May 27, 2014
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV women's basketball team picked up a pair of Division I transfers on Tuesday, as twins Dakota and Dylan Gonzalez will be joining the Lady Rebel team after spending their freshman season at Kansas, UNLV head coach Kathy Olivier announced on Tuesday. The twins, natives of Pocatello, Idaho, will sit out the 2014-15 season per to NCAA transfer rules and will have three years of eligibility left for the Lady Rebels.
"We recruited them hard out of high school, and the news that they wanted to join our program now is a huge plus for UNLV women's basketball," said Olivier. "They are talented, athletic big guards that are going to help us in so many ways, while it's another advantage to gain a pair of players with experience from a Big Five conference.
"The twins are relentless on both ends of the court and bring an excitement to the game that our fans will enjoy watching. I'm also excited about having them in practices next season. I do expect their intensity to raise our overall level of competitiveness among the entire team. They are hard-working student-athletes who want to spread their love of women's basketball into the community, and we are happy to have them here at UNLV."
Dakota, a 6-0 guard, played in a total of 30 games for the Jayhawks, and averaged 4.4 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest. She made a total of four starts for Kansas, and posted in double-figures four times, including 10 points in her final game for KU, against top-10 Baylor in the Big 12 Quarterfinals. She was one of the team's top three-point threats, shooting 35.4% (17-of-48) and added 60 rebounds, 21 assists and 20 steals on the year. Her career high of 18 points came in a home win over Texas Southern on Dec. 12.
While at Highland High, Dakota earned 2013 WBCA High School All-American Honorable Mention and set the school scoring record with 2,311 points in her career. She helped the team to a 64-8 overall record and four top-four finishes at the state tournament. Dakota was a two-time first-team all-state selection. She was ranked No. 85 nationally by Blue Star Basketball and in the top 150 by both Dan Olsen Girls' Basketball Report and All-Star Girls' Report. Both sisters were recognized as the 2012 Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year co-runner-up and also the 2012 all-area co-players of the year. Dakota was a first-time all-district selection in volleyball as a freshman, sophomore and junior, and also lettered in track.
Dylan, a 6-0 guard, was limited at the start of her freshman season by injuries and would make nine appearances for Kansas. She scored 10 points while also grabbing two rebounds. In her prep career, she was a 2013 McDonald's All-America nominee for Highland High, and earned first team all-state honors in 2012 and 2013 after receiving second team all-state honors in 2011. Dylan was the solo all-area player of the year as a sophomore. She lettered in two other sports as well - volleyball (in which she was a three-time first-team all-state and all-district selection), and track and field. As was her sister, Dylan was ranked No. 85 nationally by Blue Star Basketball and in the top 150 as well by both Dan Olsen Girls' Basketball Report and All-Star Girls' Report
The Lady Rebels bring back eight players from last past season, including three starters, while their five-member freshman class includes: Nikki Wheatley (La Verne, Calif.), Brooke Johnson (Hanford, Calif.), Kandyce Smith (La Verne, Calif.), Simone Sheppard (Sacramento, Calif.) and Alyssa Anderson (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.).
