Four Southeast Missouri State women's basketball signees released from NLI

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team has gone from having four Class of 2015 signees to none.

High school seniors Amber Lindfors, Olivia Crozier, and Jennifer and Jessica Mackowiak, who signed to play for former coach Ty Margenthaler during the early signing period in November, have each been granted a release from their National Letter of Intent, Southeast assistant sports information director Tyler Koonce confirmed in an email Monday morning.

Ron Lindfors, the father of Amber Lindfors, a 6-foot-4 post player from Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, said in a phone call Monday afternoon that his daughter has signed to play collegiately at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Lindfors said the Southeast administration handled everything professionally and that he had received a call from Southeast athletic director Mark Alnutt before the announcement of Rekha Patterson as Margenthaler's replacement.

He said Patterson attempted to call his daughter twice April 15, the day of her introductory press conference, but that she was in school both times and unable to answer her phone. Amber Lindfors never ended up talking to Patterson, but her father did.

"I talked to Coach Patterson and she was very gracious, polite. There was just no connection and that would be anywhere," Lindfors said. "It's not just Southeast Missouri. If she would've went to wherever and that coach got fired and a new coach comes in -- there were no strings down there, nothing to keep Amber there when Coach Ty left."

Lindfors repeatedly said his daughter's decision had "nothing to do with Coach Patterson." The unknown repercussions of an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations committed by Margenthaler and a former assistant played a substantial role in the decision to continue her career elsewhere.

"We don't know if it's going to be on probation, and my daughter wants to play in the NCAA," Lindfors said. "They're in a rebuilding stage. Now we get to watch her play almost every game. She's an hour from home."

Calls to Crozier's Madison High School basketball coach Rich Bagienski and the Mackowiaks' Fenwick High School basketball coach Dave Powers were not returned Monday.