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From small-town girl to big-time dreams
Willow Lake's Warkenthien picked as state's top girls basketball player
Matt Zimmer
mzimmer@argusleader.com
published: 04/2/05
Among her rewards are a basketball scholarship to South Dakota State, the Class B Spirit of Su award, three All-State selections and the 2005 Argus Leader Player of the Year.
On the court, Jennifer fulfilled the promise the town saw in her almost immediately.
Stepping in as a full-time starter as a freshman she averaged 17.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. She put up almost identical numbers as a sophomore and was selected second team All-State. South Dakota State coach Aaron Johnston was by now a fixture at Pirate games.
She responded with a monster junior season, averaging 23 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. The Pirates made a surprise run in the state tournament, losing in the title game to undefeated Mount Vernon. Even in defeat, Warkenthien was the player who stood out, scoring 31 points it the title game despite constant defensive attention.
"None of us had ever been to state and I don't think it sunk in that it was the championship game," she said. "Mount Vernon was very focused and I think we were just happy to be there."
Warkenthien liked Johnston and how he had been watching for a long time. It didn't hurt that the Jackrabbits had been wildly successful in recent years.
The move to Division I, however, was never a factor.
"State recruited me by far the hardest," she said. "Augie kind of made a push, but it was important that my family would be able to watch me play."
Johnston said that putting Warkenthien in a recruiting class with Beresford's Natalie Carda , another member of the Argus Leader First Five, was a major victory for his rising program.
"She's exactly what we look for in our recruits," said Johnston. "She can play inside, on the perimeter, and she really understands the game."
In the Pirates' two consecutive title game losses to Mount Vernon, Warkenthien scored 52 of her team's 73 points.
In four years at Willow Lake, Warkenthien totalled 1,795 points, 1,001 rebounds, 125 assists, 211 steals and 102 blocked shots, shooting 53 percent from the floor and 71 percent from the free-throw line.
Those numbers are all the evidence needed to suggest big expectations at South Dakota's fledgling Division I institution.
"She could have a big role," Johnston said. "She has the opportunity to play right away."
Brenden also has high expectations.
"I think we've only scratched the surface of how good she can be," he said. "Her frame and work ethic are perfect for the college level."