Anchorage Daily News

Earlier this month, Allie Grazulis had to make one of the most bittersweet phone calls of her life.

After a week of weighing her choices, the Colony senior called Division I Utah Valley University women's basketball coach Cathy Nixon to turn down a full-ride scholarship.

Instead, the 5-foot-11 forward committed to the Colorado School of Mines because of its engineering prowess and Division II basketball program.

Although she won't receive a full ride, academic and athletic scholarships will cover about 80 percent of the tuition.

Grazulis said she's confident in her decision now, but it didn't come easily -- especially not with all the buzz that comes with being a Division I prospect.

"Yeah, all the kids think D-I is really cool. Like awesome. But I started thinking about what I wanted after college," said Grazulis, who intends to pursue electrical engineering. "The major part of the decision was the engineering."

A 4.0 student and the president of her class, Grazulis visited Utah Valley after getting an offer from Colorado School of Mines (13-16 last season). She scrimmaged with the Wolverines, who in the previous season had beaten Gonzaga (25-9), the winners of four straight West Coast Conference regular season titles.

"She was beside herself (after the tryout)," said her dad, Ed Grazulis. "She defended so well."

Grazulis played so well in the scrimmage, Nixon offered her a full ride. "She was way happy when she got home," her dad said.

But Grazulis' inner student got the better of her, and for a week she weighed her D-I dream against a school she knew would propel her career.

"There aren't many girls in tears after getting an offer like that," said Ed Grazulis. "She was sitting on the couch with her mom and got this sad look on her face. But a few days later she was beaming."

Today Grazulis will sign with Colorado School of Mines and make its coaching staff happy too.

"She has a nose for the ball," said coach Paula Krueger, who first noticed Grazulis during a tournament last summer in Oregon City, Ore.

"She has the knack of being in the right place at the right time. A lot of that is effort, and a lot of that is something that you can't teach. She has that intangible."

In addition to court savvy, Grazulis will add to the team's already diverse list of hometowns.

"We have a unique situation here because academics allow us to recruit outside the local area," said Krueger, whose team includes women from California, Arizona, Montana and New Jersey. "So that camaraderie right there -- knowing you're not the sole person who's away from home -- is another positive."

One of Grazulis' future teammates is an old rival.

Dimond graduate Savannah Afoa (2006), now a junior at the Golden, Colo., school, played Colony in the first round of the 2006 state tournament during Grazulis' freshman year. Next season they'll reunite as fellow Orediggers.

Coon signs with UAA

Deciding to keep her talent in-state, Colony High star Alex Coon signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Seawolves.

A 5-foot-10 senior forward, Coon is the Seawolves' first member for the 2009-10 recruiting class. UAA coach Tim Moser said she has all the ingredients for success at the Division II level.

"She brings toughness, aggressiveness and a winning attitude every time she steps on the court," Moser said in a press release.

Coon helped Colony win the Class 4A state title last season. She scored a team-high 17 points and sank 6 of 6 from the free throw line in Colony's 49-45 overtime win over Chugiak.

Coon averaged 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds a game and shot 54.7 percent from the floor as a junior. She was a first-team forward on the Daily News/Alaska Media All-State Basketball Team.

"Our coaching staff is really looking forward to working with Alex and making her one of the building blocks of our future," Moser said.

Johnson picks Utah State

Regarded as one of Alaska's top basketball players at her position, Wasilla guard Jenna Johnson is taking her game to the Lower 48.

The 5-foot-9 senior signed a National Letter of Intent on Monday to play next season for Utah State, a Division I program in the Western Athletic Conference.

"Jenna provides size, versatility, athleticism and grit," Utah State coach Raegan Pebley said in a press release. "It was clear during the recruiting process that Jenna and Utah State were a great fit on and off the floor."

Johnson enters her fourth season as a varsity starter for Wasilla, which finished third in last season's Class 4A state tournament. She averaged 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists a game last season.

As a sophomore, Johnson helped Wasilla capture its first state title since 1982. She was a first-team all-state forward the last two seasons.

"She's a phenomenal player," said Ryan Hales, her club coach for Alaska Lady Hoops. "She's just starting to grasp how good she can be."

Oral Roberts signs Bell-Holter -- again

Damen Bell-Holter of Ketchikan signed a National Letter of Intent to play next season at Oral Roberts University, Golden Eagles coach Scott Sutton announced Thursday.

The signing marked Bell-Holter's third national letter of intent in his high school career. The 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward/center initially signed with Missouri State last year, but was released after a coaching change at the school.

Bell-Holter signed with Oral Roberts in May as a Ketchikan senior, but he delayed college to spend a year at New Hampton Prep School in New Hampshire.

So for the second time in seven months, he signed with Oral Roberts, a Division I program in Oklahoma.

"We're excited and fortunate to be able to sign a player of Damen's caliber for the second time," Sutton said in a press release.

Daily News sports reporter Heather March can be reached at 257-4335. Daily News sports reporter Kevin Klott contributed to this report. Find him at adn.com/contact/kklott or 257-4335.

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