Valley Grown: Palmer, Colony grads enjoy success on the college hardwood

PALMER — A former Palmer High School basketball standout was recognized by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Michael Kluting, a UAF junior and standout on the men’s basketball team, was named All-GNAC Honorable Mention. Kluting led the Nanooks in both scoring and rebounds, averaging 14 and 9 per game. He was also a top rebounder in the conference. He was first in the GNAC with 3.1 offensive rebounds per game, and second with 5.9 defensive rebounds per contest.

He finished with 11 double-doubles as a junior.

A pair of players from Colony High School’s class of 2018 got off to a good start in their college basketball careers. Alex Carlton and Alexia Novelli both solidified their spot in the lineup for their respective team in the Northwest Athletic Conference.

Alex Carlton, who was named second-team all-state for the Knights as a senior in 2018, started all 29 games for North Idaho this season. Carlton led her team, averaging 30.7 minutes per game and was fourth on her squad with 10.6 points per game.

Carlton scored a career-high 23 points twice, during wins over Blue Mountain and Yakima Valley.

Carlton helped North Idaho finish 20-9 overall and 10-6 in conference play. Her team finished fourth in the East Division and earned a playoff spot.

Novelli, also had a solid start to her career in the NWAAC. Novelli, a freshman center, started 24 of 29 games for Spokane. She averaged 10.1 points per game, one of only three on her team to stay in double digits. Novelli was also second on her team with 6.5 points per game.

Novelli scored a career-high 21 during a win over Olympic in December.

Another Valley alum in the NWAC, Donvan Eiman, a 2017 graduate of Palmer High School, wrapped up his two-year career at Centralia. Eiman appeared in 27 of his team’s 31 games, and made two starts. He pulled down a season-high seven rebounds during a win over Pierce in February.

Valley Grown is a regular feature highlighting the work of Valley athletes on the next level.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@ frontiersman.com.