ORU Women’s Basketball Adds Two to Roster

The Golden Eagles have added Bernadett Balla and Sarah Shelton to the roster for the 2011-12 season.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:23 pm

By: News On 6

ORU Women’s Basketball Adds Two to Roster

Originally Published: May 6, 2011 2:48 PM CDT

Oklahoma Sports Staff

TULSA, Okla.—The Oral Roberts women’s basketball team has announced the additions of Bernadett Balla and Sarah Shelton for the 2011-12 season.

Balla is a six-foot-two-inch post from Hungary while Shelton is a six-foot-three-inch junior from Fort Worth, Texas who is transferring from Southern Methodist University.

“Balla and Shelton will add size and consistency to the post position. They will be a big boost for us in the paint over the coming years and will also be a good fit in the ORU community,”said ORU head caoch JerryFinkbeiner.

Balla is the fourth international player for the Golden Eagles and she joins ORU following an impressive high school campaign in which she averaged 15 points, 20 rebounds and 5 steals per game in her final year with Baar-Madas.

“Bernadett has a very high ceiling,”said Finkbeiner. “She is an inside-out player, who is very mobile, a solid passer and has a nice all-around skill set. She has gained a tremendous amount of experience playing at the international level and we believe that she can begin contributing right away.”

While at SMU, Shelton averaged 1.2 points and 1.79 rebounds per game over two seasons. She competed in 34 games with four starts, while combining for 68 rebounds and shooting 50 percent (13-26) from the field.

“We recruited Sarah as a high school athlete, so we know her well,” stated Finkbeiner. “She is long, athletic and will be a good fit in our system as a true five. Sarah will bring a new dimension to our team both defensively and to our fast break game.”

Shelton graduated from Nolan Catholic High School in 2009 and was named Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) class 5A first team all-state and all-district, and selected to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches all-state team.

As a senior she averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots per game. She was also a McDonald’s all-American nominee as a senior.

Shelton will redshirt the 2011-12 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

For more information on the Oral Roberts University women’s basketball team visit orugoldeneagles.com