Rochester Star Post Paige Winter Signs With William Jessup

Rochester senior Paige Winter is trading one Warrior uniform for another. Winter signed her National Letter of Intent to play for William Jessup University Women’s Basketball on May 16.

Winter is a four-year varsity player at Rochester who earned a first-team all-2A Evergreen Conference selection as a senior and back-to-back spots on The Chronicle’s All-Area Team.

She averaged 16.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game this past winter, finishing her high school career with 1,253 total points. She helped Rochester to an 11-10 record and a district playoff berth.

Winter spent last summer playing for a select team that traveled around the country, garnering her looks from plenty of colleges. Right before she committed to William Jessup she received a scholarship offer from a school in South Carolina and was forced to make a tough decision. She ultimately stuck with the Warriors.

“I went to visit the campus and I really liked the feel of it,” Winter said. “The coaches were awesome and I was able to meet some of the girls. I had a really good time with them and was able to bond with them while I was there.”

Winter’s high school career began when she arrived in Rochester her freshman year. Rochester girls basketball coach Davina Serdahl, a Warrior alumna, had just returned to Rochester to coach after spending 18 years living in Eatonville.

“I said, ‘Well, geez, how did your family choose Rochester?’” Serdahl said. 

Winter’s father owns a trucking company and was looking to relocate, eventually choosing Rochester over Eatonville.

“I kind of chuckled and said, “Oh, I just left Eatonville,’” Serdahl said. “We were destined to be together.”

Serdahl was a post player at Rochester and in college, just like Winter, as well. The two hit it off and Winter quickly became a leader and the team’s primary scoring option.

“Paige is both a vocal leader and a hard worker,” Serdahl said. “She is certainly a fun player to watch. She had a great four years and had a lot of looks from colleges.”

Winter is now joining a William Jessup team that’s coming off its best two seasons in school history. The Warriors have back-to-back 20-win seasons, going 20-11 overall this past winter while claiming a program-high 12 conference victories.

The Warriors are a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) team and compete in the 10-team Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). The Warriors advanced to the semifinals of the GSAC tourney this past winter, capturing the program’s first postseason victory.

In just four seasons, William Jessup women’s basketball coach Kurt Westendorp is already the winningest coach in program history with a 64-57 record. This past season, the Warriors set single-season school records for total points (2,124), points per game (68.5), field goals made (774), free-throw percentage (.711), rebounds (1,368), rebounds per game (44.1) and assist (392).

Though the 6-foot-tall Winter may be a tad undersized for a post player in the NAIA, Serdahl said her craftiness in the post and bevy of inside moves will carry her at that next level.

“She’s really improved her game,” Serdahl said. “Her footwork is phenomenal. She has a variety of post moves that will benefit her. We had confidence in her stepping out and hitting a 15-footer. Also extending her range out to the 3-pointer.”

For now, she’s preparing for her journey to William Jessup’s campus in Rocklin, California, a town of about 70,000 located 25 miles northeast of Sacramento. Coming from small-town Rochester, Winter is looking forward to continuing her career at a smaller school, as well.

“I’m excited for the weather, for one,” Winter said. “I’m excited to play with people who really care and want to get better, and they want to compete. Just to be in that competitive environment.”