FARMINGTON – Kaitlyn John, a two-sport athlete and co-team captain for the Farmington High School girls basketball team, has agreed to extend her athletic and sports career by signing a letter of intent to join Northern New Mexico College in Espanola.
John, who played every game in her senior season for the Scorpions last season, was one of the team leaders in rebounds and steals. Farmington advanced to the New Mexico Activities Class 5A state basketball tournament with a 25-4 mark before being eliminated in a second-round heartbreaker to Las Cruces.
John will join the Northern New Mexico Eagles women’s basketball program, which will also have a new coach this upcoming season after finishing last season with a record of 4-16.
Samantha Stukes, a veteran coach of both youth sports and men’s basketball in Mexico, was recently tapped to lead the Eagles after the resignation of J.R. Giddens, formerly of the University of Kansas and the University of New Mexico.
Stukes, who previously founded and coached Bonafide Basketball, an AAU organization in El Paso, Texas, has earned 12 NCAA-Certified National Championships at the High School Open-Elite Divisions, guiding nearly 100 student-athletes toward college scholarships.
John, who also was a part of the Scorpions cross-country team in high school, will be asked to revive a program looking for its first winning season in more than seven years.
“(John) was voted our sixth man on the team and voted defensive player of the year for us,” said Farmington girls basketball coach Tom Adair. “She was a team captain with Tinaya Parrish and Kamalani Anitielu.”
John joins both Parrish and Anitielu as recent FHS graduates who have moved on to extend their basketball careers at the collegiate level. Parrish recently signed a letter of intent to join Yavapai College, and Anitielu will be headed to Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming.
Northern New Mexico College is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, playing in the Continental Athletic Conference, consisting of more than a dozen four-year colleges across North America and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“(John) had offers from several different schools, but chose to stay close to home,” Adair said.
For more information about the Northern New Mexico College women’s basketball team, check out their official team page at NNMCEagles.com.
