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The mighty power of Google told Larry Roberts he just might have a blue-chipper on his hands.

Thirty-two times this season, Kwinnyata Mercer went out on the floor and confirmed it.

Mercer, a freshman guard for the Marshalltown Community College women's basketball team, was named a first team All-American in NJCAA Division II Thursday.

She became the program's first All-American since Missy Sharer made the second team in 1989. Roberts, the Tigers' head coach, believes Mercer is the first MCC player to make the first team.

"Kwinnyata can be a Division I player if she works hard enough," Roberts said. "I'm glad we're finally getting to the point where our team and some of our players can get some recognition that they deserve."

Two years ago, a recruiting service forwarded Roberts an e-mail about Mercer. Later, Mercer's high school coach in Mount Vernon, N.Y., contacted Roberts, telling him, "I've got a player that can do anything."

Roberts had heard that one before. Curious, if not skeptical, he clicked on the Internet.

"I Googled Kwinnyata," Roberts said. "Several pages of things with her name came up."

So Roberts got back in touch with Mercer's coach. Mercer eventually chose MCC over a Division I junior college in Florida.

"I never saw Kwinnyata play in person, which is kind of unusual," said Roberts. "In preseason practice, she was all right."

In games, the quiet, unassuming freshman was much better. Mercer led the ICCAC in rebounding (11.3 per game), despite standing 5 feet, 8 inches tall. She was second in points per game (16.9), and first in total points.

While she was at it, Mercer led the conference in steals (2.9) and shot 54 percent, and it wasn't uncommon for her to lead the team in assists or knock down four or five treys.

Leading the league in rebounding "is a fantastic accomplishment for a guard playing on an undersized team to begin with," Roberts said. "She has the knack that where the ball's going a lot of times, that's where she's at. I'd like to say I taught her how to do that.

"You don't teach a player how to do that; it's something she's got."

Roberts, who guided the Tigers to a national ranking and a third-place league finish, said there were times last season when he wanted Mercer to shoot more.

"But it's just not in her," he said. "She didn't look to score first a lot of times."

Next season, Roberts is looking for even better defense out of Mercer. Fewer gambles, fewer breaks.

"We've talked about that, where she wants to go after MCC," he said. "It's up to her. How hard do you want to work?"

Another ICCAC guard made the first team - McKensey Long of Kirkwood, which won its third straight national title.

Lewis & Clark's Gladys Wanyama and Brown Mackie's Whitney Holmes became just the 13th and 14th players to receive first team All-American honors twice in their careers.