When Kim Shaw played basketball at Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, Missouri Baptist saw her potential and began to recruit her.
Three Rivers did the same. Shaw instead chose to stay close to her family and attend Palm Beach State College. After a year and some changes on the coaching staff, Shaw decided to transfer, and both Three Rivers and Missouri Baptist got what they originally wanted: a chance to add Shaw to their roster.
The Three Rivers starter recently signed to play basketball for Missouri Baptist.
“I liked the coach and I really liked the program, and the campus is super nice,” Shaw said. “I met a few of the girls and they seem really nice, so it seemed like a good fit.
“I visited (Three Rivers) and I visited (Missouri Baptist) out of high school, but I chose school in Florida because it was closer to home and my parents were still going to be in Florida at the time. … The year didn’t go as planned, so I came out here and it was a really good decision.”
Shaw rarely had to step into the role of a scorer for the Lady Raiders last season. Her season high was 18 points, and she scored in double figures 11 times in 31 starts while shooting 42.1 percent on the season and averaging 7.4 points per game.
Her strength was on defense. Shaw averaged 2.3 steals per game and 0.7 blocks, both of which were the second-highest marks on the team.
“Kim’s leadership, versatility on the basketball court. (She’s) able to impact the game in several different ways, offensively, defensively, handling the basketball, rebounding the basketball, her motor and relentlessness she plays with is just able to affect the game in so many different ways,” Missouri Baptist coach Samuel Pearson said.
Pearson thinks Shaw will have an immediate impact on the team and work as the glue that can do a little bit of everything.
“She’s a great kid, and the fact that she’s going to play at the next level is tremendous. ”Three Rivers coach Jeff Walk said. “Words can’t really explain it, what she’d done for us this year. I think she was kind of some of the glue that held us together and did a lot of things that didn’t get the ‘press,’ but you had to have her on the floor.”
Shaw was under a little bit of pressure to get signed somewhere. She’s a native of Wellington, New Zealand. Without a student Visa, Shaw wouldn’t have been able to go visit her family in Wellington. She would’ve had the option of remaining in the United States or returning home. Signing with Missouri Baptist now gives her the option of returning to the country.
She left to visit her family on Tuesday, and she’ll return to the U.S. in mid-August to start school.
“Just getting that all organized and settled before I went home was good,” Shaw said.
Nate Fields - Daily American Republic
Shaw isn’t sure what she’ll major in yet, but she’s considering education.