Matt Wixon

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Corey Mulder has spent most of her life in Alaska, so when Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the Republican nominee for vice president last year, classmates asked if Mulder knew her. Well, Alaska is the biggest state in the country, so it's really a silly question.

Or maybe not. It turns out Mulder's younger sister, MacKenzie, is good friends with Palin's daughter, Willow. And the Mulder family was excited when Palin got the nomination.

"We were so happy for them," Corey Mulder said, "and she did a great job."

So yes, Corey Mulder knows the Palin family well. But now the Plano John Paul II junior is getting known more for her basketball skills than her connection to a famous name. And because she's in Texas, those basketball skills are seen by a lot more people.

That was one reason Mulder's family moved to Texas in the summer of 2007.

"Corey really wants to play college basketball," John Paul II coach Katie Hensle said, "and with Dallas being a huge hub for basketball, her chances for doing it here are exponentially higher than they were."

It was hard for the 6-0 guard/forward to get exposure in Juneau, a southeastern Alaska city with about 30,000 residents. It's beautiful there, Mulder said, and she misses the mountains that surrounded the city where she grew up.

But Mulder doesn't miss it so much that she wants to go back. Her parents, Eldon (a former Alaska state representative) and Wendy Mulder, decided to move with their two daughters to Texas. The move was supposed to be for one year.

"They wanted us to see the world, so they gave us the opportunity to come here," Mulder said. "After a year when it was time to go back, we didn't want to go. I just love it here."

Basketball is one reason why. Mulder, who was the District 10-4A Newcomer of the Year last season at Richardson Pearce, is now one of the top players for John Paul II (17-10, 5-3 in TAPPS I-5A). She's averaging 12.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and was named Most Valuable Player of the Parish Episcopal Tournament in December.

Basketball made the move easier, Mulder said, because her teammates are great. She has made friends, and she has also made progress on her goal of playing college basketball.

"Four or five Division I schools have come to watch her, and I'm getting mail constantly," Hensle said. "Her dream is definitely a possibility."