Western Oregon Women’s Hoopsters Add Two More

State player of the year, transfer to play for Wolves.

Danielle Bellando was named the 5A Oregon Player of the Year last winter, after helping to lead her Willamette Wolverine squad to its first-ever state title. Photo: WOU Athletics

MONMOUTH, Ore. - Second-year Western Oregon women’s basketball coach Greg Bruce has added two more top flight players to an already outstanding recruiting class.

Bruce has announced the signing of transfer Shayla Corder (The Master’s College/Roseburg HS) and Danielle Bellando of Willamette High School in Eugene.

That duo joins a class of six that have already inked with the Wolves, including Sheena Cole (Illinois Valley HS), Danielle Wells (Southridge HS), Katie Torlund (Burns HS/Nebraska-Kearney), Whitney Chase (Oregon City HS) and Sara Zahler (Newberg).

Also making a major impact for WOU next year will be senior transfer Vanessa Wyffels, who played at NCAA Division I Wagner and at Willamette, and was a redshirt at WOU this past winter.

Danielle Bellando was named the 5A Oregon Player of the Year last winter, after helping to lead her Willamette Wolverine squad to its first-ever state title.

She was a first team all-state tournament selection and a first team all-state pick.

She scored 25 points and had seven rebounds in a semi-final win over No. 1 ranked Jefferson.

She averaged 14.8 points on the season, 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists. A two-time All-Midwestern League selection, she led the league in scoring as a junior and senior. Bellando is a 5-8 forward.

“Danielle is another player that brings a wealth of scoring ability to our program,” Bruce commented. “She is terrific around the hoop and put on a clinic against Jefferson at the state tournament. She will have to make the adjustment of playing more on the perimeter at the Division II level. She has shown in the past that she relishes a challenge and performs better when told that she can’t contribute. Danielle has impressed me with her can-do attitude and her ability to rise to the occasion.”

Shayla Corder played her freshman season at The Master’s College (Newhall, Calif.), a team that went to the NAIA Division I national tournament last winter.

The 5-10 guard-forward averaged 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds a game for the Mustangs and played in 25 contests.

Prior to that, she helped lead Roseburg High School to a share of the Southern Oregon Conference title in 2006 with a 21-5 overall record.

She averaged a league-best 17.0 points a game and broke her own school record with 428 points on the year.

She hit for 38 points against Crook County (also a school record), and was a third team all-state (4A) selection for the Indians.

She is Roseburg’s all-time leading scorer with 1,077 points, and also averaged 7.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a senior.

A two-time All-SOC pick, she was voted the Les Schwab Classic Most Valuable Player and was nominated as a McDonald’s All-American.

“Shayla is a pure scorer who can fill it up from all over,” Bruce said. “She shoots the three well, but also has a solid mid-range game, featuring a strong pull-up jumper. She is very versatile and can play a number of positions. She is an excellent passer and a very smart player. We are very fortunate to be able to add a player of Shayla’s caliber so late in the recruiting season. She will make a huge impact on the program in many ways.”

Western Oregon returns four starters next season, including all-conference and all-west region selection Leada Berkey.

The Wolves compete in the very difficult Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Western Oregon is the only NCAA Division II school in the state of Oregon. The Wolves, a former national power at the NAIA level, have struggled since moving to Division II.

“We are pleased that these eight student/athletes, all from the state of Oregon, have chosen to accept the challenge of putting this program back on the map,” Bruce summarized. "This is a very significant time for our program. Individually they each bring their own special talent; collectively they are extremely competitive, are all about winning, and are truly exceptional students. Their impact will definitely elevate the expectations of our program."

In 2007-08, Bruce will begin his 17th season as a head college women’s basketball coach.

A member of the Portland State Hall of Fame, Bruce led the Vikings to a 199-89 record from 1987-96, and he has also had success at Northern Colorado, Cal State-Bakersfield and Fort Lewis. His career record is now 296-157

Adding comments to these stories has been disabled. View the current sports stories Salem-News Sports