New Franklin’s Carly Dorson signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Columbia College next year. 

The senior led her team to a thrilling district championship before ending the season in the state sectionals to eventual Class 2 champion Tipton.

Dorson averaged 14.1 points per game in her senior season while pulling down 7.1 rebounds and dishing out 2.5 assists per game. She also averaged nearly two steals per game for a team that finished 20-9 overall.

“I’m blown away by her work ethic and the success they’ve had here,” said Columbia College head coach James Arnold. 

Coach Arnold is no stranger to the New Franklin program. Lady Bulldogs coach Morgan Grosse played for him during two years of college at Central Methodist.

“She’s extremely hard working and extremely well coached,” Arnold said. “She played for a former player of mine, so there’s going to be a lot of similarities in the language.”

Dorson said she met Coach Arnold during summer basketball camps at Columbia College and connected with him again during her senior season. She plans to study nursing while playing basketball.

“I’ve always wanted to live in Columbia, and they were my dream school,” Dorson said. “They have a really good nursing program there. I’ve been to a couple of camps during the summers, and he’s a really good coach. I thought it would be a good fit for me there.”

The proximity of the college to New Franklin and the fact that Dorson will play for her former college coach is what Grosse said excited her about the decision to play at Columbia College. “It’s nice to have her still close to home so we can catch her games and keep up.”

Dorson was the key to New Franklin’s success on the court this season. And she has All-Conference, All-District, and Media All-State accolades to prove it.

“Obviously, her numbers don’t lie,” Grosse said. “She’s just overall a good kid, and she worked hard. Her consistency was huge for us.”

Dorson has experience at every position on the court. She and Coach Arnold expect her to eventually play at the three-guard position. 

“The plan is for her to come in and redshirt for us her freshman year,” Arnold said. “A lot of that is based on some COVID eligibility we have leftover. But I also think it’s a tremendous benefit for us and her that we can spend a year working together and getting stronger and faster.”

The Columbia College Lady Cougars finished 26-5 last season with their second-consecutive and seventh overall American Midwest Conference (AMC) Tournament championship.