Grace Women’s Basketball: Lancers Add Four Recruits
WINONA LAKE – Grace College women’s basketball coach Scott Blum has announced the signing of four players for the 2016-17 season.
The quartet of Vironnica Drake (Marion HS), Myriah Hoffman (St. Vincent-St. Mary, Ohio), Brooke Treadway (Northwestern) and Broghan Gamble (Portage Central, Michigan) join Rachel Montgomery in the 2016 class.
Drake was the 2016 Chronicle-Tribune Player of the Year after producing 20.1 points per game as a senior. She tallied 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 4.0 steals per game during her final season, helping the Lady Giants to a 21-4 record.
“I believe being at Grace College will strengthen my faith in God and provide me with a great education and chance to play college basketball,” Drake said. “I’m excited to join my teammates and help us play basketball at a high level.”
Drake, who was an All-Conference and All-County honoree, helped Marion to a tournament championship in the North Central Conference. She scored in double figures in every game and had a stretch of 20 or more points in seven consecutive contests. Overall, she had 17 games of at least 20 points.
She was invited to the Hoosier Basketball Magazine’s Top 60 workout and was named honorable mention for the AP All-State Team and to the IBCA Senior All-State Team.
“Vironnica [Drake] is going to make an immediate impact in our program. God has gifted her with tremendous talent, and she has the desire and ability to make others better as well,” said Blum. “She brings a winning mentality to our program, and I look forward to seeing how the Lord will use her on and off the court at Grace.”
Hoffman is a versatile 5-foot-7 player from famed St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio) High School, home of LeBron James.
Hoffman was honorable mention for All-Conference recognition in the Suburban League. She also played volleyball for two seasons as a middle hitter and was honorable mention All-League.
“I chose Grace College because of the Christian atmosphere and the family-oriented basketball team,” Hoffman said. “I am excited to start my journey and give my best effort to help the team.”
Hoffman excelled in the classroom, earning Merit Roll status as a freshman and senior and Honor Roll as a junior.
“Myriah [Hoffman] could be a sleeper that nobody knows about. I believe the ceiling is high for Myriah, and we look forward to seeing how she fits into our program,” said Blum. “Myriah can score in many different ways. She comes from a great program that expects 100 percent effort and has a mindset of winning. We are excited to see what the Lord has for Myriah and our Lady Lancer family.”
Treadway is a 5-foot-11 post player from Northwestern. She is the third Treadway sibling to represent the Lancers, joining brother Jared (basketball) and sister Hannah (track/field).
Treadway was a three-sport standout for Northwestern. She was a three-time All-Conference post player, graduating with the school’s record for career rebounds. She also won the area’s rebounding award. After her senior season, she was named honorable mention for AP All-State and IBCA All-State and was invited to the Hoosier Basketball Magazine’s Top 60 workout.
She graduated with over 800 points and 800 rebounds. She holds the school record for career rebounds (815), single-season rebounds (271) and single-game rebounds (25). She also recorded a program-record 10 steals in a game.
“I love the atmosphere at Grace College. I wanted to go somewhere where I would grow spiritually,” Treadway said. “I’m ready to develop my skills under Coach Blum and be a good team player.”
Treadway was an All-Conference midfielder on the school’s soccer team. She also qualified for regionals three times on Northwestern’s track/field squad.
“Brooke [Treadway] is going to be a great addition to our program at Grace. She comes from a great Christian family that has basketball in the DNA,” said Blum. “Brooke will add some post presence for us and with time can be very good in the Crossroads League.”
Gamble is a dynamic guard from Portage Central (Mich.). She was honorable mention for All-Conference recognition and served as the team’s captain as a senior.
She produced eight points and three assists per game as a senior, including a single-game high of 23 points. She was named to several All-Tournament Teams and was invited to participate in the America Tour Travel Team in Europe.
“I chose Grace because of the Christ-centered environment and family atmosphere,” Gamble said. “I have no doubt that I will mature into a God-fearing woman, and I believe that Grace will provide me with the education I need to succeed later in life.”
Gamble was on the academic honor roll all four years of high school. She was a member of the National Honor Society and attended the National Congress of Future Scientists and Technologists.
“We are excited to have Broghan [Gamble] join our family. She is a hard worker who will do whatever it takes to get better,” said Blum. “She will provide us with another athletic guard who can shoot from the outside and defend. We look forward to seeing what the Lord has for her in the next four years.”