Wind River senior Jonae Spoonhunter has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana.
Spoonhunter averaged 10.9 points per game, the second highest on the Lady Cougar squad last season and led the team in free throw attempts with 104. She will likely play the two guard position for the Lady Bears.
She is the daughter of Lorenza Monroe and John Spoonhunter.
Spoonhunter looked at various colleges but found a fit at Rocky Mountain.
“I thought about going to Virginia, and I thought about Chadron and Scottsdale Community College,” Spoonhunter said. “I liked Rocky Mountain, they seemed welcoming.”
Her intended career was as a social worker, but Rocky Mountain does not have a degree program in social work, instead she will major in psychology and sociology.
Spoonhunter was active in high school with volleyball and basketball.
“I tried to be a three-sport athlete, but track wasn’t for me,” she said.
She was vice president of Wind River’s Multicultural Club.
Spoonhunter transferred to Wind River from St. Stephen’s after her freshman year.
“I kind of messed around at St. Stephen’s,” Spoonhunter said. “My junior year I started to get my priorities straight.”
Her grade point average improved her final two years at Wind River to about a 3.0.
“I’m excited to start over,” Spoonhunter said. “It’s a fresh start.”
She has a $22,000 scholarship from Rocky Mountain with an additional scholarship coming from the St. Stephen’s Mission.
“I’d like to thank my mom for teaching me what it means to be strong,” Spoonhunter said.
At the signing ceremony in a room at the Wind River Casino about 75 friends and family gathered to celebrate.
“I’m proud she is getting the chance to move on and play,” her mom Lorenza Monroe said.
Her father, John Spoonhunter said, “I’m really proud of my daughter and wish her the best of luck.”
Rocky Mountain is an NAIA school competing in the Frontier Conference. Last season the Lady Bears finished with a 20-11 overall record.