6 Vaqueros going to Boston schools, starting 5 to Eastern Nazarene

The starting five from SBCC women's basketball team will be playing together at the next level.

Mhiah Vickers, Jessica Valadez, Jasmine Mata, Elia Salazar and Courtney Houston announced that they're heading to Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Mass., on academic scholarships during SBCC's Spring Signing Day last week. Mata is from Dos Pueblos High and Houston previously played for Bishop Diego.

A sixth Vaquero, Sheryl Scheppele, will play for Mt. Ida College in Newton, Mass., another NCAA Div. 3 school in the Boston area.

It's the first time SBCC has ever sent five players to the same four-year school. And the Lions will have seven ex-Vaqueros on the 2014-15 squad with Jasmine Johnson and Michelle Herrera already playing there. They'll be seniors next season.

"We're all thankful and blessed to have a great coach, who worked very hard to get us all to the same school," said Vickers, a 5-11 guard/forward who was a first-team All-WSC pick.
 Vickers averaged 11.7 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Vaqueros, who went 11-15 in 2013-14.

"These five players plus the two already at ENC are the ones who snapped Ventura's long winning streak last year," noted coach Sandrine Krul. "They'll be reunited and probably break a lot of records back there.

"This group (of 5 players) has been in our program for three years and they're grown a lot academically. Eastern Nazarene is an academic school. For them to get a great education and play basketball there … basketball is icing on the cake.

"I couldn't be more proud of these five, not only because of what they've done here athletically and academically but because they're good people," Krul added. "Good people make good programs."

Scheppele, a 5-8 sophomore guard, was one of the top 3-point shooters for the Vaqueros.

"Playing at SBCC is an experience I'll never, ever forget," said Scheppele. "I came here on a whim and I'm going to Mt. Ida on a whim. I feel like it's going to be a really great journey."