NEW MARKET --— Dori Frederick knew she wanted to continue her basketball career as soon as the buzzer sounded in the Mounties final game of the season and her high school career came to an end. That goal for Frederick came true on Monday as she signed to continue her basketball and academic career at Lakeland College. The plan for Frederick includes majoring in agriculture then moving on to finish her degree at Purdue after two years.
Frederick was a three-point marksman for the Mounties this past season draining 38 threes. Frederick’s signing is the second for the Mounties this season as Frederick’s teammate Belle Miller will also play collegiately.
“I’m just really happy for Dori and this is really a perfect fit or her,” Southmont coach Dan Burkman said. “This allows me to continue to spread the word to our younger girls about their long term goals from what Belle and now Dori have been able to accomplish. Dori is such a great shooter and I’ve told her that every team can use one like her. Her shooting translates well and there are some areas where she’ll have to get better, but she is not afraid of what it takes to get better.”
The Lakeland College Lakers are a junior college based in Mattoon, IL and Frederick talked about what made them such a perfect for her to continue her basketball career as it was the perfect blend between athletics and academics.
“They have a great AG transfer program into Purdue,” Frederick said. “After the sectional loss I knew that my basketball career wasn’t over whether that was going to be coaching or going on to play. We really saw that there basketball team was pretty good and needed shooters. Coach Johnson (Lakeland head coach) said I”m bringing you in as a shooter so I’m just excited to get to work. I’m really going to stay in the gym all summer and work with Coach Burkman and the rest of the team while working to extend my range since the college three point line is a little farther back.”
With the signings of now two of their senior players the Mounties well be well represented next year at the collegiate level. Coach Burkman knows this will only bode well not only for Frederick and Miller but the rest of the program.
“They’ve all seen the work that these two have put in,” Burkman said. “They haven’t just magically gotten to do this and Dori and Belle are great examples of what you can do if you put your mind to it.”
