UM women’s team lands N.H. recruit Canadian to play baseball for Bears

Magdala Johnson is a volleyball player and high jumper.

But it’s basketball she’ll pursue when she gets to the University of Maine in 2007.

Johnson, who will be a senior this fall at Timberlane Regional High School in Plaistow, N.H., recently made a verbal commitment to play for the Black Bears starting in the 2007-08 season.

Johnson said she has a full scholarship to Maine.

In the end the Sandown, N.H., resident chose Maine over New Hampshire. Getting to know coach Ann McInerney made the difference.

“I loved the coaching staff,” Johnson said. “I really connected to them. They really focus on family on and off the court.”

Johnson is a 6-foot guard-forward who averaged about 11 points per game last year. She also added about 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 31/2 blocks per game. Timberlane reached the Final Four in the state tournament.

She’s also a standout volleyball player and was a top high jumper on the school’s track and field team as a sophomore.

“She sees the court extremely well,” said her father, Timberland coach Bruce Johnson. “… She’s more of a face-up player than a back-to-the-basket player.”

The Johnsons, including mom Joyce, spent the summer traveling with Magdala’s AAU 16-and-under team, the New Hampshire Shooting Stars.

They found time, however, to be in New Hampshire July 18 for the birth of her niece, Izabel Christina Korbet.

“We were worried [the baby would be born] when we were in Las Vegas and we wouldn’t be able to get home,” Johnson said. “But we were here.”

McInerney cannot comment on recruits until they sign a National Letter of Intent.

The eligibility of all student-athletes is contingent upon admission to the university and compliance with all NCAA rules, including registration with the NCAA Clearinghouse.

UMaine signs Thorney

Joel Thorney, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound righthanded pitcher from Stoufville, Ontario, has signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the University of Maine baseball team this fall, Black Bear coach Steve Trimper announced Friday.

“Joel will be a great addition to our pitching staff, and will add depth and experience,” said Trimper. “He has pitched at a very successful junior college and has tremendous ability. We look forward to him joining our talented returning pitching staff.”

Thorney, who will join the Black Bears as a junior, played two seasons at Texarkana Junior College in Texas where he led the Bulldogs to a fifth-place finish in the 2005 Junior College World Series. The New York Mets drafted him in June 2003. He missed the 2005 season with an injury.

Thorney played for Leaside High School, where his team came close to winning three Provincial Championships. He was a first team All-Star in each of his last two seasons. Thorney also played for Team Ontario, where he received numerous honors and awards.