points and with a total of three all-conference selections. She was a second-team all-CWAC choice as a sophomore before collecting first-team honors during her final two seasons at EHS.
Once she sees action for the Wildcats, Gordon will become the first former Ellensburg player to appear in a CWU women's basketball contest since Missy Thompson averaged 9.2 points per game during the 1992-93 season.
Burke, 5-foot-7, was a four-year letter winner at Lewis and Clark, helping the Tigers to state tournaments in each of her four seasons. LC won the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Class 4A state title during Burke's first two seasons, while placing fifth during her junior campaign. The Tigers qualified, but did not place, during the 2010 season.
“Daisy comes from one of the more successful HS programs in the state, especially over the past five years,” Whitney said. “She was involved with the two state titles, and she also played on one of the top AAU teams (the Northwest Blazers).
“Daisy's mental toughness and her intensity are the things that attracted us to her in her recruitment to Central. She has all the skills necessary to be a solid point guard in the GNAC and at the Division II level.”
As a prep, Burke earned honorable mention all-Greater Spokane League honors while averaging 10 points, four rebounds, and six assists per game for Lewis and Clark.
Gordon and Burke are the second and third prep players from the east side of Washington State to announce plans to join the Wildcats. Moxee native Annie Martinez, a center from East Valley High School, inked a National Letter of Intent with CWU among three signees during the early signing period in November 2009.
