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Posted by
Austin Tait
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Fri, Jun 5, 2009
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Women's Basketball
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Hardin's Dvera Tolbert will be returning to the college basketball court in the fall - and this time she will be wearing the uniform of Rocky Mountain College.
The 6-foot Tolbert, who appeared in 29 games as a freshman for the University of Montana in 2007-08, will join the Battlin' Bears for the coming season after sitting out last year.
"Obviously, Dvera is a great signing for us," Rocky head coach Brian Henderson said. "She is going to fit in real well with our girls. I think she's going to be pretty successful in our league."
The 20-year-old Tolbert, who decided to leave Montana after her freshman year, attended classes at Little Big Horn College in Crow Agency last semester. She will have three seasons of eligibility remaining with Rocky, where she will play as a center and forward.
Tolbert - Montana's Ms. Basketball in 2007 - has "probably the best hands I've seen on a basketball player" and tremendous passing skills to go along with her scoring and rebounding, Henderson said.
"She's just so crafty with the ball," he said. "She has a great feel for the game. She understands spacing and how to set people up. She's got that ability to make the people around her better."
Henderson originally recruited Tolbert out of Hardin High School. He also coached her during the annual Montana-Wyoming All-Star Series in 2007.
Tolbert averaged 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game and shot 53 percent from the field in providing some valuable depth for the Lady Griz, who compiled a 25-7 record and advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2007-08.
She still ranks as the all-time leading scorer and rebounder at Hardin. She averaged 19.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game in high school and shot 56 percent from the field.
"Even in high school she was kind of wise beyond her years," Henderson said. "She has great reactions and makes a lot of good decisions on the floor. She's kind of a gym rat. She plays a lot of basketball. That's how you get those great instincts."
He said the former Bulldog star already knows some of Rocky's players (including starter Tana Stewart of Hardin), is familiar with the Frontier Conference and likes the fact the NAIA school is closer to home.
"Our league is a very good league," Henderson said. "It's good basketball, and she's a very competitive person. She wants to win. It's a situation where she can see we're going to get some of those things done next year and in the future."
Rocky went 16-15 last season, losing in the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Bears return six players, including three starters.
A 2007 Hardin graduate, Tolbert was a four-time Class A all-state selection.
During her senior season, she averaged 27 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Bulldogs. She scored at least 30 points on six occasions as a senior and topped the 40-point mark twice, including a school-record 45 against Billings Central.
Tolbert scored 1,692 points during her four years in a Hardin uniform and shot 56 percent from the field.
For the Lady Griz, she had 10 points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes during a game at Sacramento State. Tolbert had six points and two rebounds in Montana's NCAA tournament loss to Vanderbilt.
"She had great stats coming out of high school, and she did a good job playing for the Lady Griz," Henderson said. "She's just going to bring a lot to our program."
The 6-foot Tolbert, who appeared in 29 games as a freshman for the University of Montana in 2007-08, will join the Battlin' Bears for the coming season after sitting out last year.
"Obviously, Dvera is a great signing for us," Rocky head coach Brian Henderson said. "She is going to fit in real well with our girls. I think she's going to be pretty successful in our league."
The 20-year-old Tolbert, who decided to leave Montana after her freshman year, attended classes at Little Big Horn College in Crow Agency last semester. She will have three seasons of eligibility remaining with Rocky, where she will play as a center and forward.
"She's just so crafty with the ball," he said. "She has a great feel for the game. She understands spacing and how to set people up. She's got that ability to make the people around her better."
Henderson originally recruited Tolbert out of Hardin High School. He also coached her during the annual Montana-Wyoming All-Star Series in 2007.
Tolbert averaged 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game and shot 53 percent from the field in providing some valuable depth for the Lady Griz, who compiled a 25-7 record and advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2007-08.
She still ranks as the all-time leading scorer and rebounder at Hardin. She averaged 19.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game in high school and shot 56 percent from the field.
"Even in high school she was kind of wise beyond her years," Henderson said. "She has great reactions and makes a lot of good decisions on the floor. She's kind of a gym rat. She plays a lot of basketball. That's how you get those great instincts."
He said the former Bulldog star already knows some of Rocky's players (including starter Tana Stewart of Hardin), is familiar with the Frontier Conference and likes the fact the NAIA school is closer to home.
"Our league is a very good league," Henderson said. "It's good basketball, and she's a very competitive person. She wants to win. It's a situation where she can see we're going to get some of those things done next year and in the future."
Rocky went 16-15 last season, losing in the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Bears return six players, including three starters.
A 2007 Hardin graduate, Tolbert was a four-time Class A all-state selection.
During her senior season, she averaged 27 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Bulldogs. She scored at least 30 points on six occasions as a senior and topped the 40-point mark twice, including a school-record 45 against Billings Central.
Tolbert scored 1,692 points during her four years in a Hardin uniform and shot 56 percent from the field.
For the Lady Griz, she had 10 points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes during a game at Sacramento State. Tolbert had six points and two rebounds in Montana's NCAA tournament loss to Vanderbilt.
"She had great stats coming out of high school, and she did a good job playing for the Lady Griz," Henderson said. "She's just going to bring a lot to our program."
