Spring Creek High School senior Johnna Ward has made a verbal commitment to play for the University of Nevada at Reno women's basketball program, Spartans athletic director Greg Reeder has confirmed, the Web site, nevprep.com reported.

Ward, who led the Spartans to their first-ever Nevada Class 3-A state basketball championship last season, averaged 14.3 points and 6.2 assists while making 42 3-pointers.

Her stats, though, are deceiving because Spring Creek, which finished 32-3, won its 16 Northern 3-A contests by an average margin of 42.1 points and Ward rarely played extensively in the second halves of games.

Ward was the 3-A state player of the year, and was a first-team nevprep.com All-Greater Nevada point guard after earning second-team honors as a sophomore.

Her verbal commitment is non-binding, but she can sign a letter of intent with the Wolf Pack on or after Nov. 8, the first day of the NCAA's early signing period.

Assuming she does so, Ward will be the first Greater Nevada scholarship player brought in by fourth-year Nevada coach Kim Gervasoni, although former Reno standout Coty Feest has been on the team for the past two years as a non-scholarship walk-on.

Under NCAA rules, Gervasoni cannot comment on a recruitable athlete until a letter of intent is signed.

Ward had said her longtime dream had been to attend Stanford, but the Cardinal did not recruit her. Several other NCAA Division I programs, including Santa Clara and Boise State, did, but Nevada's presence was by far the most evident at her games last season.

Randy Rogers, the former Spring Creek coach who coached Ward in summer-league basketball before she entered high school, has built a national community-college powerhouse at College of Southern Idaho.

Rogers had five former Greater Nevada players on his team last year including Reed's Maria Moore and Reno's Kaylan King, the 2004 and 2005 Greater Nevada Players of the Year respectively but said last year that he wouldn't recruit Ward because he was certain she would receive multiple Division I offers.

Assuming Ward plays for Nevada, she will be the first basketball player in Spring Creek's 15-year history to reach the Division I level.

Nevada's starting point guard, Traci Graham, a McQueen graduate, is entering her senior season, and the only other experienced point guard on the roster is sophomore Dellena Criner.