Recruiting roundup: CMU lands verbal from 2019 Cousino sniper Kate McArthur

Sometimes, the matches between player and program just seem divinely inspired. When Kate McArthur announced her decision to reopen her recruiting last month, decommitting from Clemson, followed quickly by the news that she’d been offered by Central Michigan University, it had to sort of make observers go, ‘Hmmm …’ After all, anyone who watched the Chippewas’ upset-laden run to the Sweet 16 knew that they were a team that could shoot the lights out, when they were on. [caption id="attachment_6073" align="alignleft" width="300"] Kate McArthur, of 1Nation Elite, lines up a shot vs. Michigan Crossover EBYL Brown in the 17u championship game at the LBI April Showers Classic. (Photo by Matthew B. Mowery)[/caption] And anyone who’s seen McArthur light up a team from downtown knows that she fits that mold perfectly, as well. So Friday’s announcement on Twitter that the rising senior from Warren Cousino High School and 1Nation Elite had chosen to continue her basketball career at CMU was hardly shocking. More like very, very fitting. “First, I would like to thank my family for always being so supportive throughout my life,” she tweeted. “Thank you to Coach Jarvis (Mitchell of 1Nation) and June (Clora) for pushing me to get better every summer and being there for me. Thank you Coach (Cousino’s Mike) Lee for being there for me through all the ups, downs, and for always having my back. Also, I’d like to thank all of the people who have followed me throughout my career and that have watched me grow not only as a player but a person. “Finally, I am very excited to announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at Central Michigan University. #FireUpChips.” McArthur averaged 17.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a junior, earning honors as a Macomb County Tier 1 All-Star. She made 50 of her 139 attempts from 3-point range (36 percent) after hitting 65 triples as a sophomore, and has more than 1,100 career points through three seasons. McArthur was named first-team all-state as a junior by both The Associated Press and the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM’s Best), after honorable mention in Class A as a sophomore. It was as a freshman when she helped lead the Patriots to the Class A state title, though, going 4-for-8 from 3-point range in the championship game. [caption id="attachment_6074" align="alignright" width="238"] Kate McArthur of 1Nation Elite drives past Adrian Folks of Michigan Crossover EBYL Brown in the 17u championship game at the LBI April Showers Classic. (Photo by Matthew B. Mowery)[/caption] “Kate’s everything as far as a leader,” Lee told the Macomb Daily after his team’s loss to eventual semifinalist Grosse Pointe North in the regional finals, despite 24 points from McArthur. “She’s emotional and has gotten the other girls to buy in. Her and Mackenzie Cook only know how to win. They have two Final Fours and three district championships. This is the first regional final they have lost. It’s tough, but we’ll get better from it.” The Chippewas will be better for the addition of McArthur, too, especially since she fits the mold of what they’ve done in recent seasons so well. CMU hit 28 shots from 3-point range (of 71) in its three-game NCAA tournament run, and blew away the school record for 3-pointers made in a single season (319), helped by two players — Presley Hudson (125, 1st) and Cassie Breen (90, tied 5th) — who ranked among the top five for single-season 3-point totals. The team shooting percentage behind the arc (.384, good for 11th in NCAA Division I) was the best in program history by 23 percentage points. The Chippewas lose Breen, the program’s career 3-point leader (303), along with Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Tinara Moore, CMU’s first AP All-American. Seniors Aleah Swary and Amani Corley also graduate this year, while Hudson, Reyna Frost and Jaeda Robinson are set to graduate after next season, before McArthur ever hits campus in Mt. Pleasant. CMU’s 2019 recruiting class already features a commitment from Midland Dow’s Molly Davis. Dow’s Ellie Taylor transferring home Midland Dow graduate Ellie Taylor is transferring from St. Louis University, headed someplace closer to home, according to a recent story in the Midland Daily News. After appearing in just eight games as a freshman for the Billikens, Taylor is checking out possible landing spots in Michigan, including Saginaw Valley State, Wayne State and Northwood, where her father, Bob, was the longtime men’s basketball coach. Other offers/commits/signings: • Vantanae Garrett, who won Ms. PSL for Detroit Communication and Media Arts, signed with University of Michigan Dearborn. • Howell's Paige Johnson (2018) signed with Concordia. • Solae Pope-White, a reserve for the Class C finalist Ypsilanti Arbor Prep Gators, signed with Schoolcraft. • Kingsley’s Kelsie Bies (2018, Northern Pride) committed to Division III St. Mary’s College of Indiana. • Williamston’s Kenzie Lewis (2020/MI Triple Threat) picked up an offer from Youngstown State.