Five Lady Raiders Nominated for All-Star Showcase

By BRANDON WALKER

NICEVILLE — One of Patrick Harrington's selling points for his Northwest Florida State women's basketball program is the ability to provide ample exposure to college coaches for players who choose to play in Niceville.

Next month, Harrington's point will be made.

Five current Lady Raiders, all returning from last year's roster, have been nominated to represent the school in the 2014 NJCAA All-Star Showcase. The event, featuring 40 of the top junior college basketball players in the country, will be held for the second straight year at The Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College.

"This is a great honor for our ladies, it's a great honor for our program to be a part of this prestigious event," said Harrington, who is entering his fifth year at NWF State. "This has become a tradition for us to have multiple girls compete in this event, and five is the most we've ever had."

While five ladies from the roster were nominated to be apart of the showcase, only four have definitely signed on.  One of those four participating Lady Raiders is guard Simone Westbrook, the defending Panhandle Player of the Year and an NJCAA First-Team All-American.  

The remaining three Lady Raiders will be guard Lindsey Jennings as well as post players Alliyah Smith and Tyshara Fleming.  First-Team Panhandle Conference performer Takisha Jordan was nominated for the showcase, but was not initially selected due to an injury.  She will serve as an alternate during the showcase now that she has recovered.

The event, scheduled for July 25-27, will allow the top 40 junior college players in the nation to compete under one roof and be given exposure to as many as 45 Division-I coaches and scouts.