Pleasant Hill Captain, Hanna Thomsen, commits to Avila. Thomsen, a senior at Pleasant Hill
High School in Pleasant Hill, Missouri has signed a letter of intent to continue
her academic and basketball careers at Avila
University.
A versatile and
athletic player, Hanna was a team captain that helped lead her team to both a
Conference and a District Championship this season. In doing so, the 5'-9"
forward led Pleasant Hill in field goal percentage and was second on the team in
rebounding, blocks and deflections. Her
strong performance all season long earned her recognition as All-District (2nd
Team) and All-Missouri River Valley Conference (Honorable Mention). Hannah was
also named to the KMZU Dream Team and received her fourth Academic
All-Conference award.
"Hanna's greatest
strengths on the floor are her intelligence and the combination of her size and
athleticism," said head Avila women's basketball coach Larry Williams. "She has
a great understanding of the game and her high basketball I.Q. will make her
transition to the college game a smooth one. A true athlete who stands at 5'-9",
she will pose constant match-up problems for opponents. She has the size and
skills to take smaller guards into the post and has the quickness to penetrate
past bigger guards and forwards. It is at the defensive end, though, where she
has the biggest opportunity to make an impact. She has a great understanding of
how to play a team defense. Her abilities to defend the ball, get deflections
and secure rebound after rebound are skills we target and value for our program.
She is a true team player and is willing to do whatever her team needs of her in
order to succeed. With her drive and passion, the sky is the limit for how much
Hanna can develop, and we expect great things from her as she learns the college
game. She has solid experience at a very high level of high school competition
and understands the sacrifice it takes to maintain a winning program. We are
proud to add such a high-caliber player and person to the Avila basketball
family."
Hanna's successes
extend well beyond the basketball floor. An outfielder on the Pleasant Hill
softball team, she has been named All-Conference, All-Region & All-District
during her softball career. She carries a 4.00 GPA and has won Academic Letters
each of her four years in high school. She will graduate in the top 10% of her
class on her way to pursuing a degree in kinesiology at
Avila.