March 28, 2024

Walters to continue basketball career at MCC

Basketball has been apart of her life since she was 3-years-old. Newton High senior Randi Walters knew it was the sport for her.

Walters signed a national letter of intent on Wednesday to play collegiate basketball for Marshalltown Community College in Marshalltown. She said she knew it was the right situation for her to continue her basketball career.

“I went to visit Marshalltown and liked their campus — how they had it all set up,” Walters said. “Having the opportunity to play right away and not having to sit and wait to play behind a couple of people appealed to me. Coach Garber told me he expected me to come in and contribute to the team as a freshman.”

MCC women’s head coach Steve Garber said Walters is a multiple-skilled player at both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. The Tigers have struggled offensively this season, he said. Through 21 games, Marshalltown averages 54.7 points a game and shoots 34.5 percent from the field as a team.

“We’re looking for some scorers. The past couple of years we have struggled to score points. I think Randi can add to our scoring opportunities. She’s athletic and gets up and down the court well, and can create things for us at both ends of the court,” Garber said.

In two years of varsity basketball for Newton, Walters has scored 311 points, dished out 66 assists, made 39 steals and cleared 151 rebounds. She was leading the Cardinals with 175 points and 68 rebounds through 14 games this season.

She shot 37 percent, 68-of-185, from the field tho season. Walters is a long-range shooting threat, hitting 23-of-84 from 3-point range this season. She was a 73-percent free throw shooter, sinking 16-of-22 attempts.

“When I was 11 or 12, I realized I was in love with this sport and I don’t want to stop playing it. Marshalltown has a small team and I’ll get some experience in playing college ball,” Walters said. “Coach Garber told me he expects me to become one of the top six players on the team and one of the leading scorers on the team.”

Walters played point guard for Newton. She said she is expecting to see minutes as point guard and shooting guard at Marshalltown.

“Randi’s work ethic is tremendous. She’s an in-tuned type of player who is going to spend extra time developing her game. That personality fits our program,” Garber said. “We offer a lot of tools and resources to develop skills and I think she’ll take that and fly with it.”

Walters plans to pursue a degree in sports management or sports training. She is the granddaughter of Jodi Rainey, who she lives with in Newton, and of Randy Walters of West Des Moines.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com