SILOAM SPRINGS -- Two players on a college basketball roster hailing from the same town or high school is rather common.
Three players from the same school on the same roster is a much rarer situation, and for four players from the same town to be on the same roster seems unusual. But it was done this season at Southwestern Oklahoma State, where its roster included four women from Anadarko, Okla., a town located about 60 miles from the Weatherford campus.
The John Brown University women's basketball team, however, has gone even a step further than what that NCAA Division II school did. The Golden Eagles' roster this season includes five players -- seniors Natalie Smith and Bella Irlenborn, junior Emily Sanders, sophomore Nadia Akbar and freshman Abbey Kate Sanders -- who played their high school basketball less then 40 miles away at Bentonville.
"I think it really helps with the team chemistry," Smith said. "Some of us have played together for eight years now, so it's nice to have the team chemistry already here and happening in games and in practices."
These former Lady Tigers have done their part to help John Brown (28-3) enjoy one of its most successful seasons in a number of years. The Golden Eagles captured the Sooner Athletic Conference's regular-season crown with an unblemished record in conference play, then took the postseason tournament title while establishing a 26-game win streak.
John Brown, currently ranked 13th in the NAIA national women's poll, will try to continue that success this weekend when it hosts the first two rounds of the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship at Bill George Arena.
"It's been a full circle, especially for me, Nat and Bella," Emily Sanders said. "We've been together for the past eight years now, so it's cool to end our careers together and have it in such a special way -- to come home and play the first two rounds of this national tournament.
"It's so close to home where we can have so many people come over and support us. It's just cool and super exciting to see this is how we're going to end our careers together."
The influx of Bentonville players on John Brown's team this year stems from the strong ties JBU Coach Jeff Soderquist enjoys with the Lady Tigers players and coaches. The first player he recruited 27 years ago was Bentonville standout Martha Hancock, who played for current Arkansas Coach Mike Neighbors in high school and eventually became an honorable mention All-American.
"We've had a great connection," Soderquist said. "[Bentonville] Coach Tom Halbmaier has been great to work with. The thing I appreciate about Coach Halbmaier is when girls are being recruited at his school, he doesn't direct them one way. He says 'Hey, here's the schools that are looking at you. You need to look at them and see which fits you best.'
"This group, especially the older players, we watched for a long time. They would play together, then play on the same AAU team together and played with Josie Sisk, who is on our team from Huntsville. We really followed that group for a while, then having that connection over there eventually led to Nadia and Abbey."
Smith, Emily Sanders and Irlenborn have started every game this season for John Brown, which takes on Xavier (La.) in the opening-round Friday. Abbey Sanders, meanwhile, has played in all 31 games, including three starts in the games her older sister missed, while Akbar has seen action in 11 games.
Smith, a 5-8 senior guard, recently became the school's all-time leading three-point shooter and is the team's second-leading scorer with an average of 13.3 points per game. Emily Sanders, a 5-10 junior guard, is next at 9.3 points per game, followed by Irlenborn at 8.3 and Abbey Sanders at 4.8.
"When I was a freshman in high school, I didn't get the chance to play with them," Abbey Sanders said. "Being able to play with them here has been a great experience. I feel like my connection with them has grown so much by playing with them rather than just watching. All of our chemistry is pretty good together and we feel unified as a team."
Many of these players received a taste of postseason play last year when John Brown made the national tournament and played the opening rounds in New Orleans. The Golden Eagles upset host Loyola (La.) 68-65 in the opening round before they lost 75-67 to Cumberlands (Ky.) the next night.
"I think it's really exciting," said Irlenborn, who joined the team last season after two years at Southwest Baptist. "I mean, last year we weren't sure if were going to make it into the tournament. But once we made it to New Orleans and played those two rounds, it was a really cool experience.
"The fact that we get to host it this year brings it full circle to the moment -- like 'Hey, look at all the improvement we've made this past year, and it's really been worth it.' "
All five former Bentonville players were on the floor at the same time once in an early-season game, but is wasn't by design.
"It's funny sometimes. It's hard to believe that we have five kids from Bentonville," Soderquist said. "I didn't do it on purpose. I think it was the Sanders' dad that said 'Did you realize you had all five of them on the floor at the same time?' I didn't realize it at the time, so it's really neat."
Former Bentonville Lady Tigers Emily Sanders (from top left), Bella Irlenborn, Abbey Sanders, Natalie Smith and Nadia Akbar pose for a portrait, Friday, March 8, 2024 at Bill George Arena at John Brown University in Siloam Springs. Visit nwaonline.com/photos for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Former Bentonville Lady Tigers Emily Sanders (from top left), Bella Irlenborn, Abbey Sanders, Natalie Smith and Nadia Akbar pose for a portrait, Friday, March 8, 2024 at Bill George Arena at John Brown University in Siloam Springs. Visit nwaonline.com/photos for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Former Bentonville Lady Tigers Emily Sanders (from top left), Bella Irlenborn, Abbey Sanders, Natalie Smith and Nadia Akbar pose for a portrait, Friday, March 8, 2024 at Bill George Arena at John Brown University in Siloam Springs. Visit nwaonline.com/photos for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)At a glance
2024 NAIA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
SILOAM SPRINGS BRACKET
WHEN Friday-Saturday
WHERE Bill George Arena
ADMISSION Tickets will be available at the gate 90 minutes before tip-off. They are $7 for students, $5 for children ages 10-17, $2 for seniors ages 60 and up, and free admission for kids under 10.
Friday
GAME 1 No. 3 John Brown vs. No. 14 Xavier (La.), 6 p.m.
GAME 2 No. 6 Indiana Tech vs. No. 11 St. Thomas (Fla.), 8 p.m.
Saturday
GAME 3 Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.
Winner advances to the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa, where the tournament continues March 21-26.
CORRECTION: Former Bentonville standout Martha Hancock was the first player John Brown Coach Jeff Soderquist recruited 27 years ago. Hancock was incorrectly identified in an earlier version of this story.