Mackenzie Sparby Accepts a Scholarship to Play Basketball at Jamestown University

Mackenzie Sparby of Watford City, ND recently signed a letter of intent with the University of Jamestown. The University offered her a four-year scholarship, and she will begin classes in the fall of 2017. The high school senior has been playing Varsity Basketball since the 9th grade, and initially started thinking about attending the University of Jamestown after a friend began attending, and told Sparby how much she liked it.

Sparby then began playing on an AAU team that the University's basketball coach, Greg Ulland, was coaching. They had two practices at the college, and after the first practice, Ulland encouraged Sparby to take a tour of the campus.

"I really liked the college campus itself and I liked the student to teacher ratio. It has a great nursing program and a great basketball program," Sparby said. "The more I thought about it, the more I knew that it was the college I wanted to attend."

The college basketball team has won five straight conference titles, been to five consecutive national tournaments, and made it to the Elite 8 in 2015. They have been perennially ranked in the top 10 all of those years and have been an academic all-American team for six consecutive years. In the last six years, the team has won 90% of their home games, 157-35.

"We watched her play throughout the season and at state, and liked what we saw. She'll be a good fit for our team and we are excited to have her. She's great on and off the floor," commented Coach Ulland.

"I think that being part of a great team makes you a better player," Sparby added.

She hopes to move to Jamestown sometime in July of 2017 to find work in a hospital, clinic, or nursing home; she would also be able to access the University's wellness center, including the gym and weight room.

Sparby plans to major in nursing, and is very excited to play college basketball.