UMaine goes to Canada to strengthen frontcourt> Coach Palombo lands strong offensive player

University of Maine women’s basketball coach Joanne Palombo, in an effort to shore up the team’s future frontcourt, announced Thursday the signing of Canadian Klara Danes.

Danes, a 6-foot forward from Toronto, has signed an NCAA Letter of Intent to play for the Black Bears. She will join Maine natives Kelly Bowman of Newport and Andrea Clark of Anson in Maine’s next freshman class.

Participation by all three student-athletes is contingent upon their admission to the university. Each committed to Maine during the recently completed NCAA early signing period.

Danes has been a standout at Oakwood Collegiate Secondary School in Toronto, where she averaged 26 points and 16 rebounds this fall in her final season for Coach Pat Quigley.

Danes was named the top senior in Ontario, and was selected for the Toronto Secondary School Women’s Athletic Association All-Star Team in each of the last two years.

“She’s an excellent student and a very good player,” Palombo said. “She’s a proven scorer from the inside, very strong, but she also can hit the outside shot. She’s very physical.”

Palombo said Maine needs to solidify its team by adding talented athletes who possess good size.

“We’ve got to get some depth in our post area, but what I like about this threesome is they’re very good athletes in terms of strength and quickness.”

Bowman, a 5-11 forward, enters her senior season at Nokomis High School with 811 points and 700 rebounds. Clark, a 6-2 center, averaged 16 points and 14 rebounds while leading Madison to a Class C state runnerup finish last winter.

All three players are on the honor roll at their respective schools.

Palombo said Maine continues its recruiting effort despite having signed three players already.

Frontcourt depth will be a concern for the UMaine women in the next couple of weeks, as senior forward Rita Sullivan has been sidelined with a sprained right ankle.

With the 6-foot Sullivan out of the lineup, 6-4 sophomore Stacey Porrini is expected to start in Monday’s game against Dartmouth at the Augusta Civic Center, Palombo said. Stephanie Guidi a 6-0 junior forward also starts, which leaves 5-11 junior forward Catherine Gallant as the team’s only other true frontcourt player.

Sophomore guard Trisha Ripton of Millinocket also has earned a starting nod against the Big Green. She’ll play the small forward spot, while senior Erin Grealy will come contribute coming off the bench.

UMaine hockey sophomore center Dan Shermerhorn, who is the only current Black Bear forward to have scored 10 goals in a season as a collegian, has already equalled last year’s goal output.

Shermerhorn, who had 10 goals and 15 assists in 35 games as a freshman, has already registered 10 goals and two assists in 15 games this season.

Former Calais High School basketball star Tracy Mulholland, a sophomore forward at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ia among the top percentage shooters in the nation in Division III.

Mulholland has made 27 of 45 field-goal attempts (60 percent Mulholland has made 27 of 45 field-goal attempts (60 percent), which leaves her tied with two other players for 15th place in the country. She is averaging 11.8 points and 11.2 rebounds for the 3-2 Polar Bears.