Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Bella Turner, center, reacts after signing her letter of intent to play basketball at College of Marin after graduation earlier this week.

By Ray Hamill — McKinleyville’s latest “gym rat” announced this week that she will play basketball for the College of Marin women’s team after graduation this year.

Senior Bella Turner will follow in the footsteps of several recent H-DNL players in taking her talents to Marin after signing a letter of intent in front of teammates, friends and family at McKinleyville High School on Tuesday.

And both her high school coach and new college coach believe she has the tools to succeed at the next level.

“She’s just so committed,” McKinleyville head coach Jacob Cheek said. “From day one, since she’s been here, and even as an eighth grader, she was in the gym working. She’s just a gym rat.

“She was always looking for an opportunity to get in the gym. She’s ultra committed.”

And it’s not just the work ethic that put her on Marin head coach Emily Schaefer’s radar.

“Her ability to score, I think, will transition well to the next level,” she said.

Schaefer first saw Turner play at a tournament in Napa during her junior season, and she was immediately impressed.

“I asked coach Cheek, ‘who is that kid?’” She recalled. “She just has that natural ability to score, that was the first thing I noticed. 

“What I was surprised at is that she was only a junior. I thought she played with poise.”

Turner will follow in the footsteps of five recent H-DNL graduates who took their talents to Marin, including former Panthers Kayley Armstrong and Victoria Claros, as well as 2022 Fortuna graduate Isobel Crosswhite, who is coming off a record-setting career with the Mariners.

This past season, 2023 St. Bernard’s graduate Mataya Sherman also was a freshman with the team and will be one of Turner’s teammates next winter.

And for Turner, the school felt like a good fit for her and her game.

“Marin just seemed more comfortable,” she said. “I see myself having fun there.”

Cheek believes the outgoing senior has the versatility to play a lot of different positions at the college level.

“I think she’s going to be solid,” he said. “She’s someone who can play positions one to five. She’s someone who can do a little bit of everything.

“All the nerves will go out the window once she gets on the court.”

Schaefer described Turner as a potential “matchup nightmare” and sees her having an immediate impact at guard and possibly seeing some time at forward.

“She’s so talented,” the Marin coach added. “I see her at the guard position, and maybe at times, depending on the matchup, putting her as a stretch four.

“She can shoot. She can drive. She’s going to give us a lot more opportunities to do things. She can be a matchup nightmare. It’s very exciting for the coaching staff.”

Turner is coming off an impressive career playing for the Panthers while continuing to develop her game under Cheek’s guidance.

And she’s looking forward to the next chapter in her life and the new challenge on the court.

She also, however, will carry a lot of good memories from her time playing for the Panthers.

“The biggest memories I have are meeting new people here and growing as a person, and building myself as a person and as a player,” she said. “And having as much support as I did from coach Cheek.”

Turner says she wants to major in Kinesiology.