Lady Knights Lovitt and Brennan sign with Chadron State

NPCC’s Jessica Lovitt and Mickenzie Brennan sign letters of intent to play basketball for Chadron State College. Lady Knights Coach Richard Thurin standing.

North Platte – Two starters from this year’s Region IX Division II championship team, Jessica Lovitt and Mickenzie Brennan have signed letters of intent to play basketball with the Chadron State College Lady Eagles for the 2017-18 season.

Lovitt, a 5’ 10” sophomore post player from Mullen, played both volleyball and basketball for the Lady Knights. She played two years of volleyball and one year of basketball.

Lovitt was a two-time All-Region IX player in volleyball and an All-Region IX player in basketball this past season. Lovitt averaged 12.4 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game.

“I have no doubt that Jessica will be successful pursuing her next step on the basketball floor. Her best qualities as an athlete are her work ethic and her competitive attitude and those are what will take her to the next level.” Lady Knight Volleyball Coach Alexa McCall said, “I enjoyed my time with Jessica and wish her the best because she’s a great kid.”

Lovitt said, “I chose Chadron because it is a good fit for me and close to home. I like the family atmosphere. There are a lot of local girls. I got the opportunity to play basketball here and I am going to go on with it.”

Richard Thurin, who retired in March after 16 years as head coach of the Lady Knights said, “Jessica has a great work ethic, attitude, and fierce competitor. She is very good in the classroom and a very good leader and example.”

Brennan, a 5’ 8” small forward from Ellsworth, Neb., played her high school basketball at Alliance High School.

As a Lady Knight, Brennan started all 56 games in her career. As a sophomore, Brennan averaged 6.2 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game. In her career she averaged 7.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.8 assists per game, and 1.2 steals per game.

“I really like the school and the program.” Brennan said, “It is close to home.”

Thurin said, “Mickenzie has a great work ethic and attitude. She is very good in the classroom and a very good leader and example.”

Chadron State is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II program and is in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. They finished with a 7-18 overall record and 7-14 in the conference in the 2016-17 season.