Rock Valley College Athletics

Game Preview: #3 Golden Eagles Host Waubonsee

12/15/2016 8:22:00 AM

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Rockford, IL - RVC Women's Basketball looks to extend its winning streak to 10 games. The Golden Eagles host NJCAA DII Waubonsee Community College (Sugar Grove, IL) at 5:30 PM in the Physical Education Center as part of a double-header. RVC Men's Basketball takes on Waubonsee at 7:30 PM.

Probable Starters

#3 NJCAA DIII Rock Valley College (9-2)
PG- Chrisseesha Clark, 5'5, So., Rockford, IL; 6.8 ppg, 4.1 apg
SG- Jaycee Cleaver, 5'8, So., Davis, IL; 15.4 ppg, 4.4 apg
G- Breeanda Howell, 5'9, So., Chicago, IL; 2.3 ppg, 2.0 apg
PF- Anastasia Karaivanova, 6'0, Fr., Bulgaria; 5.0 ppg, 6.3  rpg
C- Tierra McGowan, 6'4, So., Chicago, IL; 18.3 ppg, 13.2 rpg
 
Waubonsee Community College (5-7)
G- Lauren Goff, 5'4, Fr., Sycamore, IL; 11.1 ppg, 4.0 apg
G- Aynia McGowen, 5'5, Fr., Montgomery, IL; 4.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg
F-  Taseandra Parker, 5'4, So., Aurora, IL; 6.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg
F- Alexis VanWyhe, 5'9., Fr, Waterman, IL; 12.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg
F- Mozelle Kempiak, 5'11, Fr., Marseilles, IL; 11.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg

Game Notes
Rock Valley is an NJCAA Division III member of the North Central Community College Conference (N4C)… In the second NJCAA DIII Poll released on December 13th, the Golden Eagles checked in at #3 nationally moving up one spot from the first poll… The Golden Eagles are on a 9-game winning streak entering Thursday's game with Waubonsee... The last RVC victory was Tuesday, December 13 against NJCAA DI Kennedy-King Community College... The Golden Eagles were led by sophomore captains Tierra McGowan with 25 points, Chrisseesha Clark with 16 points, and Jaycee Cleaver with 15 points.

Waubonsee Notes
Waubonsee Community College is a NJCAA DII institution located Sugar Grove, IL... Waubonsee is entering this game with a 5-7 record... Jim Sury is in his third season leading Waubonsee's program after a pair record-setting campaigns... Last season, Sury guided the Chiefs to an undefeated Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) title with two-time NJCAA All-American and ISCC Player of the Year Julianna Wadsworth leading the way... Waubonsee went on to capture the Region IV crown for the second consecutive year, setting a school record with 18 consecutive victories and wins in a season with 27... Paced by point guard Coriesha Bailey, who led the nation with a school-record 241 assists, Waubonsee finished 11^th at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament... In his first season at the helm, Sury helped lead the Chiefs to the Region IV title for the first time ever and a berth in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament, where unranked Waubonsee also placed 11^th in the nation... Sury was named the Region IV Division II Coach of the Year and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Juco Coach of the Year each of the last two seasons, along with the ISCC's Coach of the Year last season.  



Misty Opat is in her 8th year as the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Rock Valley College. Opat has established her program as one of the best in the history of the NJCAA. Her program has won three NJCAA DIII National Championships (2012, 2013, 2015) in the past four seasons and finished in National Runner-Up in 2014. Entering this season, Opat has compiled an overall record of 183-56 (.763). She was named Spalding NJCAA DIII National Coach of the Year in 2015, has been named the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year four times, the Region IV Coach of the Year four times, the District 2 Coach of the Year four times, and the Coach of the NJCAA DIII National Tournament three times. Prior to RVC, Opat accumulated seven years of NCAA Division I coaching experience. From 1999-2002 she served as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago where she also served as the Recruiting Coordinator. In 2000 her UIC recruiting class was ranked 19th in the country for NCAA Division I. Opat also held assistant coaching positions at Fresno State University (1998-99) and the University of Kansas (1995-1998) where in both cases she was also heavily involved in recruiting and scouting. Opat earned an Associate of Science degree from Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas, where she was a two-year team captain in basketball and was named to the all-conference and all-region teams in both seasons. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, where she earned NAIA All-American honors as a player. Opat then went on to obtain a Master of Science in Sports Administration from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.