SEASIDE, Calif. — Monterey Bay area players Janet Oseguera of Salinas and Alexis Bertelsen of Santa Cruz will be part of a terrific recruiting class joining the California State University Monterey Bay's women's basketball team for next season. Thursday, the school announced the athletes who have signed letters of intent and they will not only add depth to the team, but a lot of height and quickness.
“With this added versatility, next season we will have the ability to score and defend at a fast pace,” said CSU Monterey Bay head coach Amber Magner. “Each has specific abilities that will mesh well with their teammates and will elevate our level of play. It will be an exciting season with these additions to the roster.”
Oseguera, a 6' 2” center, played for Hartnell College last season where she was a force, averaging more than 20 points and 13 rebounds, combined with a jaw-dropping 7.1 blocks per game and 3.1 steals. She was named All-Conference for her effort.
Oseguera averaged 16.6 points per game for Alisal High School during her senior year in 2005. She was the Monterey Bay League's Most Valuable player and The Salinas Californian and Monterey County Herald named Oseguera as a Monterey Bay League selection and to the All Monterey County Girls' Basketball Team.
After high school she left the area to attend CSU Stanislaus. With limited playing time, she averaged just over 3 rebounds and 3 points per game in 05-06 before returning to Monterey County to attend Hartnell.
“She's a very active player,” said Hartnell head coach Mary Ann Toney. “She was hard to stop.”
Devin Riezebos, a 6' 1” center from Santa Maria, Calif., will add more height to the team. She led her high school in scoring with 14.2 points per game while shooting 60 percent from the floor. She also averaged 7.2 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
Her team finished undefeated in the Los Padres League and 26-2 overall. Riezebos was named league MVP in 2008 as well as the Santa Barbara New Press All-Area MVP. In .her 2007 season, she made the All-League first team and averaged 13.4 points, 1.1 assists , 2.9 steals, 1.8 blocks and 7.9 rebounds per game.
Ashley Hudson, a 6-foot center, is another big player to join the team. She averaged 10.6 points and 9.1 boards for Pittsburgh High School while shooting 33 percent from the three-point line. She made the second team All-Bay Valley League.
Annie Mahaney of Oakland is 5' 11” will also add size to the team. She is a graduate of Bishop O' Dowd High School. She was a four-year varsity player and the team captain while maintaining a 3.4 GPA. She was nominated as the scholar/athlete of the year at her school.
Mahaney competed in the Hayward Area Athletic League and averaged 4.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She grabbed a career-high 16 boards on Nov. 29 against Mater Dei High at the Sweet Sixteen tourney in La Jolla, Calif.
A junior transfer from Grossmont, Bertelsen of Santa Cruz will either play the big guard or a medium-sized forward position. She attended Soquel High School where she played basketball and volleyball. The basketball team won league championships all four years she competed and went to the NorCal sectional tourney twice. She received the Female Student/Athlete Scholarship Award her senior year of high school.
After graduating in 2006, she played two years at Grossmont College in San Diego and earned her AA degree while maintaining a 3.2 GPA.
Besides the front line, coach Amber Magner added depth to the backcourt as well with the addition of guards Lindsay Trout and Jennifer Gaines..
Trout attended Camarillo High School, graduated in 2005 and then continued her career at Ventura College. She was named first-team All-Pacific View League and second-team All-County her senior prep year, when she was also named MVP and Team Captain. Trout was also a standout long and triple-jumper in high school. She was the Pacific View League champion in the long jump.
At Ventura College, the 5' 7” guard was honored with the sixth man award for the 2006-2007 season, and the We Play Hard Award in the 2007-2008 season. She played an average of 17 minutes a game and scored 4.2 points and made 3 rebounds.
Gaines, 5” 8” guard from Oxnard, Calif., made the first team All-League team in the Pacific View League. Oxnard finished the season 23-5. Gaines had many big games for Oxnard. She scored 22 points against Pioneer Valley in the first round of the CIF-SS Division III-AA playoffs.
“We are looking for each of these players to step into a specific role and contribute immediately,” said Magner. “They come from winning backgrounds and know what it takes, to not just compete, but to win.”
