SMU lands transfers from TCU, UALR

[PonyPride]

TCU Standout Cole And Former Duncanville Star Bolton To Transfer To SMU
Mustangs add pair of former Texas state champions to championship roster

May 1, 2013

DALLAS (SMU) - The SMU women's basketball team added one of the Big XII's top freshmen in TCU guard Kamy Cole and Morgan Bolton, who led Duncanville to its first of back-to-back state championships as a senior in 2012, adding a pair of transfers to its C-USA regular-season championship roster, head coach Rhonda Rompola announced today.

In addition to two-time state champion and the 2013 Texas state tournament MVP Kiara Perry, the Mustangs picked up Cole, who was third at TCU with 9.8 points per game as a freshman last season, and Morgan Bolton, who played in 24 games as a freshman at Arkansas-Little Rock after being named to the 5A Texas All-Tournament team in 2012.

Cole scored 22 points against Charlotte, becoming the first freshman to lead TCU in scoring in a season-opener since 2003 and the first to score at least 20 in a debut since 2001. She started 22 games and played in all 30 for the rival Horned Frogs during her first collegiate season, finishing second on the team with 57 made 3's. With 9.8 points per game ranked fourth among freshmen in the Big XII last season, and she was second among freshmen in the league with a team-high 51 steals.

The guard, whose sister Kenzie also played for the Mustangs, reached double figures 14 times, including nine times against Big XII opponents, and scored a season-high 23 points against TAMU-Corpus Christi. Cole averaged 25.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a senior at Brock High School, and was a three-time state tournament MVP, winning the 2A state championship all four seasons. She was named a Texas McDonald's All-American and TABC 2A Player of the Year as a senior, as well.

Bolton shot 32.4 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from behind the arc during her freshman campaign at UALR. As a senior at Duncanville, she averaged 11.5 points per game with 3.0 assists, rebounds and steals per game. During her career at Duncanville, which included playing time with SMU senior Akil Simpson and Perry, who signed with SMU in the fall, the Pantherettes compiled a 71-8 record. She was also a McDonald's All-America nominee and graduated in the top 10 percent of her high school class.

The Mustangs, who lost just one senior from the 2012-13 championship squad, went 21-10 and advanced to the WNIT, earning the 12th postseason appearance during Rompola's 22 seasons as head coach. SMU also went on a 10-game win streak, including nine C-USA games, winning at least 10 straight for just the second time in program history.

[ponyscott]

Those are some pretty good transfers

[mustangxc]

I was very excited to read about these transfers! PonyUp!

[Pony147]

When will they become eligible?

[malonish]

We saved one young woman from the purple clutches of evil.

[giacfsp]

I don't know anything about the Bolton kid but getting Cole, especially stealing her from TCU, is huge. She has been heavily recruited for a long time, and recruited by some big teams.

According to her bio on the Froggy website:
Scored almost 9.8 ppg last year -- that's legit for a freshman in the Big 12 and third on TCU team.
First career start? Against SMU.
Three-time (2A) state tournament MVP at Brock High School.
Averaged 25.6 ppg and 8.8 rpg in high school.
4-star recruit (per ESPN)
Was #42 guard in the country, #14 player in Texas as a HS senior.

DMN link:
http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com ... fers.html/

[SMU 86]

This give Coach Rompola 2 years to get competitive in the tough AAC.

[Erion]

I LOVE these 3 ladies! Kiara (KP) is the only one eligible next year and is reigning TABC player of the year and 5A state MVP, 2x All State, 2x state champ, and arguably 1 of top 3 players in Texas this year (her teammate Ariel Atkins is 1 of the other 2). Finished HS career 70-0 and was 82-1 her last 2 years.

Morgan Bolton is lightning in a bottle. Her and KP were teammates in 2012. Team player, great defender, excellent in transition, good shooter. Was just in a bad situation at UALR. Shes the kid every coach wants to look over cuz she's short. But what good coaches love about her is her heart! Competes every possession, skilled PG.

Kamy is everything said above and then some. 4x State champion (hoops and track).

The big thing all these ladies have in common...theyre all COMPETITORS! Losing is more painful than winning is joyful. All they know is winning.

And that's because they all have great attitudes and work ethics! They come from winning programs who know the work required to be great and lived that for 4 years. They would leave brutal practices and then train with us for an hour afterwards. Or drive an hour east to spend 2 hours in the gym the day after playing 3 games out of state. And NEVER complain or make excuses.

They're all team 1st players (sometimes to a fault). KP/Bolton are 5star defenders...Kamy 4star. Just getting 1 of them is a big win...but to get all 3 is program changing. The fact that 2 of them get an extra year to prepare is almost criminal.

None of these kids will ever average 20ppg...none of them will break any individual records. The only assault on the record books they will make is in WINS! Relatively speaking, this will be the most successful 4 year period in program history...and they have a really good history!

Kudos to Coach Rompola and her staff!

[ponyscott]

Thanks erion...you must know these girls well. SMU basketball (both men and women) is on the big time rise....and quickly.

[PoconoPony]

Only one scholarship available and 2 kids coming in. What is the status of assistance to these 2 quality kids?

[HorsePower]

Thanks for the scouting report, Erion! These players sound like great additions, and you're right about the extra year to learn and prepare, although it would be nice to see them on the floor with Keena Mays next year.

[Erion]

Only one scholarship available and 2 kids coming in. What is the status of assistance to these 2 quality kids?

Don't know the scholly situation....maybe some Mustang Magic will fix it?

And itd be super nice to see them all together with the MVP...but Im not mad at adding KP to this bunch next year. She'll play Pippen to Mays' Jordan. Will guard the other teams best player...and is a mismatch for whoever they put on her on the otherside. A willing passer who posts like a center, slashes like a wing and shoots it like a guard.

[Tx_Mustang10]

This is exciting news for us. So just to be clear, Kiara Perry will be playing during this coming '13-'14 season; Keena Mays, Akil Simpson, and a couple other girls will graduate after that season. Then Morgan Bolton and Kamy Cole will become eligible for the '14-'15 season. Cole and Bolton will both play through the '16-17 season. Did I get that right?

[Erion]

Correct a Mundo !