Waterloo, IN — With four talented recruits already inked to letters of intent for the spring signing period, Goshen head coach Steve Wiktorowski announced the program’s fifth signing of the season Friday, adding 2006 DeKalb High School (Waterloo, IN) graduate Kara Boester to the lineup beginning in 2006-2007. A tremendous perimeter shooter, the 5-7 Boester adds yet another skilled backcourt player with a history of winning to Wiktorowski’s unit next fall.

“We were looking to add one more shooter to our team and Kara has outstanding range from beyond the three-point line,” Wiktorowski said Friday. “More importantly, she is one of those players that coaches often describe as another coach on the floor. She has a great understanding of the game, has outstanding leadership ability and her maturity keeps her from getting rattled under pressure. We think she will be a great fit for the type of system we run and we are really happy she has decided to play at Goshen College.”

Boester averaged 10.7 points per game for DeKalb during her senior season, shooting a remarkable 41.4 percent from three-point land to complement a 47 percent shooting clip overall. Her 2.4 steals per game and three assists per game averages came as a result of deterring to other players on her Barons’ team, as DeKalb finished the 2005-2006 season with a 22-2 overall record to go with East Noble sectional and Northeast Hoosier Conference Championships. Boester was named to All-NHC status in both her junior and senior seasons, and was a All-North East Conference selection following her sophomore season, where she attended and played for Angola High School. Prior to transferring to DeKalb at the outset of her junior season, Boester helped Angola to a semi-state appearance in her freshman season, finishing a four-year varsity career with an amazing 80-14 win-loss record.

“Kara didn’t score as much this year as she took on more of a passer’s role, but we think she can be unselfish to a fault and want her to look for her shot more often,” Wiktorowski said. “She can play three different positions, is fundamentally sound and doesn’t turn the ball over. She doesn’t have great quickness and isn’t flashy, but she is a very good ball handler with the ability to get the ball where it needs to go.”

Boester was invited to both the state’s Top 100 workout and participated in the Border Wars Nancy Rehm Classic last month, where she led the Indiana team with 12 points in a victory over the Ohio All-Stars. Collectively, Boester’s high school teams won three sectionals and three conference titles in her four-year varsity career. In addition to being named a three-time all-conference player, Boester was a three-time all-area team selection as well.

“She displayed her scoring ability at the Border Wars Nancy Rehm Classic in Fort Wayne where she hit four threes to lead her team,” Wiktorowski said. “She opened some people’s eyes there.”

Boester said her college decision was a difficult one, but chose Goshen over other schools including Mid-Central Conference foe Marian College and Lincoln Trail Junior College. She said she plans to pursue studies in special education once at Goshen.

“It was like a hundred pounds taken off me after I made my decision,” Boester said. “After meeting and spending time with Coach Wik and the Goshen players I made an immediate connection. The players enjoyed what they were doing and they enjoyed being there. I really like Coach Wik’s style of coaching and his personality. Playing college basketball has been one of my dreams, and I think Goshen is the perfect fit for me.”

Boester joins what could be Wiktorowski’s deepest and most talent-rich recruiting class in his four seasons as the Leafs’ leader, as Goshen has already signed Mishawaka Marian High School standouts Ashley and Kimmie Hummer (click here for article), Hesston College (Hesston, KS) graduate Katie Sowers (click here for article) and West Ottowa High School (Holland, MI) graduate Chole Van Den Brink (click here for article) as Goshen’s signees to date.

“We really think this class has the chance to do some special things over the next four years,” Wiktorowski said. “Like our other recruits, we really like Kara’s character. I’ve gotten to know her parents and they’re just a great family. We don’t always have the top athletes in our conference, but team chemistry is important to us. We feel Kara Boester is a great fit for us.”

Check back to this website for continual updates regarding recruiting news and team information during the summer months. To contact Steve Wiktorowski, call him at (574) 535-7492 or click here to send him an email.