Cottey signs Orear

Hume High School graduate Kayla Orear signs a letter of intent to play basketball at Cottey College. Sitting next to Kayla is her mother Angie Orear. Standing (from left) are sister Katie Orear, grandmother Lorinda Orear, father Sean Orear and grandfather Buford Orear.

By Joe Warren

Nevada Daily Mail

The Cottey Comets announced their most recent addition to the basketball program Thursday with the signing of Kayla Orear from Hume High School.

Orear, a 5-2 point guard, recently finished her career with the Lady Hornets. She averaged more than 18 points per game her senior year and finished with more than 1,200 career points.

Orear said she was not expecting to have an opportunity to play college basketball.

"I never thought I'd be able to (play) because of my size," Orear said.

Cottey College head coach Dave Ketterman said he saw Orear play in a recent all-star game in Joplin where she took over the game with her quickness and scoring ability.

Ketterman said that despite her diminutive size, Orear will bring a level of toughness to the team.

"This kid loves to play and loves to compete," Ketterman said. "I think that I'm as impressed with her competitive spirit as anything."

Orear will be studying nursing with aspirations to move on to Pittsburg State to finish her degree after her two years at Cottey are over.

Orear was her class valedictorian at Hume High School, the third Cottey signee this spring to hold that distinction. Maggie Wigness of Casa Grande, Ariz., and Lauren Sholes of Vinita, Okla., also were valedictorians of their respective classes.

The cumulative high school GPA for the six players in Cottey's current recruiting class is 3.8.

"I'm as proud of that as I am of anything else," Ketterman said of the influx of true student-athletes.

Other signees this spring were Ashleigh Houdyshell, Webb City; Lacy Leonard, Nevada; and Kerri Shanks, Centerview.