(July 21, 2010) – Quanessa Batiste, a 5-9 wing player from Mansura, Louisiana, has signed an NAIA Letter of Intent to play basketball for Montana Tech for the 2010-11 season.
Batiste has completed two seasons of college basketball, one at Tallahassee Community College, and one at Louisiana State University – Eunice. She was a key player for the LSU-Eunice Bengals since she arrived there in the fall of 2008.
At Avoyelles High School in Louisiana, Batiste was 1st Team All-District and All-Parish 3 years. She was named Defensive player of the year in 2006, Honorable Mention All-State in 2007, and played on the Junior National Team for 1 year. While at LSU-Eunice, Batiste averaged an impressive 15.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2 assists, and 2.4 steals per game, as well as being named Academic All-Conference in 2008-09.
“Quanessa is an outstanding athlete who proven to be an explosive scorer when her team needs her to be. However, she can also facilitate an offense and create shots for her teammates. She is a natural basketball player with a great feel for the game. She can shoot the 3, as well as get to the basket. She’s a tough competitor who will do everything it takes to be successful here on the court and in the classroom. Quanessa is a player that we’re extremely excited to add to our roster.” said Coach DePell.
Batiste will join the Diggers in August, and pursue a Computer Science degree. “I chose Montana Tech to be somewhere new and different, around an organized program, and attend a great academic school. I’m also excited to play for coaches that have connections for me to play overseas when I'm done at Tech,” said Batiste.
Mariah's Challenge is gearing up for Mariah's Classmates 2011 Mariah Daye McCarthy Scholarship Foundation. The last two years the Mariah's Challenge nonprofit organization has awarded over $70,000 to Butte's graduating highschool seniors.
Traci O'Neill with the help of Montana Tech have 50 "Butte Tough" individuals running in the New York Marathon in November 2011. I and my daughter, Jenna, are running in it as well. Please checck out he http://www.facebook.com/l/bbfb8;www.mariahschallenge.com. A PayPal option is posted as well for donations.
Montana and many of its communities are having the dinner table discussion of the ugly apathy towards drunk driving. Please continue this discussion with your local and state representatives. We need to take the target off the backs of our young. Good change begins at the dinner table.
We need a Civil Rights Movement for our sacred youth. Not a movement of strikes or civil disobedience, but a movement of open discussion of protecting our youth. It is okay to drink if you are 21 or older if you choose. It is your right, What goes hand in hand with that right is responsibility. Responsiblity in action in handing over the keys. Our right to life is being brutally killed by those who feel and act they have more rights than any youth walking down a pedestrian walkway or a passenger in a car.
We are the WE GENERATION, the generation that stops blaming the past or current generation for this problem and stops passing on the solution onto the next. The problem of drunk driving is a nationwide problen and many states are winning the day to day battle. Here in Montana, many people and organizations are working hard to protect our youth.
The We Generation has no age or socioeconomic relationship but one of commonality, that commonality is life and being the difference to make a difference. WE can make our streets, communities and our and your state safe. I applaud those many people who have been doing this in the past and present and look forward to working with those who want to join.
Please check our the community of Boulder, MT Mariah's Challenge JHS Face Book site. They also have just awarded "Boulder Tough" scholarships as well! They are the changing the town by one youth at a time. I am proud to be their friend. Great things are happening.
Take care,
Leo