Michelle Cottrell (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        As a senior at Boone County High School, Michelle Cottrell didn't get many looks from Division I basketball coaches. Her selection Thursday as Division II Bulletin national player of the year suggests she should have.

        Having won 87 games and a national championship in three seasons at Northern Kentucky University, Cottrell doesn't miss the D-I limelight a bit.

        “I think picking Northern was my best decision,” she said. “I went to an Elite Eight as a freshman, then last year we won the whole thing. I've made good friends. My parents come to all the games. What more could I want?”

        The 5-foot-11 junior forward is the first NKU athlete in any sport to earn national player of the year honors.

        “I was totally amazed,” she said. “That's the biggest thing you can ever get in your life. To get that, I'm totally honored.”

        Cottrell is a two-time first-team All-American, and she earned Elite Eight MVP honors when NKU won the 2000 Division II title. Cottrell averaged 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds this winter, leading the Norse to a 25-5 mark.

        Despite increased defensive attention, Cottrell shot 62.1 percent this season, up from 56.9 percent last season. She made 80 percent of her free throws, up from 72.5 percent.

        “Her statistics only tell a part of how she dominated on the floor this year,” Division II Bulletin editor Gary Rubin said.

        NKU lost in the NCAA Tournament first round. It graduates four starters, so Cottrell will have to anchor the team in her senior season.

        “We were disappointed in this season,” she said. “I think we'll go further next year.”

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