May 21, 2008

University of Arizona women's basketball coach Niya Butts announced today that Ipek Turkyilmaz of Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan., has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to attend school and play basketball. Turkyilmaz, a 5-foot-9 guard, will report to Arizona in the fall of 2008.

"I am very excited to add Ipek to our team," Butts said. "She is a tremendous student-athlete who had an outstanding career at Barton. She is an excellent shooter from the outside and will be a great addition to our roster as a scoring threat from three-point range."

Turkyilmaz, from Izmir, Turkey, played two seasons at Barton County CC where she averaged 12.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals in 68 games, making 61 starts. She also shot 40.4 percent (171-423) from three-point range, helping the Cougars to a 61-7 overall record (.897) during her two-year career.

This past season, Turkyilmaz helped lead Barton to its first Region IV Championship in eight seasons, and a fourth-place finish at the NJCAA Tournament, the top finish in school history. She played under new Arizona assistant coach Chance Lindley.