KCKCC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Stambersky named co-coach of the year, 3 Lady Blue Devils honored

By ALAN HOSKINS

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- The co-coach of the year, the Region VI most valuable player, an All-Jayhawk/All-Region selection and the all-time leader in assists led the way as Kansas City Kansas Community College made a sweep of women’s post-season basketball honors.

Valerie Stambersky is the Jayhawk East Co-Coach of the Year and freshman forward Cheyenne North a first team All-Jayhawk East selection while sophomore guard Cierra Gaines was named the Most Valuable Player on the NJCAA Region VI Division II team.

North and Gaines were both named to the All-Region team while Gaines was named to the second All-Jayhawk team and Cassidy Harbert, KCKCC’s all-time career leader in assists, to the honor roll.

Stambersky, who led KCKCC to a 28-4 record, shared Coach of the Year honors with Emily
Washburn, who led Coffeyville to the Jayhawk East championship at 12-1.

It is the first Coach of the Year honors for Stambersky, whose Lady Blue Devils came within one win of gaining the NJCAA Division II national tournament. The second most wins in a season in KCKCC history, the Blue Devils shared regular season Division II conference honors with national champion Johnson County at 11-1 and finished in a tie for second with JCCC (11-2) in the Jayhawk East behind Coffeyville (12-1).

Gaines, a 5-7 guard from Glen Carbon, Ill., led the Blue Devils in scoring with a 14.1-point average. She also led KCKCC in three-point goals with 51 and was second in assists (2.5)

A freshman from Gallatin, Tenn., the 5-11 North led the Blue Devils in rebounding (7.9) and blocked shots (2.0) and was second in scoring at 11.5 points per game. Shooting 52.5 percent from the field, North was also third in assists (2.2)

Second in assists in a single season with 197 as a freshman, Harbert added 162 more this season and vaulted to No. 1 on the all-time assist list with 359, eclipsing the old record of 352 established by All-American Aneta Kausaite in 1994-96. A sophomore from Wichita Northwest, Harbert was also second in rebounding (5.2) and fourth in scoring (8.1).

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PHOTO: Led by the selection of Valerie Stambersky (right) as Jayhawk East Co-Coach of the Year, Kansas City Kansas Community swept post-season honors as (from left) freshman Cheyenne North was named to both the All-Jayhawk and All-Region VI first teams; Cierra Gaines was named the MVP of Region VI and a second team All-Jayhawk selection; and Cassidy Harbert earned honorable mention after becoming KCKCC’s all-time leader in assists. (KCKCC Photo by Alan Hoskins)