When Mic Kraft graduated from MandanHigh School in 2007 she decided her athletic career was finished.

Kraft was firm about her decision. She is pursing a degree in pre-med, and sports did not fit into her plan.

Fast-forward two years. It appears Kraft - thanks to a little push -has a change of heart.

The Creighton women's basketball team was struck with injuries. Mandan coach Greg Amundson e-mailed its coach with information on Kraft.

The Creighton coaching staff got in touch with Kraft about joining the team.

Kraft, a sophomore guard, is now an NCAA Division I athlete. She has participated in a couple of practices and is trying to rub away the rust of not playing competitively for a couple of years.

Kraft was astounded when Creighton made contact with her.

"It came out of the blue,"Kraft said. "They said they were looking for a 10th player to be a backup. I thought about it and talked about it with my parents. I decided that opportunities like this don't come every day. I decided to go for it."

Basketball is just in Kraft's blood.

"There's something that calls me to it," she said. "I couldn't give up the opportunity. It's hard to know how much you miss playing the game until you get out there and play. I missed being part of a team."

Kraft, who was part of five Class A state championships at Mandan, has stayed in shape since her high-school playing days. She has also played intramural basketball.

But Kraft has still put in extra work to get in better physical condition.

"I can tell I have missed preseason conditioning,"Kraft said. "It's nice to know they aren't expecting a lot out of me. There's no pressure to be great. It's been a lot of fun trying to prove to myself that I can play at that level."

With Kraft now back in action, 10 former Mandan players are currently playing college basketball. Kraft is the 89th Amundson-coached player to move into the college ranks.

Kraft will get to play in her home state. Creighton travels to North Dakota State in Fargo on Dec. 29 for a 7 p.m. game.

Copenhaver nice surprise

Bismarck State men's basketball coach Jason Harris wasn't sure how Brock Copenhaver would fit into his team's plans.

Copenhaver, a freshman from Wolf Point, Mont., has been two years removed from the sport. He spent two years at a golf academy in Arizona.

Copenhaver has been a big surprise for Harris. He's averaging 7.4 points a game and has dished out 22 assists for the 6-2 Mystics.

"He hits his shots when he's open," Harris said. "Defensively, he's as good as anybody we put on the floor. At (6-foot-2) he defends a wide range of players."

BSC will host two alumni games on Friday. The women's game is at 6 p.m. and the men's at 8 p.m.

Former Mystic Marlan Haakenson will be donating his lettermen's jacket to the BSC library for the archives and will play in the game.

Coming along

Bismarck State freshman ShanLee Taken Alive continues to roll. The 5-foot-9 guard leads the Mystics (6-3) in multiple categories with 14.8 points, 4.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game. She also has netted a team-high 24 3-pointers.

She came off a big weekend, tacking up 26 points against Little Big Horn.

"She's been steady all season,"BSC coach Len Stanley said. "She's a gamer. When the game is over, you know she leaves it all on the floor."

Freshman post Marisa Rauhauser is starting to hit her stride after finishing up the volleyball season. Rauhauser is adding 3.9 points and 4.9 rebounds a contest.

"She's coming along," Stanley said. "She just has to get her basketball legs underneath her. She's another one of those kids who plays hard."

Martinez hobbled

Luke Martinez of Bismarck has made a fast adjustment to junior college basketball while playing for Williston State.

The 6-3 guard has put up big numbers for the Tetons with 16.9 points and 5.4 rebounds a game. He has netted 39 3-pointers, collected 19 steals and dished out 14 assists.

One highlight for Martinez is scoring 30 against Sheridan Community College. He dumped in 26 points in his first game of the season.

"He's had a couple monster games for us,"WSC coach Hunter Berg said. "To get 30 against Sheridan is very impressive. He's had a couple games where he has struggled a bit, but every freshman goes through it."

The Tetons ran into a snag on Monday when Martinez was slowed down with a knee injury.

"We don't know what's wrong,"Berg said. "We're hoping it's nothing serious. The bad part is, he doesn't say much. He keeps playing through it."

Bearstail seeing action

Injuries have helped Kristin Bearstail of Bismarck see the court for the Williston State women's basketball team.

Guard Paige Anderson of Watford City blew out her left knee, which has given Bearstail more court time.

Anderson tore her ACL, MCL and miniscus while making a jump stop against Lake Region State.

"It was the worse-case scenario that you can have happen," said WSC coach Tom Suelzle, who noted Anderson has applied for a medical redshirt.

That leaves Bearstail and Andi Wheeler of Grand Forks splitting time at point guard.

Bearstail is averaging 13.6 points a game. She's netted 35 3-pointers, handed out 33 assists and collected 13 steals.

"She's a great passer,"Suelzle said. "I give her a bad time about having a third eye in her head. If you're open, she'll see you. She brings some entertainment to the game. She's a good, all-around player."

Shorts shots

n Miranda Wagner of South Heart helped Augustana College make school history in women's cross country. Wagner, a senior, helped lead the Vikings to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA national meet. It was the best finish for Augustana ever.

Wagner finished 52nd overall in a time of 23:03 and was Augustana's third-best runner.

n Tyler Johnson of Bismarck placed second in the 165-pound weight class at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha while wrestling unattached.

Johnson, a freshman at North Dakota State, fell 6-4 to Iowa State's Chris Spangler in the championship match.

Johnson advanced to the title match with major decisions in the first two rounds. He won an 11-5 decision in the third round and a narrow 3-2 decision in the semis.

n The NAIA announced that it will extend its contract with the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo., as host of the Division II national men's basketball tournament for the 2010 and 2011 events. Point Lookout has hosted the tournament since 2000.