Kapaun’s Ella Anciaux commits to WSU women’s basketball, as local presence grows
It’s been 16 years since the last time a Wichita-area basketball player has committed to play for the Wichita State women’s basketball team straight out of high school.
That long stretch came to an end on Thursday when Kapaun Mount Carmel senior-to-be Ella Anciaux, a 6-foot-4 versatile center in the class of 2021, verbally committed to WSU. She will be the first local player to play for the Shockers out of high school since Taylor Dugan (Bishop Carroll), Kyrie Kinder (Circle) and Alex Bunton (Goddard) in 2004.
That was part of the appeal for Anciaux, who was sold to WSU by coach Keitha Adams’ vision of her helping restore the program to a championship level.
“I really want to help grow the program to the point where it becomes a big deal in Wichita,” Anciaux said. “That’s my ultimate goal is that we grow the fan base and grow everything. I see the vision that Keitha and the whole coaching staff has for the program, and it makes me really, really excited to be a part of it.”
The Wichita area has produced plenty of Division-I talent over the years, but Wichita State has either been unable or passed on its ability to capitalize on its hometown advantage in recruiting. Adams, entering her fourth season, wants to change that and Anciaux’s commitment on Thursday is the first sign of change.
Although Adams cannot comment specifically on Anciaux until Anciaux signs her letter of intent in the fall, the coach did speak generally on targeting Wichita-area talent.
“We’ve worked really hard in building relationships with them at a young age and really getting to know them,” Adams said. “I know the importance of having a local player on our team. When they’re a starter and they come out, it gets a littler noisier in that arena. The fans love it. But it also has to be the right fit, basketball-wise. If it’s the right fit and they’re local, that’s a bonus.”
Since Adams arrived in 2017, her and her coaching staff identified a wealth of area talent on the horizon. In the 2021 class alone, there’s McPherson’s Grace Pyle and Heights’ Laniah Randle; in the 2022 class, there’s Andover Central’s Brittany Harshaw and the Heights’ duo of Zyanna Walker and Cayanna Stanley; and in the 2023 class, there’s the Derby duo of Addy Brown and Maryn Archer and Nickerson’s Ava Jones.
After years of letting talented players like that escape the area, Wichita State is starting to prioritize local recruiting and its presence has grown substantially. The Shockers have already extended scholarship offers to a handful of the players listed above.
“There’s a pride in playing for your hometown and your own city,” Adams said. “It’s definitely something that we’re committed to, but we also want to make sure we get the right fit. We’re really excited because there are some really good, talented young players, and we’ve got their names on our board and we want to have more local kids in time become Shockers.”
The time and effort that Adams and her coaching staff spent years ago is now coming to fruition. Anciaux cited her long relationship with Adams as a reason why she felt comfortable joining the Shockers.
“I feel like I’ve known Keitha for a very long time, and they’ve been with me from the start,” Anciaux said. “I love how Keitha has always encouraged me and I love that family culture is an important thing for them. I also like the way she envisions me playing for her. She wants me to play the balanced game that I love to play.”
Although she’s 6-4, Anciaux is not the traditional, back-to-the-basket center. Although she does have post moves in the blocks, she is also capable of playing on the perimeter, shooting threes and driving to the basket.
Anciaux averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks per game in her junior season at Kapaun, earning first team all-City League and honorable mention all-class honors.
“I’ve been so excited and talking with my parents about it for awhile,” Anciaux said. “The recruiting process was great, but it’s also nice to have it complete and have the peace of mind knowing where I’m going to be going for four years in college.”
WSU women sign three more in spring period — After signing three prospects in the fall, the Shockers added three more on Thursday with the signings of 6-foot forward Carla Budane, from Portugal, and a pair of junior-college transfers in 5-8 guard Rachel Johnson and 6-2 forward Asia Strong.
Strong is a notable signing for the Shockers, as she picked WSU over Texas A&M and is rated as the No. 9 junior-college prospect. She averaged 14.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game at Trinity Valley Community College, which finished with a 32-1 record.
The fall signees were 6-1 forward Ene Adams, from Nigeria, 5-11 guard Shamaryah Duncan and 6-0 guard Emani Jenkins, both from Texas. WSU returns nine players from last season’s roster with three seniors graduating and three players leaving the program in Natalia Ryng, Vendela Danielsson and Diamond Forrest, a trio that combined for just 178 total minutes last season.
List of Wichita-area basketball players for WSU women in last 15 years
Jamillah Bonner (Southeast) from 2013-15
Darice Fountaine (Kapaun) from 2011-13
Brittany Taylor (Valley Center) from 2011-12
Heather Robben (Maize) from 2010-11
Val Siemens (Circle) from 2007-09
Kyrie Kinder (Circle) from 2004-08
Taylor Steven (Bishop Carroll) from 2004-08
Alex Bunton (Goddard) from 2004-08
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 5:33 PM.
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