Melina Snoozy was confused when then-South Dakota women’s basketball coach Kayla Karius asked the youngster to stay behind for a chat after attending the team’s camp when she was in junior high school.
Snoozy, who hadn’t played a single minute of high school basketball, was so new to the recruiting process that she had no idea that Karius was about to offer her a scholarship to play for her.
“Seventh-graders don’t really know what’s happening at the time,” Snoozy said.
Snoozy is well-versed on the recruiting world now. South Dakota’s Karius, who now coaches at Green Bay, was the first to offer the future Bishop Heelan High School basketball star a scholarship. But she certainly wasn’t the last.
Iowa State became the first high-major school to offer Snoozy. And she rewarded the Cyclones by committing to Bill Fennelly’s team in April.
“I feel like the recruiting process, there were a lot of lies and everything, and everything (Iowa State) said has stayed true and come true,” Snoozy said. “I think that’s the greenest flag.”
Snoozy is one of the top girls basketball talents in the state. The senior-to-be is coming off a season that saw her average 21.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3 assists per game. While many fans are just starting to take notice of the star from the Sioux City area, college coaches have been long acquainted with Snoozy. Her 6-foot frame is a big reason why.
Bishop Heelan coach Darron Koolstra said Division I coaches were raving about Snoozy’s makeup when they showed up to the team’s skills camps during the summer heading into her sophomore season.
Even at a young age, they were projecting big things for Snoozy.
“College coaches are telling me at that point in time, ‘Look at her, we have players in our program that are built just like that right now,’” Koolstra said. “And she’s only going to be a sophomore.”
That led to a lot of early interest from schools including Drake and Creighton. Then she received her first high-major offer from the Cyclones. That held a special place in her heart as others came calling. Snoozy narrowed her choices to Iowa State, Nebraska, TCU and Oklahoma State.
Snoozy said she doesn’t enjoy the recruiting process, but she liked that Iowa State was in on her early and then gave her space throughout their chase. Fennelly’s staff never came on too strong but made it clear that Snoozy was a priority to them.
“They knew kind of what was real and what wasn’t and so did I,” Snoozy said.
Snoozy also likes what she has heard from Fennelly, who is entering his 32nd season with the Cyclones. Fennelly said he plans to keep coaching despite retirement speculation circulating during the off-season. Snoozy said she’s asked the 69-year-old Fennelly about it multiple times.
“He said he has no plans of leaving,” she said.
Prep Girls Hoops ranked Snoozy as the top high school player in Iowa and the 86th-best player in the nation in her class. Her size and relentless work ethic make Snoozy an intriguing player.
Koolstra often gets requests from Snoozy to open the gym for her to work out. The messages will come on a daily basis and even right after the state tournament ended.
“She’ll put an hour and a half in, two hours,” he said.
Koolstra said the Cyclones are getting a versatile guard who can run the point or play off the ball. With her length, she can guard a variety of spots on the floor including the post. Her scoring stands out but Koolstra said coaches raved about her passing.
“I think one of the biggest things that college coaches talk to us about as she developed, first and foremost, was her passing and her court vision is so good,” he said. “That’s something you don’t teach.”
The scoring and the passing were on full display during the state tournament in March. Snoozy poured in a Class 4A state tournament-record 39 points during a win over North Polk. Two days later, Carlisle’s Macy Comito broke the record with a 42-point performance against Snoozy’s Heelan team.
Comito will be a freshman at Iowa State this upcoming season. She helped sell the Cyclones to Snoozy as the two families went out to dinner during one of the Bishop Heelan star’s visits.
“Even though I did not like her on the court that night, I think she is a really good person to have as a teammate and I’m excited,” Snoozy said with a chuckle.
Even though Snoozy still has another season of high school remaining before she and Comito team up, Koolstra believes it won’t be long before his guard is contributing for the Cyclones.
“I think Iowa State is getting a player that will help them right away,” Koolstra said.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How Iowa State beat out teams scouting Heelan’s Melina Snoozy for years
Reporting by Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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