Sports

Turner signs with NAIA power College of Idaho

By Matthew Semisch

04/28/2015

One of the leaders of Dakota College at Bottineau’s (DCB) men’s basketball team over the past two seasons is getting set to take on a bigger challenge.

Jalyn Turner, a Lumberjacks sophomore guard from Chicago, signed last week with the College of Idaho (COI). The Yotes’ basketball team competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and finished last season with a 30-6 record.

COI won the Cascade Conference championship last season and won two games at the NAIA national championships before falling on March 14 in the quarterfinals to Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.).

Turner was a big reason why DCB won back-to-back NJCAA Region XIII titles over the past two seasons. He played a particularly key role for the Jacks in 2014-15, starting in 32 of his team’s 34 games and averaged 16.4 points per outing.

Speaking last week after signing with COI, Turner said that Yotes assistant coach Colby Blaine first contacted him at the start of last season, and the pair kept in contact.

It was COI’s continued commitment to Turner, he said, that made him decide to sign with the Yotes.

“I prayed about it and talked to my parents a lot about it,” Turner said, “and then Coach Blaine and the College of Idaho head coach’s enthusiasm to call me every day won me over. 

“Them being committed to me made me committed to their school.”

“College of Idaho is a very good team that Jalyn’s going into,” DCB head coach Brandon Colvin said, “and they’re lucky to get him. I think he’ll do well there.”