Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Makana Stone’

Stone an overseas hoops sensation

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grad Makana Stone is impressing English basketball fans. (Photo property FocusHoops)

Two games, two awards.

Makana Stone’s hoops game is impressing the folks in England, as the former Wolf star continues to carve up the local competition.

The Coupeville High School grad, who is attending Loughborough University, has thrown down double-doubles in both of her games in a Riders uniform.

After an 18-point, 25-rebound debut, which earned her Player of the Week honors, Stone followed that up with a 17-point, 11-rebound performance in just 17 minutes of action against Worcester.

For that high-impact showing, FocusHoops named her Tuesday to its Women’s National Basketball League Team of the Week.

Stone joins Worcester’s Carolina Marques and Grace Brownell, as well as Sitota Gines Espinosa (Reading) and Isabel Bueriberi (Nottingham) on the squad.

In picking Stone, FocusHoops writer Darren Paul had the following to say:

“Her 17-11 double-double was highly impressive against the tough Worcester Wolves and on another day would have been enough to see her side victorious.

“The American continues to demonstrate the value of a star import and has brought an abundance of scoring and rebounding to the young Loughborough outfit, and we expect to see her leave her mark on the WNBL.”

Stone, who graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, where she finished as the #2 rebounder and #5 scorer in program history, is pursuing a Master’s in Exercise Physiology at Loughborough.

Through two games as a Rider, she’s collected 35 points, 36 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and a blocked shot.

Read Full Post »

Stone sizzles, refs disappoint

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 22, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone goes up for two of her 17 points Saturday in England. (Photo property Loughborough University)

Knifed in the back by the refs.

Coupeville grad Makana Stone and her new English basketball mates were on their way to a win Saturday, only to have the guys in the striped shirts change things up, and not in a good way.

With Stone pounding away for 17 points and 11 rebounds, Loughborough University led by nine with less than four minutes to play.

Then the refs got extra-picky (we’ll assume), fouling out both the former Wolf and one of her running mates, guard Robyn Ainge, and things went downhill from there.

Unable to hold a late lead, the Riders eventually went to overtime with Worcester, then were blanked 15-0 in the extra frame, falling 82-67 to the undefeated Wolves.

The loss drops Loughborough to 1-2 on the season.

The game was a tight one most of the way, with the two squads knotted at 17-17 at the first break.

From there, Worcester pulled ahead 33-28 at the half, only to see Loughborough throw down 27 points in the third quarter en route to retaking the advantage at 55-51.

The Riders stretched their lead all the way out to nine points when Stone tossed in her final layup at the 3:41 mark.

Still up 67-62 with just 30 ticks on the clock, Loughborough was stung at the very end by back-to-back buckets, with a late three-ball forcing overtime.

With 40% of their starting lineup shackled to the bench, the Riders endured a painful overtime period, creating a final score which, at first glance, looks like a blowout.

Worcester took advantage of Stone’s absence, outscoring Loughborough 26-2 after its American ace was sent to the sideline.

Playing in her second game overseas, the Coupeville and Whitman College grad kept her hot play going, with her second double-double.

Stone added two assists and two steals to her 17 and 11 performance, while teammate Katie Januszewska chipped in with 14 points and 11 rebounds of her own.

On the season, Stone has racked up 35 points, 36 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and a blocked shot.

Loughborough, which plays most of its games on Saturdays, returns to action November 28 with a clash against Thames Valley.

Read Full Post »

Blimey, she’s good!

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grad Makana Stone went off in her basketball debut in England. (Photo property Loughborough University)

Hoops queen of two countries.

Coupeville grad Makana Stone, coming off a Hall of Fame-worthy basketball career at Whitman College, made her hardwood debut in England and immediately wowed the locals.

Playing for Loughborough University, the former Wolf threw down an 18-point, 25-rebound, three-assist, three-steal game, leading her squad to a victory.

That performance earned her Women’s National Basketball League Player of the Week honors.

Stone, who is in England to pursue a Master’s in Exercise Physiology, plays for the Loughborough Riders, who held off the Reading Rockets 64-61 Saturday afternoon.

The Riders built a 35-27 lead heading into halftime, then coasted home for the season-opening win.

Throwing down major heat in merry ol’ England is just the latest accomplishment for Stone.

During her time in Coupeville, she was a two-time Athlete of the Year at CHS while playing soccer, basketball, and track and field.

While earning a B.A. in Biology at Whitman, Stone also earned league MVP, All-Region and All-American honors for her play on the basketball court.

She and her fellow Blues from the Class of 2020 went to the NCAA tourney three times, won a league title, and captured more wins than any group in program history.

Oh, and Stone finished as the #5 scorer and #2 rebounder in school history.

While always getting her greatest joy from cheering on her teammates, handing out high-fives at a dizzying rate.

 

Read Full Post »

Have ball, will travel

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , on October 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »

CHS grad Makana Stone will study and play basketball in England this year. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Makana Stone is taking her talents to the land of tea and crumpets.

Having graduated this spring from Whitman College, the former Coupeville High School hoops star headed to England in mid-September, where she’ll continue her classroom studies and hardcourt schoolings.

Stone, who earned a B.A. in Biology during her time in Walla Walla, will attend Loughborough University, located in Leicestershire county in the East Midlands.

While there she’ll work towards a Master’s in Exercise Physiology.

Stone used up her American college sports eligibility, playing four seasons at Whitman, where she finished as the #5 scorer and #2 rebounder in program history.

But while in England, she can play for her new school, which competes in a semi-professional league.

Games are currently planned to begin in January.

Loughborough, founded in 1909, boasts one of the more famous chancellors among English schools, with four-time Olympic medal winner Sebastian Coe leading the school since 2017.

Lord Coe, as he’s known these days, was a top middle-distance runner who claimed gold medals in the 1500 meters at both the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.

He set nine outdoor and three indoor world records, including a run of three new world records in 41 days back in 1979, then moved into politics as a member of Parliament.

Stone is no slouch herself, however.

One of the most dominant athletes to ever wear the red and black in Coupeville, and also one of the most kind and caring teammates I’ve ever written about, she was a standout soccer, basketball, and track and field star.

She won the first 28 races of her high school track career, a mark no other Wolf has approached, and finished her prep career with 84 wins and seven state meet medals.

And yet, the happiest I’ve ever seen her in an athletic moment involved someone else.

It came during her senior season, when she led teammates in collectively screaming their heads off as CHS freshman Danny Conlisk pulled off a stunning come-from-behind win in a major relay race.

Stone led the CHS basketball team to three-straight Olympic League titles and a trip to state, is the program’s #3 career scorer and (likely) #1 rebounder, and finally let Kacie Kiel get that career-ending locker room hug she so badly wanted and needed.

Klahowya’s basketball players, without telling their coach, brought Makana a Senior Night present, watched her go off for a super-efficient 20 and 20 in a huge Wolf win, and still exited with huge smiles on their face.

After high school, Stone tore up the hardwood at Whitman, making the most starts (92) in program history, helping the Blues go 94-20 and advance to the NCAA tourney three times between 2016-2020.

Whitman was hours away from playing in the Sweet 16 at this year’s tourney when COVID-19 shut down collegiate athletics.

Finishing her American college career with 1,337 points and 837 rebounds, Stone was the Northwest Conference MVP, was selected for the Beyond Sports Women’s Collegiate All-Star Game, and received All-Region and All-American honors.

She was also a nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year, a member of the NWC First Team All-Academic squad, and copped Whitman’s Mignon Borleske Award — the school’s highest athletic honor for a female athlete.

When she wasn’t torching the net, Stone participated in the Whitman College mentor program, was an ACE representative, and served as a member of the Whitman Elementary School Science Night Committee.

Using her time well, Coupeville’s progeny was also a presenter at the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, while obtaining multiple internships.

Now, she’s off to England, after using her final Whitman interviews to rave about the skills of Blues teammates, praising the three-ball artistry of Mady Burdett with the same sparkle in her eye she always had when talking up fellow Wolves like Sylvia Hurlburt or Lindsey Roberts.

I’m calling it now. Give her two years and she’s the new Queen.

Look me in the eye. Am I lying?

Read Full Post »

She’s a Stone cold awards magnet

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on July 10, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone continues to reel in awards. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

She’s still in the game.

Even though Coupeville’s Makana Stone graduated from Whitman College earlier this spring, her name keeps popping up every time an award is announced.

Earlier, the former Wolf was tabbed as the Northwest Conference women’s basketball MVP, won Whitman’s Mignon Borleske Award — the school’s highest athletic honor for a female athlete — and landed on the NWC All-Academic First Team.

Now, Stone has been nominated by Whitman for the big-time NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

She’s one of seven senior student/athletes across all sports honored by NWC officials.

The league’s senior female administrators will pare that list of seven down to one athlete, and announce their pick Tuesday, June 14.

Whether it’s Stone or a fellow athlete, the NWC selection enters the national competition, where the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee picks a top 30, with 10 athletes apiece from D1, D2, and D3.

The committee then selects a top three for each division, with one athlete eventually emerging as the ultimate winner.

Angela Mercurio, a triple jumper from the University of Nebraska, won the award in 2019, while Canisius College distance runner Mary Beth Riley claimed the inaugural honor back in 1991.

Two basketball players (Rebecca Lobo – University of Connecticut – 1995, and Nkolika Anosike – University of Tennessee – 2008) have previously won the award.

The NCAA Woman of the Year recognizes “graduating female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service, and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.”

Stone finished her four-year run at Whitman having made the most starts of any female basketball player to ever attend the Walla Walla school.

She and her fellow Blues seniors went to the NCAA tourney three times in four seasons, won a league title, and captured more wins than any group in program history.

When Stone wasn’t flying down the court, slapping layups high off the glass or rejecting rival shots, she was a standout in the classroom and the community.

Coupeville’s progeny was part of the Whitman College mentor program, an ACE representative, and a member of the Whitman Elementary School Science Night Committee.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »