North Carolina's Sylvia Hatchell, Illinois' Jolette Law and Cal's Joanne Boyle got plenty of talent during the early signing period.
Scroll through or click on a letter. Schools are listed alphabetically. Click on hyperlinked school name for prospect information.
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Coach Jodi Kest on her class of Katie Bubna, Taylor Ruper and Rachel Tecca:
"We are extremely pleased to welcome Katie, Taylor and Rachel to our Akron family. Our goal at Akron is to keep the best players home and we feel we have accomplished that with this recruiting class. Each player has experienced a tremendous amount of team and individual success during their high school careers. I feel that they will make an immediate impact on this program. … Katie is a very skilled and crafty point guard who displays great presence on the court," Kest said. "Furthermore, she encompasses great leadership skills and court awareness which are paramount for that position. …Taylor's number one strength is her ability to shoot the ball, especially from beyond the 3-point line," Kest said. "She has great form, a quick release and good strength for a guard. … Rachel is an extremely versatile forward who plays with great energy," Kest said. "She also has a knack for rebounding the basketball and the ability to score in a variety of ways."
Coach Niya Butts on her class of Davellyn White:
"We could not be happier to have Davellyn joining the Arizona family. She's a scorer number one, but she's also a great defender. She's a great competitor and will add a great attitude to our team."
Coach Charli Turner Thorne on her class of Deja Mann and Joy Burke and transfer Markisha Patterson:
"Today we signed three outstanding young ladies who are all going to be tremendous additions to the Sun Devil women's basketball program and the ASU community. Our program feels very fortunate that Joy, Deja and Markisha decided to become Sun Devils. Each of them strives for success with the same character and passion off the court and in the classroom as they do on the court; no doubt qualities passed on to them by their tremendous families who we thoroughly enjoyed getting to know throughout the recruiting process. … Joy is a passionate, focused, determined and remarkably intelligent young lady both on and off the basketball court. At 6-5 she has guard skills and tremendous athleticism. Her versatility reminds me of [current Los Angeles Sparks center] Lisa Leslie. She is comfortable with her back to the basket, on the perimeter, and in a full court game. … Deja is a savvy, hardworking, and dynamic combo guard," said Turner Thorne. "She is both a prolific shooter and great decision-maker which is a very rare combination. While Deja has exceptional athleticism she combines it with a very high basketball IQ and that is what separates her from so many other guards across the country. … Markisha is about as tough and talented a guard as I saw anywhere in the country. While she was a standout at Tolleson, her development at Central Arizona has been outstanding. Markisha's work ethic and hunger to be the best have turned her into not just a great college scorer, but also a player who can dominate with her defense and rebounding. She is a ferocious competitor who will help us continue to succeed at the highest level of college basketball."
Coach Tom Collen on his class of Darshae Burnside and Sarah Watkins:
"Darshae is the post player we have needed to sign since we arrived at Arkansas. She is athletic and runs the floor extremely well at 6'3". She has the physique to do all the dirty work in the paint and is an aggressive rebounder. … "Our fans are going to love Sarah Watkins. She's tough, physical, smart, and loves to compete. One of them described her as the Tyler Hansbrough of women's basketball. She can play the post or the power forward positions due to her solid three-point range and passing skills. She's tough, physical, smart, and loves to compete. She is the most underrated player in the country in the 2009 class. I had more top 10 coaches compliment me this summer for her verbal commitment to Arkansas than any kid I've signed in 25 years of coaching."
Coach Joe Foley on his class of Shelby Ashcraft, Nicole Peavy and Treanna Smith:
(Ashcraft) is strong and very athletic. She is the most versatile player inside and outside that I have recruited. She is comparable to Renee Renz when she won Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, but she has more range in her shot. … (Peavy) will help add depth at the point guard position. She has a chance to come in and be a good Division I point guard. With Asriel [Rolfe] being a junior next season, it will be good to have another point guard in our system. … Treanna is a four type player. She is a very mobile and athletic athlete. She is the most mobile athlete in that position than I have recruited in the past. She moves well inside and will be a different addition than what we have had."
Coach Brian Boyer on his class of Jasmine Taylor:
"With the graduation of Caroline Starr and Brittney Hiles after this season, it was important that we get a really solid guard that can come in and play right away. That is what Jasmine gives you. She plays very mature, under control and is an extremely good perimeter shooter."
Coach Nell Fortner on her class of Morgan Toles, Blanche Alverson, Nicolle Thomas, Pascale West and Megan Perkins:
"I'm really excited about this class, I think we got a little bit of everything, It is great to have this class coming in behind the freshmen class we have now because it is a very athletic class, it has size, speed, it has a little bit of everything and I feel good about the future. … I think kids want to play in front of their family and friends, and I don't blame them. You don't have to go halfway across the country to play in a great program you have it right here at Auburn and we feel pretty good about that. We feel that Auburn is in a really good place, we have the new arena coming and it is just such a great time for Auburn basketball and we are excited about it. … Morgan is a tremendous point guard, I am so excited about her. We lose Whitney Boddie, who is a heck of a point guard, and Morgan is going to come in here and be able to do a lot of what Whitney does. … When you put her on the court along with Morgan Jennings and some of the other great athletes we have out here, we get a lot faster. That is a really good thing for us, especially with the way we are playing right now. She has a great upside to her and she has not reached her full potential by any stretch of the word. … Blanche sees the floor very well and that makes the people around her better, which is a good thing. She is a very skilled defensive player and is a tremendous addition to what we have, especially with her versatility. Blanche is a very versatile player and can play all three spots on the floor. She can play a perimeter spot and an inside spot. She has the ability to shoot the three, put it on the floor, she is an excellent passer, and that is a skill that you do not get a lot of kids coming in with anymore. … Nicolle is one of those players that has flown under the radar. She had a great summer and made a name for herself. She is so strong, similar to Reneisha Hobbs, has a great build with quick feet. Nicolle has a beautiful shot, is a great three-point shooter, but can also get to the hole very strong. Her game is very versatile. She has had to play inside in high school, but will play on the perimeter for us. The good thing about her playing inside in high school is that she has those skills already, similar to Sherell Hobbs when she came to us. Sherell has played perimeter her whole time here, but we can also post her up. Coming in with those kinds of skills makes her a very dangerous player. … P.J.'s upside is tremendous, it is just a matter of how good she personally wants to be. She runs the floor very, very well and has become a much more aggressive player over the past four years. We have known her for a long time and her game is really starting to develop in a big way and we are looking for her to do some nice things here at Auburn. At 6-8, to have that kind of size is awesome. We will have KeKe Carrier for one more year and to have P.J. there with her will be great."
Coach Carrie Daniels on her class of Kaitlyn Hill:
"We're very excited to add Kaitlyn to the team. She's going to bring much needed size and provide us a presence on the inside next season. Kaitlyn is a quality player who has a lot of experience playing on successful teams. She's played for a great high school program and her AAU team has had a lot of success. Kaitlyn is a quality kid who comes from a great family and will be a great addition to our team."
Coach Kelly Packard on her class of Chloe Barnes and Shanee' Jackson:
"Our program is very excited to welcome Chloe Barnes and Shanee' Jackson to the Ball State University women's basketball family. Our recruiting priority is to focus on character, exceptional basketball ability, and a positional match for the future needs of our program. Both Chloe and Shanee' possess the qualities that fulfill our recruiting priorities and position our program for continued success. … Chloe is a very gifted perimeter player with a great combination of both size and strength. Her offensive game is balanced as she possesses strong shooting ability as well as the capability to slash and read the defense. Chloe has a very mature aptitude for the technical aspect of the game and has displayed natural leadership qualities setting the tone for her team both offensively and defensively with the energy she brings to the court. … Shanee' is a tenacious intense defender," said Packard. "Her aggressive approach on the defensive end of the court is contagious for her teammates and fun to watch. She loves the environment of competition and challenges her teammates to play with great passion and focus. Shanee' is a great fit for our tempo transition offensive style of play. She naturally pushes the ball in transition and has the ability to penetrate the defense and create offensive opportunities for her teammates."
Coach Kim Mulkey on her class of Brittney Griner, Mariah Chandler, Jordan Madden, Shanay Washington and Kimetria Hayden:
"The fact that four of these five signees committed to our program long ago speaks volumes about these student-athletes and their families; they upheld their commitment and never wavered. I believe this recruiting class will be ranked quite high and that brings great recognition to our program. The future of Lady Bear Basketball is very exciting. All of these players are athletically gifted and will make an immediate impact in our program."
Coach Gordy Presnell on his class of Julia Marshall, Lauren Lenhardt and Taylor McGilbra:
"Lauren had a lot of offers, we are glad she has chosen to stay home. She is long, she's athletic, and a great student. I am just really excited that she has decided stay here and be a Bronco. … Julia is athletic, a scorer, and a slasher. She is one of the top players in the state of Kansas who had opportunities to go to other schools but chose to come to Boise State. The Broncos are going to be better with her on the team. … Some other programs here at Boise State are into recruiting Houston so we wanted to get in there as well/ We are fortunate to get someone of Taylor's athletic ability. She's extremely athletic and plays for an outstanding high school and club team. I think she is going to have a great career here as a Bronco."
Coach Paula Buscher on her class of Olivia Allen and Brooke Bisping:
"Katie is a long athletic guard with very deep range. She is quick off the dribble and makes everyone around her better. She had a terrific summer on the AAU circuit for Full Package/Lady Lightning. Katie is a good defender and a relentless worker, spending hours a day working on her game which will pay off for her next season. … Brooke is a true competitor, she finds a way to win regardless of what sport she is playing," Buscher said. "She has three-point range as well as being able to get to the basket and finish with contact. I feel Brooke will continue to excel at the next level. She is a tremendous role model for kids in this area, she is a quality individual off the court and an extreme competitor on the court. … Olivia has tremendous speed and athleticism, she gets to the rim and causes defenses to breakdown," Buscher stated. "I believe Olivia's best basketball is ahead of her. She will remind our fans of Skye (Johnson) with her quickness."
Coach Curt Miller on his class of Allison Papenfuss, Chrissy Steffen and Jessie Tamerlano:
"We are extremely excited to add three quality people and quality players in Allison, Chrissy and Jessie. They have the character and the talent that we are always looking for during the recruiting process. They are fantastic students who will add to our championship lockerroom. All three have the chance to make an immediate impact within our program. … We are excited that Allison has officially joined our Falcon family. We have followed her closely since her freshman year, and targeted her as an important piece of our future. Allison is an outstanding power forward. She plays with reckless abandon, and will bring a toughness to our team. Offensively, Allison is a post player that is comfortable on the perimeter, but is rugged enough to be successful with her back to the basket. She will be a crowd favorite because of her outstanding work ethic and effort. … Chrissy is a huge get for the Falcon program. She is one of the premier shooters in the entire Midwest, and has put up impressive numbers in both high school and AAU competition. Chrissy knows how to win, being a part of a state championship team and also helping her AAU team win over 40 consecutive games this summer. She is an instant-offense type of guard, but her length also allows her to be a disruptive defender. … Jessie was the last piece of our outstanding 2009 recruiting class," said Miller. "She is an outstanding athlete who excels in the transition game. Jessie has great length at the wing position and will attack off ball screens within our offense. … My assistant coaches deserve a lot of credit for this outstanding recruiting class. All three recruits have the chance to make an immediate impact within our program. In addition, Tamika and Maggie will become eligible next year for us. Alone, these five would form an outstanding starting lineup, but adding them to our existing team should bring an excitement for years to come in Anderson Arena and the Stroh Center."
Coach Linda Hill-MacDonald on her class of Amy Gardner and Nicki Hopkins:
"Both players are entering their senior seasons second in school history in three-point shooting. One of the things that both of them will bring is an outside ability to score from the perimeter for us. … Nicki is one of the purest shooters that I have ever seen. She has deep three-point range and is a very smart player. She likes the run the floor and will fit into our system very well. … Amy is also a player who will fit well into her system because she likes to run up and down the floor. Because of her size Amy can also post up against smaller defenders. Some people would consider her slasher because off her ability to get to the hoop and score. … Both players are winners and they bring something new to this team. They are both extremely competitive and we are excited to welcome them to this program."
Coach Beth Couture on her class of Becca Bornhurst, Claire Freeman, Dragana Grbic and Liz Jennings:
"We are so excited to finally officially make these outstanding young ladies Bulldogs. They all have very strong resumes that will definitely help to fill the shoes of our four graduating seniors who have been instrumental in renewing the winning tradition at Butler University"
Coach Joanne Boyle on her class of Tierra Rogers, Eliza Pierre, DeNesha Stallworth, Gennifer Brandon, Talia Caldwell, Brenna Heater and Layshia Clarendon:
"We are extremely excited about this class. They bring a ton of individual talent and athleticism as well as a great basketball IQ. There is a good balance between posts and guards, but most importantly, I think this group of athletes is a fantastic fit with the chemistry we already have on the team. Their personalities and styles of play are going to mesh really well with what we already have in place. … DeNesha is an unbelievably skilled post for her age. She has amazingly skilled footwork and great hands. She has a solid repertoire of post moves, skilled going right or left, and can play facing or with her back to the basket. The best thing about DeNesha is the maturity of her game. She has already shown that she can play at the highest level. She is a great passing post player with an uncanny ability to see things develop on the floor. … Gennifer is an athletic post with tons of potential. She is a great shot blocker who is just really learning the game. She is great in transition, loves the running game and can play outside or inside. I think her size, her length, and her athleticism are really going to bring a lot to our team, as well as her quickness. She will be working with Assistant Coach Jennifer Hoover on learning the basic footwork that is really going to take her game to another level. … Tierra is extremely athletic, very long body. She can defend the one, two, or the three positions. She, along with Layshia and Eliza, will set the defensive tone for our team in this class. Their abilities are going to allow more pressing and running. She is also a great rebounding guard. Offensively Tierra is a slasher and a post-up guard who is going to continue to work on her outside shooting. She wants to become even more of a threat from the outside. She loves big games and thrives in those situations. … Eliza is one of the best defensive guards in the country. She has incredible speed and will set the defensive tone for our team. She has an energy and spirit that are so contagious. I truly believe she will be a great leader for our team. She also has a great basketball IQ. She is an incredible open court player and can get to the basket at will. For her size, she is an incredible rebounder. She is working on her shot to be a bigger threat from outside as well. She is truly going to set the tone for us. … Layshia is a very athletic guard who wants to play uptempo on both ends of the floor. She loves to run in transition and is a proven scorer. She loves to score in the open court, but is also a great player in a half-court system. A fierce competitor with a great knowledge of the game, she has proven she can play, and especially score, at the highest level. I was also impressed with the amount of work she did on her defense this summer to add depth to her game. … Talia is a very physical player who likes to get up and down as a post. She played this summer with DeNesha [Stallworth], and the two of them built a very effective high-low game together. She likes and really wants to play physical. She is one of the smartest players at her position and uses her knowledge of the game to help everyone on the court. You can see a true joy in her when you watch her play. … Brenna is the tallest post we have coming in and will give us the best presence in the paint. She is a true low block player, but is very mobile for her size and has proven she can play away from the basket. She is a threat on the block, but also has a nice touch from the outside. She has the desire to play physical and has the desire to be a dominant post in college. Working with Jennifer Hoover will have an immediate impact on her game."
Coach Wanda Watkins on her class of Tonisha Baker, Alyse Hall and Monique Spry and transfer Courtney Cannon:
"Monique is an athletic, quick guard who can score through penetration or on the perimeter from two or three point territory. She gets after it defensively and her quickness will be an asset to us in all phases of the game. … Alyse is an athletic slasher who will benefit us on both ends of the floor. She will enhance our rebounding from the perimeter and has a really quick first step. She is also an excellent student- athlete. … Tonisha is a talented point guard who will make everyone around her better. She can pass, slash or score on the perimeter. Her size and athleticism will enhance our guard play. … Courtney brings athleticism to our squad along with two years of junior college experience. She is a slasher who can score from 3-point territory as well. She is an excellent student-athlete who plans to major in accounting here at Campbell."
Coach Joy Williams on her class of Gevenia Carter:
"I am extremely excited to have someone of Ne's talent level to join our program. Although she is a very talented player, she is an even better person, and it was important for us to get to know her family. She has the confidence in our staff to make the commitment to come here and help build a tradition here, and that means a lot to me."
Coach Sue Guevara on her class of Rachel Mauk, Stephanie Mauk and Jalisa Olive:
"We lose Angel Chan and Latisha Luckett this year, and with the style of play we want, we wanted kids who could score and shoot the three. They are energizer bunnies and have deep range. I love how all three of these girls play, and they all have made a major commitment to conditioning. All three are athletic and can play defense. For the style we play, all three of these players fit perfectly. All three players have made a commitment to being better and making their teams better. We already have a lot of great competition going on in practice, and these players will help continue that trend."
Coach J. Kelly Hall on his class of Daress McClung and Bryonna Snow:
"Daress brings us toughness and the versatility to play two positions," said Hall. "She can shoot the three and put the ball on the floor and she is a great passer. She is a relentless competitor, an outstanding rebounder, and a student of the game. … Bryonna brings us a versatile, athletic forward with size. She is a great rebounder, will run the floor hard in transition, and pays attention to detail."
Coach Krista McKinney on her class of Keyrra Gillespie:
"They say the best point guards are ones that make their teammates better. Keyrra is definitely a player that makes everyone around her better. She has great instincts on the basketball court and tremendous court vision. Our returning players will love playing with her. She will have an impact on Lady Tiger basketball."
Coach Kate Peterson Abiad on her class of Shalonda Winton:
"We were looking for something specific in this recruiting class and the first time I saw Shay-Shay play, I knew she was the kid that we were looking for. She is very long and athletic and her work ethic and desire to be the best will fit well with the mentality that we have established at Cleveland State. She plays as hard from possession to possession as any high school player that I have seen. Shay-Shay has a tremendous amount of athleticism, a scorer's mentality from anywhere on the floor and passes as well as any inside player."
Coach Kathy McConnell-Miller on her class of Megan Malcolm-Peck, Brenna Malcolm-Peck, Melissa MacFarlane and Janeesa Jeffery:
"This is a class of impact. This is a great indication of the direction of our program is headed to be able to keep the best Colorado players home. Chucky, Meagan, Brenna and Melissa can come in and immediately make a difference. … Chucky Jeffery is an extremely athletic guard that will make a significant impact in our backcourt. She is versatile, skilled, and has a great understanding of the game. She has an awareness and court savvy that will allow her to come in as a freshman and compete immediately. She has the physical tools and mental toughness to compete in the Big 12 Conference. She sets the standard for the type of players we want in our program. … It has pleasure for me and my staff to get to know Meagan and Brenna and the entire Malcolm-Peck family throughout the recruiting process," McConnell-Miller said. "It is a special day to officially welcome them into the CU family. We have been watching them since we first arrived in Boulder and knew they were the perfect fit for our program. They are dedicated to being the best possible student-athlete. There is no doubt in a very short time that Meagan and Brenna will elevate this program with their contributions on and off the floor. They are very skilled players and have a work ethic that is second to none. They bring a mentality that coaches dream about. … Melissa MacFarlane fills an immediate need in our program. She is a back to the basket center that runs the floor, rebounds, and anticipates well. Melissa brings a great presence in the lane that allows us to compete in the Big 12. She comes from a very strong basketball program and has been prepared to compete at this level. Melissa's best days are ahead of her."
Coach Kristen Holt on her class of Chantel Kennedy and Meixandra Porter:
"Chantel is an extremely athletic wing that has great ability to get to the basket. She is very good in the open court and is a lock-down defender with excellent lateral quickness. She should fit nicely into our philosophy of pushing in transition and defending in the full court. Her high school team won a state championship in Georgia last year and is favored again this season. … Meixandra is a very good, athletic point guard. She has a tremendous pull-up jumper and is a great on-ball defender. She can use her right and left hand equally well and loves the transition game. I have great expectations for Meixandra as I believe her best days of basketball are ahead."
Coach Annette Watts on her class of Sophia Aleksandravicious, Sarah Davis and Barbara Sitton:
"My staff and I are extremely excited about the class of 2013. We have worked hard to yield not only solid basketball prospects, but top students-athletes. Each of the three prospects fit well in our program here at Davidson. … Sarah is a post player who can run the floor in transition and is smooth on her finish around the basket. She demands the ball inside and plays determined to command the paint. She'll definitely be a force down low for us next year. … Sophia has a tremendous amount of raw talent. At 6-4, she has a defensive presence inside, yet, is versatile enough to both post up and shoot the three at the offensive end. Her hunger to learn and contribute will help give her the opportunity to do big things here. … Barbara has the floor vision of a mature player. She can create off the dribble and makes the players around her better as she'll bring speed to our perimeter. We are excited about the strengths she brings to our team for next year."
Coach Jim Jabir on his class of Olivia Applewhite, Kari Daugherty and Sam Mackay:
"I feel that this new class is much like the classes we've brought in before as far as character. I think they will fit in nicely on how we play and I think they will contribute to our continued success."
Coach Doug Bruno on his class of Katherine Harry and Anna Martin:
"We are very excited about our 2009 recruiting class. We needed a post player to replace Natasha Williams and we needed depth in our back court. With Katherine Harry inside and Anna Martin outside, we answered these needs. … Katherine Harry led her 2008 Rock Bridge High School team to the Class 5 Missouri state championship. Katherine Harry is a strong, live and explosive post player with guard skills that can both play on the block and lead our fast break. Ironically, Katherine Harry coming to DePaul from Columbia, Mo., will join St. Louis, Mo. Incarnate Word graduates Rachel Pierson and Felicia Chester in the post to give DePaul an All-Missouri front line. … As a sophomore, Anna Martin led her Lexington Christian squad to the 2007 Kentucky double state championship, one of only three schools in Kentucky state championship history to win both championships in the same season. Anna is an excellent scorer and defender that brings great defensive toughness to the team. … Both players are winners by leading their teams to state titles and also represent the 'total recruiting package' in that they are both excellent students and great people. Katherine and Anna will help DePaul continue our recent tradition of being one of the only Division I women's programs in the country to be ranked both athletically and academically. They have also been extremely well coached in high school. At Lexington Christian, Anna Martin was coached by both Donna Murphy and Jason Seamands. Katherine Harry's Rock Bridge High School coach is Jill Nagel."
Coach Joanne P. McCallie on her class of Alexis Rogers, Allison Vernerey and Janeé Johnson:
"Alexis is somebody who has that toughness piece again where she is a competitor and she is a versatile player as she can play the four and maybe the three someday. She is a pressing, athletic type of player. Alexis is a person who can give us athleticism like Carrem [Gay] has given us. Now of course, Carrem has improved greatly and is having a tremendous senior year so it's hard to make the direct comparison, but when you look at athletic post and somebody who can press and run, Alexis definitely has those attributes. She works hard, she has got a good three ball, so she can also be effective from beyond the arc. Again, I like her toughness, physical nature and her approach to the game. She will give us a lot of versatility and a great ability to stay versatile in our defensive attack. … Allison has so much experience, she definitely has a measure of great talent and great toughness because she is playing on the French national team and she is able to do so many different things. She is an incredible lefty post player and has great skills, particularly in the paint area. Allison is a tough competitor, works very hard and her best days are certainly in front of her, but she has had some pretty good ones to date. I am thrilled to have a player from another country, also, because of her blue collar work ethic. She doesn't assume anything and she works really, really hard. She has a throw-back mentality in terms of her work ethic in the gym and every team needs people that are willing to be in the gym. … Janeé is a very hard working player from the great state of North Carolina. She has a great physical body, again offering a toughness piece we are looking for. She is really a true three, four kind of player. Janeé has a nice pull up jumper and has some athleticism to her offensive game. She will have the strength component in her favor and what she will have to do this summer is really develop her outside shot, her three-point shot and her ball-handling skills to give her an opportunity to compete for playing time."
Coach Brady Sallee on his class of Bianca McGee, Mariah King, Ta'Kenya Nixon, Kelsey Wyss and Morgan Palombizio:
"Mariah was the final piece of this year's recruiting puzzle and she is exactly what I was looking for. Mariah is long, athletic and versatile. Her ability to play with her back to the basket, coupled with a great stroke from the 3-point line, gives us someone that will continue the tradition of all-conference post players at EIU. The added bonus of playing in Whitney Young's program and winning the state championship last year is priceless. I know that Mac and Corry will have Mariah ready to make a huge impact next year. … Bianca is a big-time get for EIU. She is a prototypical two-guard in our system. She can flat out shoot the ball. She also has the perfect mindset to be a defensive stopper in our system. I think she is ready to come in and be a contributor to our team from day one. I can't wait to get her here! … I can honestly say, I'm not sure we have ever had a player like Ta'Kenya in our program. She is an absolutely incredible athlete. She is explosive and can flat out stuff the stat sheet. One of the things that excites me most is her ability to change a game on the defensive end of the floor. She's tough, a great kid and a great student. I'm excited to coach her! … Morgan was our first commitment in this class and I really think it set the tone for the way things shaped up. She was made to play in our system. She's long, athletic, plays her tail off and rebounds the heck out of the ball. Her ability to shoot the ball will make her someone that I think our EIU fans will love. She reminds me a lot of the young ladies currently in my senior class. I think that speaks volumes to how I feel about Morgan. … Kelsey is a complete guard. She can do it all on the floor. She has a wonderful stroke, can get to the rim and she passes it extremely well. I'm so excited about our future and Kelsey's role in it. She will definitely be someone that we run our offense through. On top of being a great player, Kelsey is my kind of kid. She's a gym rat tough, hard-nosed and driven. I can't wait to coach Kelsey; she is a perfect fit in our program."
Coach Wendy Schuller on her class of Na'Derra Carey, Courtney Nolen and Jordan Schoening:
"Nadi is a tremendous athlete and a great basketball player. She will bring another level of toughness to our perimeter game and is a player who could make an immediate impact in the Big Sky. … Courtney is a long, athletic forward who plays with a lot of energy. We think she'll be a great fit for us inside with her ability to rebound, defend and run the floor. … Jordan is an outstanding addition to our team. She has great range on the perimeter and is a hard-nosed defender. She is a local product, and Eagle fans will be very excited that she stayed home to play college basketball. … I want to thank my assistants for the outstanding job they have done in bringing this class to Eastern. It has been a pleasure to get to know these young women and their families. They are all outstanding players and will help elevate us to another level of athleticism and talent. All three are winners and are excited to wear the red and white next season."
Coach Karen Barefoot on her class of Lisa Archie, Ali Ford and Eleisha Hairston:
"Lei Lei has the potential to be an impact player in the Southern Conference with her ability to defend, rebound and score from the inside or out. She is a tremendous athlete who is extremely versatile and will bring confidence and dedication to our program. … Ali is definitely the complete package as a point guard. She has great court vision and is an outstanding shooter. I believe she is one of the top point guards in the country. She has the innate ability to make everyone around her better and her enthusiasm and passion for the game will bring excitement to the Elon community. … Lisa is a very athletic post presence who can defend, rebound and block shots. She is a big body that will bring an aggressive and physical style of play to our low-post game."
Coach Misty Murphy on her class of Chelsea Hawkins, Samantha Heck, Kaylan Martin and Taylor Ware:
"In general, we are extremely excited about our first recruiting class here at Evansville. We believe that we have gotten the quality individuals and talented players of high moral character that have been staples of the UE program in the past. With the graduation of five seniors this year, we will have some immediate voids that need to be filled next year, and we feel like this class does exactly that. … Each of the players we have signed are good in the transition style of offense that we like to run, and all are accustomed to playing pressure defense. With the timing of our hire this summer, my staff has worked extremely hard and did a tremendous job of targeting outstanding individuals who will continue the strong tradition of Purple Aces' women's basketball over the next four years. … Chelsea is a great backcourt player who is capable of playing both the point and the two-guard position in college. She is a tremendous shooter and an extremely competitive individual. We are expecting great things from her over the next four years at UE. … Sam is someone that we feel has a tremendous future at the college level, thanks to her physical nature inside and her ability to step out on the perimeter. She handles the ball extremely well for a post player, and is a tremendous passer. She was recruited by a majority of the teams in the Valley, and she is another player that we expect big things from in the future. … Kaylan is a pure point guard who is a great distributor of the basketball. She handles the ball extremely well and is also a tremendous on-ball defender. Her offensive game has improved immensely over the last year, and she should fit in extremely well in our transition-style attack. … Taylor is still young to the game as a perimeter player, but has a tremendous upside. She is an amazing athlete who is physically very strong, and she will add a lot to our transition game with her speed."
Coach Amanda Butler on her class of Jennifer George, Lily Svete and Christal Caldwell:
"This class fills a lot of needs for us with the senior class that is going to graduate. The most exciting thing about them is the type of people they are and the personalities they will bring. All three have a tremendous work-ethic and that's a quality you can never have too much of on your team. … Christal is an athletic slasher, who will probably remind Gator fans of (recent graduate) Depree Bowden. She has to get stronger physically, but once that happens her game is going to take off. Christal's game will fit in with our full-court style of play, transition offense and defense. She will be able to have an immediate impact in those two areas. … Jennifer is a next-level type of athlete. She can jump out of the gym and has great timing for blocking shots. Jennifer has a tremendous presence in the paint; she's an impressive shot-blocker and rebounder. She's played on championship teams and the mentality of a winner, which are characteristics we want in our program. Jennifer is someone who understands what it takes to play in the final game of a season and what it takes to win it. She is a player who will do great things beginning her freshman year. … Lily is unique because we don't have anyone on our team with her size and ability to shoot the ball. She is a threat from the high post and the trail spot. She will give us dimensions of a passer that we currently don't have. One of the most exciting things about Lily is her work ethic; I doubt there will be a player in the country who will out-work Lily. She seeks opportunities to improve her game every chance she has."
Coach Sue Semrau on her class of Chelsea Davis:
"We couldn't be happier to have Chelsea join our Seminole family. She has a strong skill set that compliments our current team. Not only does she have great physical tools, but a work ethic and drive that will continue to help build our program into a national power. She has a strong foundation through the support of her family and coaches. That foundation will be the springboard for her to accomplish great things at the next level."
Coach Adrian Wiggins on his class of Jeanna Furst:
"We are excited to add a student-athlete of Jeanna's caliber. She will be a low-post presence and we really needed to add a true center to our program. She is a great student and a great athlete."
Coach Rick Reeves on his class of Brianna Dillard and Kim McKenney:
"We are thrilled to have Brianna choose Gardner-Webb as her college of choice. She is a talented, versatile guard who will come in and have a tremendous impact during her playing career. … We are excited to have Kimberly join our program. She played for one of the top AAU programs in the country and is very talented. Kimberly's mother played professional ball in Europe for 10 years and she comes from an athletic family. We look for Kimberly to help uplift our program during the course of her collegiate career."
Coach Andy Landers on his class of Jasmine Hassell, Anne Marie Armstrong, Jasmine James and Tamika Willis:
"I'm very pleased with the quality of the class. I'm sure this class as a whole will be recognized as an outstanding group, but each individual player is outstanding and will have the opportunity to make our team better. This is the sum total of a lot of hard work and diligence on the part of our coaching staff and our assistant coaches should be congratulated. … Anne Marie is an exciting part of this class. She represents the tallest perimeter player that we've ever had at 6-3. She has excellent skills and a lot of untapped potential. All she's done is win. She's dominated several sports in high school and I'm eager to see what happens when she concentrates on one. … Jasmine (Hassell) is a proven player. She's won in a very competitive high school environment, she was a feature player on a very good summer team and she wins. Her style is a mix of both skill and aggressiveness. She's just a very powerful player. … Jasmine (James) has the potential to make the lights on our side of the scoreboard change often. She is an excellent offensive basketball player who not only scores it but creates scoring chances for other people. She has the potential to be an outstanding defender as well. … Tamika is a warrior. She brings the fight; she doesn't watch it. She's an extremely hard worker, plays the game with great enthusiasm and has an excellent post player skill set. She can score it low, high and she'll rebound. She's definitely an underrated player."
Coach Rusty Cram on his class of Kayla Dayton, Miriam DuBose, Briana Scott and Alexandria Williams:
"Mimi is a different player than Lee. She is a more all-around player and can shoot the ball. She understands the game and is a coach's daughter. We are excited to have Mimi come here. … Kayla is a point guard who can do it all. She is one of the best point guards that was recruitable for us. She can shoot the ball with the best of them and is a very gutsy hard nose type of player. … Briana is a swing-post player that knows how to face up and shoot the ball well. She will play right into our motion offense. We feel that she is a very steady and gutsy player. … Lexy Williams is an all-around guard who shoots the three exceptionally well. She is very smooth and even-keeled and we can use her at the one, two or three position. Williams has good size, and we feel like she is going to be a great player for us."
Coach MaChelle Joseph on her class of Sharena Taylor, Jasmine Blain and Shayla Bivins:
"We are really excited about this class. We have signed an impact point, a shooting guard with size and a physical post that has tremendous upside. My staff has done an unbelievable job the past three seasons, following up back-to-back top 10 classes with another class ranked in the nation's top 20 this year. … We have a very young and talented basketball team. This class will provide the depth we will need to continue building this program into a national power in women's basketball. We are excited about the impact this class will have on our program."
Coach Kelly Graves on his class of Kaitlyn Peterson, Brittany Gray, Kelly Petersen and Meghan Winters:
"Simply put, Kaitlyn is the perfect fit for our basketball program and team. She fits our up-tempo style of play perfectly and has the ability to step right in and make an immediate impact. Kaitlyn is a competitor of a big-time nature, and displays the kind of on court presence that is a must for an elite point guard. She sees the floor so well, makes excellent decisions in the open court, and can shoot the 3-point as well as create for herself and others. She's just one of those players who makes the right play at the right time, especially in big situations. A great point guard is the toughest position to fill and we are thrilled Kaitlyn is going to be a Zag. … Meghan is a consummate team player, willing to do anything to help her team. She is a tremendous shooter with outstanding ball skills and has the ability to play any of the guard or small forward positions. She reminds me a lot of Jami (Bjorklund) Schaefer in her length, strength, ability to play defense, her competitive nature, and in her solid understanding of the game of basketball. Meghan's also a winner, coming from one of the top programs in the country and I look forward to her bringing that success with her here. … Brittany is a stat machine. She's not the biggest or quickest player but she just knows how to get the job done at a high level. She's very strong and has an uncanny ability to use her body, especially inside. She's certainly one of the best rebounders the state has ever seen and I am confident that she will continue to be a great rebounder here. Brittany will have to adjust her game to facing the basket more but we'll definitely utilize her post-up abilities when she has an advantage over a smaller defender."
Coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey on her class of Shante Evans, Lindsey Watson and Candace Bond:
"It is hard to put into words how exciting it is to have Shante Evans on board with the Hofstra Women's Basketball program. Shante has such a physical presence on the floor and she will be a program changer for the Pride. Not only does she possess outstanding physical play by competing on the boards and producing in the paint, she also has an excellent touch outside, catches in traffic and has soft hands and quick feet for her size. Shante will make an immediate impact not only with the Pride, but in the Colonial Athletic Association as well. … She is going to be the X-factor. She will get every loose ball and attack the boards. Defense is really her strongest suit, but her long frame and quick step is impressive. Candace is an amazing perimeter threat with the ability to elevate and deliver in traffic. She plays long and finishes around the rim. She will bring another level of talent to the program and be an impact player for us. … We are thrilled that Lindsay has decided to join our program. She possesses a great basketball IQ and her leadership ability will help us a great deal. It will be like having a coach on the floor. She is my type of player; someone who is hardnosed, mentally tough and quick. Her teammates will feed off of her competitive nature. Coming from a highly successful high school program, I know she will be a great fit here at Hofstra."
Coach Joe Curl on his class of Macy Morton and Zalika Dyson:
"The two girls we have coming in, Macy and Zalika, both bring some important depth to our program and we have high hopes for both of them. Since we are only graduating one senior, we had saved a pair of scholarships, and we looked at a lot of kids but we are certainly excited about the two we got. … Macy is more of a true point guard but she also has nice size for the position. She handles the ball extremely well and also has a great shot. Additionally, she is outstanding in the classroom and on track to graduate as her high school's salutatorian. She has played on a some really great summer teams and was recruited by several other schools, but we're excited to get her and think she will be a great fit for us. … Zalika brings a lot to the table. She is big and long, every bit of 6 feet 2 inches tall. She is the type of player that can step in and play a lot of minutes for us right away with her ability on defense to change opponents shots, but also as she develops her game on the offensive end of the court. As with Macy Lynn, Zalika is a an extremely intelligent player, who should do very well academically in college."
Coach Jon Newlee on his class of Kanisha Bello and transfer Bianca Cheever:
"Obviously, Bianca had been in our system for two years down at Idaho State, so it was great that we were able to 're-recruit' her. She gets up and down the floor well and she was really starting to shoot the three well for me last year and I think she's going to bring a scoring mentality for us, but she's also a good defender. Bianca is a real fast player. She was probably our best defender at Idaho State as far as getting out on the ball, putting pressure on, getting in lanes and making steals. I think she's going to be great on both ends of the floor for us and once again, she'll bring that winner's mentality because she's won where she's been. … I know Kanisha is going to fit in great. She's a great shooter, a great scorer and she can create her own shot, so from that standpoint we really liked her game when we watched her the last few summers. It's kind of the rap that some of those kids have out there (in Hawai'i) that it's only 'island ball. I was out there for three years and I know what it's like, but the club teams from Hawai'i have come over in the last few years and proved that they can compete with anybody on the mainland."
Coach Seton Sobolewski on his class of Shannon Byrne, Kaela Oakes, Ashleigh Vella and Morgan Wohltman:
"We are very excited to have Ash a part of our program. She is athletic, physical and a good defender. She has the potential to contribute right away. … Morgan comes from one of the most successful girls' basketball programs in Arizona. She will bring scoring and size on the perimeter for us. We are excited to have someone of Morgan's caliber join our program. … Shannon is a tall forward who runs the floor extremely well who can score in the post as well as on the perimeter. For a 6-3 player she is very agile. We are excited about her becoming a Bengal. … Kaela is a very athletic point guard, who is a good pull-up shooter, strong ball handler, an exceptional defender, and a leader. We will be very excited to have Kaela a part of our program next year."
Coach Jolette Law on her class of Destiny Williams, Karisma Penn, Adrienne Godbold, Briana Jones, Kersten Magrum and Amber Moore:
"It is a great day to be an Illini. This is one of the finest hours in the history of Illinois recruiting. I couldn't think of six finer young women to positively represent the University of Illinois. I am confident that they will bring energy, excitement, hard work and a passion to win to our program. Each player brings unique attributes to the program, but the common denominator is that they exemplify what it means to be a University of Illinois student-athlete. I have a special place in my heart for each one because they took a chance and bought into my vision of taking this program to national prominence. These young women represent me because they came...more will come. The pieces of a national championship team are starting to come together for our program."
Coach Robin Pingeton on her class of Alexis Jenkins, Megan Grace, Brooke Owens and Jaylynn Stewart:
"Megan comes from a very successful high school program. She will bring much needed size and strength to our program. Even at 6-foot-4, she is mobile, runs the floor well, and has the ability to step out and produce on the perimeter. … Alexis is someone that has been somewhat under the radar until this last summer. She plays much bigger than her size. She grew up playing on the playgrounds in Chicago and has a lot of versatility to her game. She is quick, can score in a variety of ways, has great floor vision, and can defend. … Brooke is probably one of the stronger athletes we have recruited here. She also plays much bigger than her size. She is a fierce competitor and a tireless worker. Her athleticism is going to be a great addition to our program. … Jaylynn can do a little bit of everything. She is very versatile. She will be a strong perimeter player for us that can also create shots for herself in the low post. She has an excellent understanding of the game and has the ability to make everyone around her better."
Coach LeAnn Freeland on her class of Heather Gonser, Nickole Gonser and Brittany Morris:
"Heather is an explosive, athletic guard with good size who plays hard all of the time. With her aggressive mentality, she causes problems on both ends of the floor for opposing teams. She led the state in steals in 2008 and scores a lot from her insistent pressure on defense. … Nickole is an athletic and versatile forward who can play inside or outside. She has good range on her shot and finishes well around the basket. She runs the floor very well in transition for easy baskets and has a knack for rebounding. … Brittney is a very skilled and athletic guard/forward who can do it all. She can bring the ball down the floor, shoot three's, attack off the dribble, and post up. She has an aggressive mentality on both ends of the floor."
Coach Felisha Legette-Jack on her class of Sasha Bernard, Aulani Sinclair, Jasmine Davis and transfer Hope Elam:
"In Aulani, we're getting a great in-state player that exemplifies character, academics and basketball. As one of the top five scorers and rebounders in the state last year, we expect her to make an immediate impact with the program in our effort to pursue championships. … In Sasha, we are getting a dynamic, get you out of your seat point guard who is going to help us raise banners. Her speed will allow us to take our fast break to new heights. We are very excited about her joining our Hoosier family. … We are so excited to have Jasmine become a member of our program. She reminds us a lot of a young lady that starts for us in Amber Jackson. Her tenacity on the boards and her ability to be able to face-up and put the ball on the floor will be an added advantage for us. She's a fantastic student and is a kid that has not received a B in her entire high school career, so that's going to help us academically. I think her character is unbelievable as well. Jasmine definitely meets our character, academics and basketball standard. … Hope Elam - what a blessing it is to have her caliber of athleticism join our program. She is a player that transferred from Saint Louis and is now at Vincennes. She has been working on a lot of things that she needs to work on, but she is a player that can put up a lot points in a hurry for us. She reminds us a lot of a great player on our team in Whitney Thomas. Her tenacity of purpose is tremendous on the boards and for her to be able to hit that 3-point shot and put the ball on the floor is going to help give us a little more flexibility in our offense. We certainly excited about her, and her character, academics and basketball are all tremendous. … We feel like we have a great group of four student-athletes that have committed to us in the early signing period."
Coach Jim Wiedie on his class of Andrea Rademacher, Taylor Whitley and Moriah Hodge:
"Taylor is an extremely quick player who is primarily a point guard, but can also slide over to play the off-guard position as well. She is a very tough, hard-nosed competitor, especially on the defensive end of the floor. She never takes a possession off. Offensively, her strength is pushing the ball in transition and on defense she really can get up and put pressure on the ball. Taylor can stop on a dime and hit a jump shot. Overall, she is the complete package and will bring a little more size to our team that we have had in the past. … "She is an incredible athlete. Andrea is a 6-3 player that can jump out of the gym. The first time we saw her was during a workout and it was the most impressive individual session that I have ever seen. Her strength is her footwork and her fundamentals. She has a beautiful shot. She shoots the 3-point shot as well as any post player I have ever seen. Andrea is strong on both the inside and the outside and has the ability to really create some match-up problems for an opponent because she is so mobile and can also shoot so well from the outside. … Moriah is a 6-2 guard/forward combo who has the ability to play both inside and outside. While she will need to add some strength, she doesn't shy away from contact and has the ability to finish near the basket. She has really expanded her perimeter game over the summer, and is much more comfortable with her jumpshot. She has such a wide wingspan that she will be very effective for us as a defender not only in the half court but also in the press."
Coach Lisa Bluder on her class of Jaime Printy, Theairra Taylor, Morgan Johnson and Gabrielle Machado:
"I am very happy with our recruiting class this year. It is a strong class and I believe each player has an incredible upside. They are very good players now, but they can all become great players. … (Printy) Finally! It was three years ago when we received her commitment. It's great to have her officially become a Hawkeye. Jaime is one of the best players in the state of Iowa and can play the point or off-guard position. She is a scoring guard that can distribute and knows the game so well. Jaime grew up two doors away from the house that I grew up in. I feel we have a great bond after having so many similar experiences. … Theairra is a great combo guard that can play the 1,2 or 3. She is used to being a champion after winning back-to-back Minnesota state championships and MVP awards. Theairra is a gifted athlete that can score in a variety of ways and understands the value of defense. She is a tremendous signing for us! … Morgan is a hard worker that will help replace the size that we will be graduating. At 6-5, she will be playing the inside positions for us and will help with rebounding and shot blocking. I love her work ethic and coachability. … Gabby is a power forward that can bang and won't back down to anyone. Gabby was under the radar of a lot of major programs due to some minor summer injuries. I believe that she will blossom here and become a dominant rebounder and inside player for us."
Coach Bill Fennelly on his class of Adrianna Prins, Amanda Zimmerman, Chelsea Poppens and Jessica Schroll:
"It is exciting that the day is finally here that we can talk about (Zimmerman). She is signing today, but committed to us as a freshman and has been a Cyclone a long time. She is very skilled and being left-handed adds another dimension to her game that we have not had since a kid named Angie Welle, who was one of the best ever at Iowa State, was on our team. … (Poppens) is an explosive athlete. She had excelled at not just basketball, but volleyball and soccer as well. Her motor is always running and she plays hard every possession. Her versatility will allow us to use her in many different ways at both ends of the floor. … I think Jess is a kid that was under the radar due to an injury before her junior year. She can run and jump and loves to compete. We believe that Jess can play a number of positions and will give us some needed size on the perimeter against so many great kids in the Big 12. It is also nice to add a player from another region of the country. … Anna is one of the most skilled inside players we saw throughout the recruiting process. She was without question one of the most recruited players in the nation and we are excited that she has chosen to be a Cyclone. Anna will give us a true center who has the ability to step outside as well."
Coach Bonnie Henrickson on her class of Tania Jackson, Annette Davis, Carolyn Davis, Monica Engleman and transfer Marisha Brown:
"I am pleased to complete this class with two players who are both a great fit for our program. With Monica and Tania we are getting a quality perimeter player and a 6-foot-3 player who can play multiple positions. Annette and Carolyn are both great kids who have a wealth of basketball experience playing against the very best competition. They will both be tremendous assets to our program in the years to come. … Monica has great play-making ability. She is a great passer in transition and in the half-court game. She can get to the rim to score or pull-up and make a jumper. … Tania shoots the three and can post up. She is a tremendous rebounder on both ends of the floor. She possesses the speed, size and athleticism to be successful in the Big 12. … Annette is an explosive, skilled player who can play multiple positions. She has a great basketball IQ and is a very strong rebounder. She has a nice touch from the high post to complement her moves on the block. She is the perfect fit for the 'little-big' position in our system. … Carolyn is long and athletic. She runs the floor extremely well and is a great finisher at the rim. She is also a strong defensive player who has a knack for blocking shots. She will provide a quality low post presence to our roster. … Having Marisha join our program is exciting. She is a player with great skill, athleticism and basketball knowledge. In addition, it's always nice to have an outstanding local player in our system."
Coach Deb Patterson on her class of Brittany Chambers, Taelor Karr and Mariah Lashae White:
"Brittany brings tremendous leadership abilities, toughness, and a solid, strong base of offensive skills to our program. She has a great ability to get to and finish at the rim; she is a terrific passer and will stretch the defense with her three-point shot. She has great transition basketball instincts as well and pushes the tempo and pace of the game. I expect Brittany to make an immediate impact as we transition from an experienced senior class to an underclass-dominated squad in 2009-10. Brittany has the heart and demeanor of a champion. The teams she leads, win. She is the consummate gym rat and as she dedicates herself fulltime to basketball, I see her impact in this program and the league being tremendous. … Taelor will bring an element of speed and quickness that is similar to what we have seen from Shalee Lehning. She elevates the speed of the game in the full court and I am impressed with her quick shot abilities. She is athletic and has a very good ability to get to gaps and to finish strong at the rim. Her quick release is a terrific element from the three-point line and she has a great knack for passing and making those around her better. Her work ethic on and off the court is extremely impressive. This is a young lady who has worked as many as four jobs and has excelled in the classroom while working to become a K-State and Big 12-caliber guard. She is a tough, hard-nosed competitor who is all about winning. … Mariah will bring a strong, physical presence to our perimeter game. She is a tough-minded competitor with athleticism, a solid three-point stroke and a great feel for and intelligence about the game. Mariah possesses great personal character on and off the floor. She is an excellent student and has demonstrated the toughness, persistence and personal character to battle through two ACL injuries with determination and great resolve. Mariah is a student of the game and her physical strength and athleticism will match up well with the great guards in the Big 12. She is a person and player her teammates respect and admire on and off the floor. I believe Mariah has a chance to become a player out of the Kimberly Dietz mold."
Coach Bob Lindsay on his class of Sam Price and Leslie Schaefer:
"Sam will bring needed help to the guard position. And we really liked Leslie's low post scoring abilitty. Both young ladies are also excellent students. … Leslie runs well, has good strength, and is a very smart player. … Sam has size, strength, scoring ability and a very good feel for the game."
Coach Matthew Mitchell on his class of Adia Mathies, Brittany Henderson, Anna Cole and Porsha Postell:
"These four young ladies represent the kind of people we want to bring into the program. Not only do they have a lot of talent as basketball players but they have a great deal of passion for the University of Kentucky and pride to want to wear the Blue and White. We are very excited about this class and the future of our program. … Anna is a 6-6 post player who we are very excited about. She is extremely excited about coming to Kentucky as well and that's the kind of person we want in our program. Anna has tremendous size and has shown great work ethic this past year. We are looking for her to bring a strong low-post presence to our team that will impact us defensively and offensively. She has good hands and we have seen her improve since we first started recruiting her. We think her best basketball is ahead of her and we look for her to be a very powerful force in the SEC during her career. … Brittany is a dynamic athlete. She has shown the ability to be a tremendous rebounder at a high level and that will be very important to our success in the SEC. We need players who can compete on the boards night-in and night-out. Her ability to defend and rebound stand out to me and we think she will be a tremendous asset to our program. … We feel that Adia is the best player in Kentucky and one of the best guards in the country. She has one of the most polished games I've seen from a high school player. We look for her to make an immediate impact on our program because she is already a high-level defender along with the fact that she can score off penetration, she is a good shooter and a good passer. She is the total package. … Porsha is a prolific scorer on the perimeter. She led New York in scoring as a junior and she has that kind of mentality we need from a scoring, perimeter player. She has great range, she can shoot the three, and she can get to the basket. We are tremendously excited about her joining our family."
Coach Carey Green on his class of Jelena Antic, Carra Coy, Angie Ramey and LaKendra Washington:
"Jelena is a local favorite who is a very skilled player. She is the daughter of a former professional player and coach, and has a complete game. I'm extremely impressed with the way Jelena sees the floor and understands the game. It's always great to have a local community player who is able to contribute to our team. … The first time I watched Carra play, she shot 12-for-12 with 25 points. I knew then that she was something special. We're excited to have Carra choose Liberty, not only because of her presence as a 6-6 post player, but also because of her outstanding intangibles. She is extremely bright and continues to develop an outstanding basketball IQ. Because of her desire to improve, she will have a very bright future at Liberty. … You won't find a better, more aggressive athlete. Angie has the ability to make a big play and turn a game around. She will be an exciting player to watch as she develops throughout her career. … LaKendra is a welcome addition to our team. She is a very explosive player who will be able to assist at both the point guard and shooting guard positions. A left-handed dribbler, she has the ability to score a lot of points quickly, both on the perimeter and penetrating to the basket. We feel she will be a quick contributor and will have a tremendous career at Liberty."
Coach Mary Hegarty on her class of Jazmyne Porter and Lyndsay Heard:
"Lyndsay has grown up around our program, so it has been wonderful to see her develop into an outstanding student-athlete. She is a versatile guard that can play anywhere on the perimeter, from the point to the small forward in our offense. She can handle the ball and shoot the three, and I also really like her length defensively. … Jazmyne is a fast and talented one- or two-guard that uses her speed effectively. She is a scrappy defender, especially on the ball and she will add much needed athleticism and speed to our guard position."
Coach Gail Striegler on her class of Tamika Guz, Ifeoma Obianwu, Kayla Ramsby and Krystal Wells:
"Tamika will add a presence for us inside and add another dimension to our offense because of her size. She has great hands and can finish on the block. … She's a very athletic four player. Ify can score, get up and down the floor and can defend. She plays bigger than her height and will be good for us with her ability to score both inside and outside. … Kayla is a versatile guard with size that can hit the outside shot or go to the rack. She will create matchup problems for opponents if they guard her with a smaller player because she can post up inside. She has tremendous upside because of her size. … She's a point guard that does a great job managing the game. She's an incredible competitor. She can really penetrate and score or find the open player. She will be a great leader on the court for us."
Coach Mona Martin on her class of Ashley Wakefield:"We are very excited that Ashley has decided to join the ULM basketball family. She is very athletic and can penetrate to the basket very strong. She has a nice jump shot and can score from anywhere on the floor. Ashley can also shoot the three and is a smart basketball player. Her style of play is very similar to how Lottie Moore plays." Coach Van Chancellor on his class of Bianca Lutley, Adrienne Webb and transfer Jasmine Nelson:"She (Lutley) is an outstanding combo-guard who can play many different positions. She has a rare combination of being an outstanding shooter and passer, and we really like having her as a part of this class. … Adrienne Webb is an outstanding defensive player that is hard-nosed and fits the LSU tradition. She will be a perimeter player that has the ability to penetrate and help us as an all-around player. … We feel Jasmine Nelson is one of the premier junior college players in the country. She has range where she can go outside and run the floor as well. She fits what we are running now offensively."Coach Chris Long on his class of Tavasha Anderson, Sha'kayla Caples and transfer Lenita Sanford:
"I'm very, very pleased with this class. A lot of hard work by our staff has gone into making this a great signing class. Each coach contributed. This class is just what the Lady Techster program needed. Each of the signees will make major contributions to our basketball team. … Lenita is a huge signee for us. She is an incredible player and will make a very big impact on our program. She can do it all. She not only has size, but is a powerful presence. She is one of the best rebounders and shot blockers I've seen. But what makes her special is she can really score on the low block and by running the floor. Once she fully recovers from her injury, the sky will be the limit. … Tavasha's decision to be a Lady Techster really excites me. She is 6-foot-3 and has huge hands and an athletic body. She catches well, can run, rebound and her offensive game is going to get better and better. She is a super young lady that has her priorities in order. She is a great student and a really hard worker in the gym. Tavasha is dealing with a frustrating injury that will keep her out of action for the next six weeks but I'm sure she will come back with a lot of motivation. I knew within minutes of watching her practice that we were going to offer her a scholarship. She has a lot of upside with her size, length and improving footwork. … In my opinion, Sha'kayla is one of the top two or three talents to come out of Mississippi in the past 10 years. She is a smooth scoring machine. She can shoot the three, has cat-like quickness at getting to the basket and can handle the ball. She is a great leaper. Sha'kayla is the perfect illustration of an explosive player. She is physically strong and has rare body control the enables her to dominate games. If she played AAU on the national level, there is no doubt in my mind she would be a Top 25 player. I watched her score 38 points last week against very good competition and she actually had an off-night shooting. She's that good."
Coach Jeff Walz on his class of Nikki Burton, Rachel Story, Asia Taylor and Ashley Rainey:
"This is a great day for Louisville basketball. We have signed four dynamic young ladies who are not only great basketball players but great people. I want to thank my staff for all the long hours they spent putting this class together. To have back-to-back Top 15 recruiting classes shows that this program is going in the right direction. … Nikki prides herself on competing on both ends of the floor. She will surely become a fan favorite when it comes to her grit and determination. She may be one of the best athletes to ever attend U of L. … Ashley is a very strong player who has a nice touch around the basket. She is the first recruit in this class to commit to us and we believe she is the best player in the state. She has a great knowledge of the game and is a great rebounder. Rachel is a prolific scorer and can break down defenders in the open court. We are looking for her to push the tempo and attack in transition. Her passion for the game is relentless and her work ethic is second to none. … Asia is going to be an impact player for our program next year. She has a great work ethic and is always in the gym. She is very athletic and explosive and can get the rim. She will create matchup problems for other teams on defense. She is very good in transition which will make her a great fit for our program."
Coach Julie Wilhoit on her class of Camille Buckley:
"Our fans are going to love watching Camille play at LMU. She is a very aggressive and explosive rebounder and has a knack for making plays around the rim. With Camille's athleticism and quick first step, she will also be a big scoring threat both in the low and high post areas for us. Most of the boards she grabs, either on the offensive or defensive end, Camille finds a way to convert them into points."
Coach Shannon Reidy on her class of Monica Albano, Catie O'Leary, Abby Skube and Satavia Taylor:
"One of Chicago's own, Monica Albano, adds to the importance of us recruiting top players from the city and state of Illinois. Monica brings in an immediate perimeter focus to our team, similar to the way current junior Maggie McCloskey has impacted our team from beyond the arc since she was a freshman. Monica has a quick release and high-percentage perimeter game and will clearly be one of the top shooters and scorers in the Chicagoland area this season. She has great court vision and has experience at both the point guard and shooting guard positions with her high school and AAU teams and is a solid penetrator that has very instinctive change of direction moves. She is very unselfish and teammates love to play with a guard that sees the entire floor so well and delivers the ball so intelligently. Adding Monica to our lineup next year clearly puts our team in a position to have one of the deepest and most talented backcourts in the conference. … Listed as one of the top guards in the entire state of Wisconsin the last two years, Catie most certainly will be making a quick impact on our program. Catie is a triple-threat guard, who can run the point as well as either 2 or 3 guard position in our motion offense. She is fearless off of ball-screen actions, has very deep 3-point range and is a brilliant full-court passer who pushes the ball in transition. It was important to recruit a guard who can mix up her game in so many different ways and she has a unique toughness on both ends of the court and a very steady mental edge during competition. She remains focused and is very smart in her decision making. You just do not see Catie O'Leary make many mistakes during a basketball game. Catie's talents will be displayed very quickly next season for us. She has had success at both the high school and AAU levels so her mental edge to winning will be very important to our team. … We are extremely excited to add the talents of Abby, from the great basketball state of Indiana, to our lineup next year. Abby is a very athletic forward who has the ability to mix up her low-post and high-post game. It is imperative that our post players are quick, athletic and have both an inside and outside game. One of Abby's most impressive attributes is that she plays with so much positive energy and emotion. She is active on both ends of the court, is tirelessly competitive and can run the floor as well and as hard as most guards. Abby can face the basket and attack off the dribble, she can shoot from beyond the arc and she has very good back-to-the-basket that she can finish with either hand. She sees the floor well and knows how to work with her perimeter players as well. I am also very excited about her knowledge and effectiveness within the high-low game, which was evident with her Indiana Elite AAU team this past season. Abby fits in perfectly to our offense and her talents will be seen very quickly in the Gentile Center next year. … We recruited a `winner' in Satavia Taylor. Hailing from one of the top nationally ranked high school teams in the country, Satavia knows what it takes to be successful. The preparation that she is receiving at Bolingbrook is very collegiate-like and she will be prepared to step right into the Division I basketball scene and be impressive from the start. Satavia can play in the high post, shoot and attack the rim with ease. She is also an excellent slasher and up-tempo player whose vocal leadership and daily drive is what is most impressive about her. Satavia is only used to preparing to win so her work ethic and confidence will be extremely beneficial to our entire program. Defensively, she brings an enourmous amount of athleticism and speed to our team. We will be able to run more up-tempo and fullcourt defensive looks next year with Satavia in the lineup. I can foresee Satavia playing a number of positions for us over the course of her career at Loyola because she has that much potential and upside to her game. We do not have a player like Satavia in our program so our fans will see a lot of her on the court next year!"
Coach Katie Meier on her class of Morgan Stroman, Hannah Shaw and Anisha Wilson:
"We really targeted a low post scorer and a dynamic scoring point guard. In addition, we wanted to make sure we challenged the traditional powers in going after and signing one of the nation's top players. We are quite pleased to have hit the mark in signing Hannah, Anisha and Morgan. All three young ladies have a real competitive spirit and understand what their commitment to 'THE U' family means. They are extremely likable people who strive for excellence and they all come from championship programs. I want to compliment my staff for their efforts, and express my confidence in this class and in their ability to make an immediate impact on this program. … The signing of Morgan Stroman certainly raised some eyebrows nationally. She is a legitimate All-American player, and her versatility makes her a tough match-up for anyone who guards her. What I love about Morgan is that she sees what is about to happen down here in Miami. She did her research and was impressed by our recent nationally ranked signing classes. The kid is a winner. Her mom is one the most successful coaches in South Carolina history and was a great player in her day as well. We've added a tremendous competitor who, no doubt, will bring that spirit to the 'U'. She's athletic, bright, talented and to top it off was the homecoming queen at her high school. She is a truly special young lady and this is a big addition to our family. … Anytime you sign someone with Olympic possibilities in their future, you know you have signed a good one. Hannah is one of the top international post prospects, mainly because of her ability to score in a variety of ways in the paint. She is an extremely bright young lady, which makes her a very crafty post player. Because of her anticipation she rebounds very well and always seems one step ahead of her opponents. We are thrilled to have Hannah join our family. … Anisha is a very gritty, hard-nosed point guard, who can also move to the off guard and give you some scoring. She uses her quickness very well, especially on the defensive end. She pushes tempo extremely well and is very difficult to guard in the open court, which fits perfectly with our style of play. Anisha is coming off a state championship and we love that she is a winner."
Coach Maria Fantanarosa on her class of Courtney Osborn, Kristin Judson and Kirsten Olowinski:
"Courtney is an exceptional person, player and student. She is a true competitor who will outwork her opponent. As a tall point guard, she will cause mismatches because of her 3 point range as well as her aggressive play to the basket. The point guard position is a key spot on our team. She is a great addition to our team. … Kristin is a strong player who has finesse moves, as well as power moves inside. She is a very smart player who knows the game and anticipates well. She will be a threat inside and out. … Kirsten comes from a very dominant program in Mercyhurst Prep. She was an all-state player who is a very good athlete. She is a slasher, a player who is going to be able not only to post up inside, but a player who is going to be able to help us facing the basket."
Coach Kevin Borseth on his class of Samantha Arnold, Dayeesha Hollins, Kate Thompson, Nya Jordan, Jenny Ryan and Rachel Sheffer:
"Sam is a 6' 3"-plus kid who has the skills to do damage both inside and out. She shoots threes, uses the dribble and has a back-to-the-basket game. She is a dynamic individual who will fit perfectly into our system. … Dayeesha Hollins has the ability to make an immediate impact. She is an explosive and competitive point guard with an unparalleled desire to succeed. She will give us the ability to pressure in the back court defensively and also presents us with a very good option for late shot-clock opportunities offensively. … Nya is a tremendous athlete. She is one of the very few players who doesn't take possessions off. She is very determined and plays with a ton of heart. Because of that, she inspires her teammates to do the same. Most her career, Nya has played with her back to the basket and will make, what I think, will be a very easy transition to facing the basket in college. The toughness she has developed all these years has the ability to serve her well in college. … Jenny is an extremely competitive player who not only can play, but make the players around her better. Jenny has great instincts on both sides of the ball and can play a couple different positions. She is the competitive and driven leader that this program needs. … Rachel Sheffer is an outstanding athlete. She is big, fast and strong. She sees the court extremely well, rebounds in traffic and runs the floor extremely well. Her versatility allows us to use her both facing the basket as well as in the post. … Kate Thompson, what can I say, she's a 6' 3" point guard. Kate creates a very difficult matchup because of her size and skill level. Kate is so long and defensively she gets her hands on a lot of shots and passes. It is going to be fun watching Kate mature because her potential is unlimited."
Coach Suzy Merchant on her class of Kelsey Smith and Jasmine Thomas:
"We are excited to have both Kelsey and Jasmine join the Spartan family. Both student-athletes will be major factors in the development of the Michigan State women's basketball program. … Kelsey has the skill set that will allow her to contribute right away in our system. She is physical, powerful and loves contact, yet can run the floor extremely well and has tremendous hands. We look forward to having her toughness inside, as she possess that hard-nosed, blue collar work ethic that you love to have in a Spartan uniform. .. Jasmine brings quickness and athleticism that will make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor. She has the ability to get after the ball for 94-feet and can create tempo for us on the offensive end. We love her speed and scoring mentality coming off the high ball screen as well as her ability to be a play maker. Her versatility to play the point guard and off guard positions will add depth to our back court next season."
Coach Rick Insell on his class of Jamilla Ajanaku, Kortni Jones, Lauren March, Icelyn Elie and Dymon Raynor:
"We have to commend our whole staff because signing these five players was a team effort. Everyone had some kind of input in the signing of all of them. We are very happy and I do not know what the experts out there are saying about the people we signed but I know what the experts on our staff say that we have signed five young women who are going to mesh right in to what we believe in on both sides of the ball. … Academically, it is about going to class, being a good student and citizen. All of the players we have signed have those qualities and have come from championship programs with great high school coaches. … (Ajanaku) comes from a high school program that has been very successful under head coach Niki Bray. We saw Jamila with her high school team at our team camp and her athleticism in terms of what she could laterally and vertically excited us. She cannot only get up and down the floor but can handle the ball extremely well for a tall player. She fits our game and her upside is tremendous. … (Elie) is going to be someone who people will be talking about for a very long time. If you look at some of her statistics one of the more impressive things is how well she has done in the pentathlon. She can do just about anything. She can rebound, guard the post and play the perimeter. She has great lateral speed and can rip the basketball off the boards. Everything about her game excited us and we felt very fortunate to sign her as well as the other four players. … We put a list together of five guards we wanted from around the country and the first person on it was Kortni. When she verbaled to us back in August we were very excited and were even more excited when we received her paperwork yesterday. There were a lot of schools that tried to persuade her to not come to Middle Tennessee and go to their schools in the last few weeks but she stayed committed to signing with our program. That says a little about her and her family. She is a good student and can come in and make an impact our team. … (March) was the most valuable player of the state tournament. She can slash, knock down the three-pointer and handle the basketball. She gives us someone who has a lot of length that can go from sideline to sideline and up the floor. She is very athletic and has the potential to possibly grow anywhere from one to three more inches. She had a good coach in Boyd West and her high school won the state championship last year. We have a player who can come in and help us next season. … We told Dymon that she was our No. 1 signing from the onset and the player we wanted the most of all the players we were recruiting around the country. I think that had a lot to do with her committing early. She is strong, physical and has really come into her own in the last few years. When she gets with [strength coach] Matt Riley and develops even more physically and learns what we want as far as our system is concerned, then she is going to make a big impact. … We are excited about bringing in quality newcomers to a team and we do not lose a player. These five players get to come in and observe our current players. They have some young women in front of them that go to the weight room, are the first ones to the practice floor and work extremely hard. That is going to translate and make an impression to them, like passing a baton. We are going to have these same players that are coming in now that will be passing it to the next set of players. We are here to build not only just a team but also a program. … The most important thing for our staff is to come back and sign another marquee recruiting class right behind this one. That will give us a great foundation."
Coach Renee Ladner on her class of Courtney Marbra:
"Courtney is a very athletic post player that has a tremendous upside. She is very well coached and possesses an incredible work ethic. She also comes from a very good high school program and we feel like she will fit in well at Ole Miss."
Coach Cindy Stein on her class of Trenee Thornton:
"We are so excited to have such an outstanding young lady in Trenee Thornton. She brings good court sense and savvy and the ability to play any of the guard spots. She can create her own opportunities and get the ball to who you need to. Trenee prides herself on her defense and will be able to fit in well into the style of defense that we want to play."
Coach Robin Selvig on his class of Alyssa Smith, Kenzie De Boer and Katie Baker:
"Katie is a great all-around player. She has size and is an effective player around the basket. On top of that she has perimeter skills to go with her size. She is very active and intelligent defensively, which is something else I really like about her. And she's a great person and student. … Kenzie is another really good student and kid out of a very successful program. What I really like about Kenzie is that she has size and athleticism to go along with her perimeter skills. She could have the ability to play the point in college. … Alyssa is another really good all-around player and a very intelligent player. She's got size to be effective around the basket, and she can shoot it from the perimeter. She comes from really good high school and summer programs."
Coach Tricia Binford on her class of Ally Schmitt, Latisha Adams, Ashley Albert, Chelsea Banis and Kelsey Roben:
"Tish is a tremendous athlete that is playing the point for her high school team. Because of her athleticism, she has tons of potential. She has great ability off the dribble and is the type of player that makes those around her better. We'll use her at the 2/3 spots, and she can absolutely lock-it-down on defense. … Ashley plays point for her high school and we'll look to move her into a forward spot. She is very versatile and is one of the purest shooters in the state. Ashley, being the daughter of a coach, has a high basketball IQ and great court awareness. She is another player with huge potential. … Chelsea is a strong, physical player that moves very well and has a great touch. She will join Jamie Thornton as a true center in our program. We're excited that she possesses a hungry attitude for the game and unlimited potential. … Kelsey's stats basically don't tell her story as she plays on such an outstanding team- one that is among the nation's best. We see a lot of potential in Kelsey. She runs the floor very well, can shoot the three and go to the basket. Kelsey is a good defender and she can play many positions. She has a great upper-end. … We feel Ally was overlooked as she is coming off an ACL injury. I really like her mental toughness and that's a great trait for a point guard. We feel she has tremendous leadership skills and basketball savvy. Ally can really create opportunities for her teammates and that's what we like from the position. She is a strong, confident competitor."
Coach Rob Cross on his class of Jessica Winfrey, Kayla Cunningham, Tessa Elkins, Jessica Holder, Aubrey Minix, Candace Nevels and Mariah Robinson:
"Kayla was the first member of the class of '09 to commit to be a Racer. She has a good understanding of the game having played for Coach Scott Sivills at Calloway County and at 6'2" can handle the ball and step out and shoot from the perimeter. She is going to be a great role model for the younger girls in Murray and Calloway County as she represents her hometown university. … Tessa is one of the toughest competitors that I have watched play over the years. She is an outstanding athlete who can flat out defend. On the offensive end of the floor she is extremely quick with an outstanding mid-range game and the ability to drain the three. She will remind a lot of Racer fans of Shaleea Petty and Alaina Lee with her intensity. She will come to us with a great concept of how the game should be played having played for one of the top coaches in the state of Ohio for Andy Fishman. … Jessica is an extremely versatile athlete. She can excel at this level with her back to the basket and can step out to shoot the three or penetrate to the basket. She is also an outstanding rebounder with a very good feel for the game. Having played for one of the all-time great coaches, in Howard Beth, she will come in and with an understanding of what it takes to be successful. … Aubrey is first and foremost a fantastic shooter. She has deep range which will help us stretch defenses. Aubrey also has a great mind for the game and is solid in all phases offensively. She plays for her dad and he does a tremendous job with the Oregon Davis program. She has experienced a lot of success at the high school level and will certainly help us continue to build this program. … Candace has the versatility to play 3 or 4 positions for during her career here at MSU. She is an exceptional athlete with a very good mid-range game and the ability to get to the rim. She is a high energy play that could become a great defender for us. She is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done and I am certainly excited about that. … Mariah is an outstanding athlete who can score in a lot of ways. She has the ability to shoot the three or attack the rim. One of the things that excites me the most about Mariah is her ability to rebound the basketball from the guard spot. Coach Brad Johnson has helped her grow as a player and person over the past few years and we are certainly excited about what she will bring to the Racer Family. … Jessica is a fantastic athlete who has the potential to be a dominant rebounder in our league. She is relentless on the court with the ability to play several positions because of her strength and leaping ability. Coach Long has one of the top programs in Arkansas at Marion High School and she will come in with a good background to help her make the transition to this level. … When we first started putting this class together we wanted to make certain that everyone we got involved with had the character and discipline to be successful academically at a great university like Murray State and help us win championships along the path toward their degree. I believe that we have done just that. This is a testament to the tireless effort and ability of our entire university community. Coach Duncan, Coach Jones, Coach Hayes and did a wonderful job and have helped bring in people that we can all be proud to call Racers!"
Coach Connie Yori on her class of Lindsey Moore, Katya Leick and Meghin Williams:
"Lindsey is a classic floor leader. She is an excellent passer and decision-maker as a point guard, and she can score in a variety of ways. I love her competitiveness on the court, and she is also a great student off the court. … Meghin has the ability to face up and shoot it, rebound and play with her back to the basket. As the president of her high school senior class, and a three-sport athlete, she also shows great leadership potential. … Katya Leick is really my kind of player. She works extremely hard and has great tenacity. She is versatile on the court and she is also a great student."
Coach Don Flanagan on his class of Caroline Durbin, Emily Starks and Jourdan Erkskine:
"Caroline is a quality player with a great up side. She came to our camp and we've been very impressed with her. She was named the Most Valuable Player of her conference and has great athleticism. She is a terrific player and a great addition to our program. … Emily is a long player and a very good defender. She needs to improve her shot but is an overall nice player. She just transferred to one of the top schools in Colorado and the change should be very beneficial to her. Working out in that environment will help her develop. … Jourdan is a physical guard with a nice shot. She is a good defensive player with good overall skills. She is strong and athletic."
Coach Amy Champion on her class of Juanita Cochran, Talisha Bridges and Dmesha Hewitt:
"Juanita brings size, speed and athleticism to our team in the post position. She is very skilled and is a true rebounder. She will be a huge asset to our post game. She chose UNO over Cincinnati, UTEP and several Michigan schools. We are thrilled to have her join our UNO family. … Talisha is an extremely quick, fast and explosive guard. She has great size and a true ability to score. She has tremendous rebounding ability and will see some time at the small forward position too. We are excited about having her in our perimeter rotation and happy to have Talisha join our program. … Dmesha is a very talented true point guard. She has the ability to run any Division I team. Her decision making and work ethic make her a extremely valuable player. She will add depth and scoring in our point and off guard positions. We are really excited about her future!"
Coach Sylvia Hatchell on her class of Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, Krista Gross, Waltia Rolle, Cierra Warren and Nyree Williams:
"Krista is the best senior in North Carolina. She has tremendous versatility and can play all over the court. She can shoot the three and post you up, and she is a very accomplished student. … Waltia has potential to be one of the best big athletic girls in the country. She has only been playing basketball for four years and she continues to improve rapidly every day. She scores well around the basket and blocks shots with the best of them. … Cierra reminds me a great deal of Erlana Larkins. She is physical, a great passer and can play on both ends of the court. She is extremely talented around the basket. … Nyree is a multi-talented player that will play many positions for us and will really flourish in our system. Nyree has a great work ethic and incredible athletic ability, and regularly dunks in workouts. … Tee has tremendous leadership skills and knowledge of the game. She has the total package, she can score, defend and is a great passer. Her versatility is unlimited. We are thrilled that she will be joining our Carolina family. She will be a tremendous asset to our University and our community."
Coach Kay Yow on her class of Marissa Kastanek and Kelsie Lliteras:
"Both players come from the state of Nebraska and will play an essential role in the future of Wolfpack women's basketball. Marissa will help us add depth to the guard position with Shayla Fields currently in her final year with us, while Kelsie gives us another option in the post with her size."
Coach Laurie Kelly on her class of Hayley Henderson, Amy Patton and Tyler Stephens-Jenkins:
"What Hayley brings to us is some versatility. She has the ability to play the 1 and the 2. She can shoot really well from the perimeter, and with her high school team she has a lot of experience playing the point guard position. I love that we're getting another player out of Las Vegas. She comes from a very good high school program and we feel like she has the ability to come in and make an impact right away. … We are very excited to get Amy. Obviously, to get the Gatorade Player of the Year out of the state of Arizona is just great for NAU. She can really shoot the ball, is good off the dribble, rebounds really well for her size- she's just a gem. To get her out of your home state is just a huge bonus for us. She has turned a program around. She's a difference-maker. There are a lot of good basketball players, but to go into a program and make the program better, and elevate the level of everyone around you- it's rare to see that. She's been able to do that. … Tyler is coming out of one of the top high school programs in the state of Arizona. and that's really exciting for us. She's extremely athletic, can play great defense, and is also a really good scorer. She has a great jump shot, she slashes and gets to the rim, and is very strong on the glass for a perimeter player."
Coach Carol Owens on her class of Shaakira Haywood and Brittney Callahan:
"Shaakira is a post player that has a lot of athletic ability. I can't wait until she gets here. She's a great young lady, very intelligent. Watching her develop from year to year, her best basketball is ahead of her. She will be a great compliment to our team. … Brittney is a great kid. She's not shy at all. What I like most about Brittney is she can score and she'll compete defensively. She hates to lose. I love her competitive spirit."
Coach Tanya Warren on her class of Amber Kirschbaum, Jessica McDowell and Tiffanie Porter:
"Amber has the potential to be a great post player in our league. She is a great rebounder who has the ability to change the game on both ends. The thing I love about her the most is she will not back down to anyone or any challenge that comes her way. … Jess is a versatile post player who has the ability to score inside and can step out and knock down the three. She is a proven winner and I really feel she will be a huge factor for us inside for the years to come. … Tiffanie has the ability to add something to our team that we don't have. She thrives in being the shut-down defender on the perimeter, and she has the ability to help us change the tempo of the game. As she continues to expand her offensive game she will become a very good player in our league."
Coach Shanice Stephens on her class of Rachel Cuffie, Jasmine Godbolt, Lakevia Taylor and Brittany Thompson:
"The Raq, as she is known as, is a consummate "gym rat". She loves playing the game and will bring a different dynamic to the team. She can score at will and is a strong and versatile guard. Her intensity will help the up tempo style of play that we pride ourselves on. She has great basketball IQ and brings a court savvy that we need. … Jasmine is a six-foot phenomenal athlete. She has one of the best verticals I have ever seen in my coaching career. She plays with the heart and tenacity of a fierce competitor. She exemplifies the vision I have for this team: Love the game and let it show. She brings winning experience from her high school, Garland Naaman Forest, and from her club team, DFW Elite. … 'KeKe' is a dynamic, contemporary point guard who can do it all. She can score, pass and defend. She is simply fun to watch as she truly displays her love for the game. She is a natural born leader, who brings the best out of her teammates. North Texas fans will love what she brings to the court. … This 6'4 upcoming star will be a big presence in the paint and she runs the floor well in transition. Defensively, she changes a lot of shots and rebounds the ball well. Brittany will be a huge factor her freshman year. She has the potential to be one of the best post players that North Texas has ever seen."
Coach Joe McKeown on his class of Inga Orekhova and Dannielle Diamant:
"My staff did an outstanding job with our first recruiting class at Northwestern. We brought in student-athletes we think will have a positive impact on our program over the next four years. I am looking forward to seeing both Dannielle and Inga in a Wildcat uniform. … We are very excited about Inga's decision to come to Northwestern. The international flavor of the Chicago metropolitan area was attractive to her as was the opportunity to play at a Big Ten school like Northwestern. She brings a lot of offensive firepower to the program and has the potential to be a top player in the Big Ten and in college basketball over the next four years. … Dannielle is a great addition to our program. She is one of the top student-athletes in the country and Northwestern's academic reputation was very attractive to her and she wanted to play in a program where she gets to be a part of building something special. She has all the intangibles to be an outstanding college player. She's a great three-point shooter, she's physical and can play with her back to the basket and she brings a certain toughness that must have come from being around her grandfather (legendary basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian), which will truly help the program."
Coach Jennifer Graf on her class of Laniesha Jennie, Jasmine Upchurch and Trudy Armstead:
"(Jennie)'s a dominating inside player who will make an impact for us right away. She moves so well for her size. She has nice touch, good feet, is a good passer who sees the floor well, and she's obviously a big presence in the paint, considering her nickname. We really, really wanted her here at Northwestern and we're very excited to have her joining the Lady Demon basketball program. … Jasmine is a strong, physical forward that moves extremely well for her size. She has been a dominant post for many years and we expect her to have an immediate impact on our conference. … Trudy is an athletic player who could play the two, three, or four spots for us. She as been under the radar and we feel we have signed a versatile, scoring athlete that will complement our shooting guards."
Coach Muffet McGraw on her class of Skylar Diggins and Kaila Turner:
"This is a great day for our program, our University and the whole South Bend community. Skylar is an exceptional young woman, on and off the court, and we are so excited and thrilled that her family, friends and other supporters will be able to watch her play right here at Notre Dame for the next four years. The things that really impress me the most about Skylar are her composure, her drive, her competitiveness and her will to win. She's such an unselfish player and is someone I think our current team is really going to enjoy playing with. … We are thrilled that Kaila has decided to come to Notre Dame and join our program next fall. More than anything else, she's going to bring more speed and explosiveness to our backcourt, which will be an important addition for us on the defensive end. She also handles the ball very well, makes good decisions on offense and has a really nice outside shot that extends to the three-point line. We look forward to Kaila's arrival on our campus next year. … So much of the credit for this year's class has to go to my staff and our players. Skylar and Kaila will be tremendous additions to the Notre Dame family and we can't wait to see them on campus next year."
Coach Semeka Randall on her class of Porsha Harris, Symone Lyles, Tina Fisher and Ashley Fowler:
"Porsha (Harris) will be a dominant force inside. She has tremendous ability to run the floor and the killer instincts to compete inside on both ends of the court, be it rebounding, defending or putting the ball in the basket. … Symone (Lyles) is a very athletic player that creates havoc defensively. She excels in the open court and has great ability to make plays and finish in the paint. … Tina (Fisher) simply does all the little things. She is a tireless and relentless worker on the court. She sets tough screens that allow her teammates to get open, and she just loves to compete. She will do whatever it takes to win games. … Ashley is simply a tough, mentally-strong player. She has played in three state championships and is a proven winner. She is 100 percent committed to do whatever is needed to win games."
Coach Sherri Coale on her class of Joanna McFarland and Lyndsey Cloman:
"Joanna is the final McFarland sister to enter the Big 12 conference and as good as Jessica and Jackie were respectively, Jo might just be the best of the bunch. She is an undersized post who can easily step out and score from the perimeter. She is tough and smart and afraid of no one. As skilled and smart as she is on the floor, her competitive drive is her ace. She just has impeccable grit. I love her fight. … Lyndsey is a strong, yet highly skilled post player. She is a tough, competitive kid who can battle at the block or step out and score from behind the arc. We love her passion for the game and her mindset."
Coach Kurt Budke on his class of Toni Young, Keuna Flax, Heather Howard, Desiree Nicole Jeffries and Lindsey Keller:
"We needed to add size to our program and we feel we have accomplished that with this class. We have a different mix of size. We added power, athleticism and a shooter. We are pleased with this class and feel if they stick together, they can have a lot of success. … You can label Keuna as a scorer. Every time you look up, she is in the 20s. She can score from different places and she is going to remind people a lot of Danielle Green. … Heather has the ability to play the 3 or the 4. She intrigued us with her size and ability to step out and shoot the three. She is a very smart player. … Lindsey is a powerful player that will remind people of Maria Cordero. She can post up hard and she can also shoot the three. … ³Desiree is a great athlete that can become a defensive stopper and can play the 1, 2 or 3. Having a player that can guard three positions is valuable to any program. … LaSharra is a powerful, athletic player. I feel she can average 10 rebounds a game for us in the Big 12. … Toni is a tremendous athlete with an unbelievable up side. Playing in the Big 12 South, you need athleticism that can play the 3 or the 4 and she fits our system."
Coach Jerry Finkbeiner on his class of Kevi Luper, Audra Pfannenstiel, Jaci Bigham, Jasmine Smith and Savanna Buck:
"We consider Jaci a top guard in Oklahoma. She's one of the most complete players in this state as far as ball handling, passing and shooting goes. She's a young high school senior and will improve and get become a better player as she gets older. She's also one of the leading scorers in the state. … Jasmine is an outstanding player and prospect based on evaluation. She's a top 50 player in the U.S. and we're excited to have her. She's an outstanding athlete and shooter and she is a great compliment to our program. … Kevi brings us athleticism and offensive fire power that few guards in the state possess. She was highly recruited all around the Midwest and we went against some well known schools to get her. Adair HS is well respected throughout the state of Oklahoma and she is expected to lead this season. For a combo guard, Kevi has good size and athleticism which is good for scoring points. … We're happy to have Audra because we started recruiting the latest but we feel like she's a nice reward for recruiting this past summer. She's a great D-I prospect and a tribute to our program. She's more offensively inclined than defensively inclined which is good because you can coach defense. We're looking forward to her post position and her spot on our roster has a lot of value."
Coach Bev Smith on her class of Aliyah Green:
"We are very excited about Aliyah's addition to our women's basketball program. I have been watching Aliyah since she was a freshman and have always hoped that she would make her way down from Portland to become a Duck. Today, our hope, our staff's hard work, and Aliyah's connection with our players, has come together to make this a reality. Aliyah is a tremendous athlete and is well suited to play either the two or three position in our system. Her ability to run the floor, take the ball to the hoop and hit the outside shot, will enhance the depth and versatility we already have we here at Oregon. Adding Aliyah to this mix is incredibly exciting and bodes well for the Ducks future."
Coach on her class of Kate Lanz, Tayler Champion, Haiden Palmer and Angela Misa:
"When I came here, we got third- and fourth-tier players. We're now (signing) second-tier players and now the focus is to get into that top tier. We're vying for recruits who have other Pac-10 or power-conference options, which is different from when we came here. … We're ecstatic (Lanz) chose to stay in state. She's a fierce competitor, with great court vision. She can drain the deep three or put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. She has the total game and will help us with our in-state recruiting. … (Champion) gives us versatility on the wing. She's a great rebounding guard who also has a 3-point shot. She's also likes to score in transition and in traffic. … (Misa)'s athletic and strong, can score with people hanging on her and is a tenacious rebounder. She tends to be foul-prone because she's aggressive (but) I'm excited to have a player who is overly aggressive. … (Palmer)'s a good on-ball defender. She's can also knock down the three but her best game is getting to the rim off the dribble."
Coach Lynne Roberts on her class of Jordan Rogers, Erica McKenzie, Shantel Thomas and Kendall Rodriguez:
"Erica is a natural point guard that plays with creativity and a scorer's mentality. She has incredible range from the three-point line and is not afraid to have the ball in her hands with the game on the line. She has led Reed High School, coached by Sara Schopper, to three straight Nevada state tournaments, including the Nevada state championship game as a freshman. Erica is an absolute basketball junkie and we are so glad that she has chosen to be our program's point guard of the future. … Simply put, Kendall is a winner. She has been coached by one the best coaches in the nation at Brea Olinda in Jeff Sink. She played for Russ Davis and the highly renowned Cal Swish AAU program. Both Brea Olinda and Cal Swish are nationally ranked teams that produce some of the game's top talents. Kendall is extremely versatile and has one of the best basketball I.Q.'s that I've seen. She understands the game and what needs to get done on the floor. She's very long and can shoot, pass, defend, and rebound. We are really looking forward to her becoming an impact player for us. … Jordan is a versatile scorer who can play three different positions on the floor, from shooting guard to power forward. She uses her body well, understands the game, and can flat out score points whether it be from the 3-point line or in the paint. She will fit well into our system because of her versatility and ability to score and rebound. Jordan was very highly recruited and we are thrilled that she is going to be a Tiger. … We are extremely excited to have Shantel choose to be a Pacific Tiger. She is obviously familiar with the Big West, having played one season at UCSB. She wanted to be closer to home in Sacramento and we are really looking forward to having her be a part of our program. Shantel will be a tremendous inside presence with her length and athleticism, but also has the skills of a guard with her shooting and passing ability. She will help us tremendously in the next two years."
Coach Coquese Washington on her class of Nikki Green, Alex Bentley, Gizelle Studevent and Marisa Wolfe:
"I am really excited about this class. They are all going to be impact players for this program. They, as a class, filled out our needs, going forward. We certainly got bigger, in terms of size, and we also got some speed and quickness at all positions. We are really excited about what kind of impact all these players can have on our program. … Nikki Greene's potential is off the charts. She's got incredible athleticism. She runs as fast as any of the guards and she can literally defend all five positions on the floor. She's got the power and the presence inside that will help us contend with the big post players in the Big Ten. She hasn't even begun to scratch the potential of how good she can be. She's going to make us very versatile on both sides of the floor, in particular defensively; she is a shot blocker and a good rebounder. She is going to have an incredibly high impact on this program. … Alex Bentley is just a phenomenal point guard. She is the whole package; she can score, she can defend, she can pass, she can shoot the three and she probably has the best pull-up jumper of anybody that I have seen in the country. She has a knack for the stop-and-pop shot. I am excited about her ability to both score and create opportunities for her teammates. … Many people out West have compared Gizelle to Manu Ginobili (of the San Antonio Spurs). She is like the Energizer Bunny, she just runs, runs, runs all day. She is a phenomenal shooter, she's got a great outside shot and she works really hard. Anytime there is action around the ball, Gizelle is involved with it. She has a good handle and she brings a lot of toughness to that (wing) position. I am excited about her coming to the team. … Marisa is probably going to be the surprise kid in the class. She is just an extremely skilled big girl, she can shoot the three and she is tough. She has the tenacity that is going to elevate our post game, along with great skill. She is a ferocious and intense rebounder. She is going to prevent people from double-teaming down in the low block because she can do some much from the high post in terms of shooting and passing. She is going to be a very versatile player for us."
Coach Agnus Berenato on her class of Ashlee Anderson and Leeza Burdgess:
"Ashlee will come in here and contribute immediately," Berenato said. "Her entire family played college sports at a very high level, so that is all she knows. She plays with such unbelievable emotion and desire. She is a winner. Ashlee is a player that won't be denied," Berenato continued. "She is imposing and plays so much bigger than she is. We are thrilled to have her. … Leeza is a young lady who has such an amazing future ahead of her. She has not had the experience that a lot of players have had when they enter college, but she is like a sponge. We feel she has tremendous potential and has the drive and determination that will continue her rapid development. Leeza is big at 6-5, but she is mobile and has really good hands. She fits well into our scheme and is such a hard worker. Once she really gets a feel for the game and is comfortable, she will be great."
Coach Sherri Murrell on her class of Nichole Jackson and Karley Lampman:
"I'm very excited about this extremely talented recruiting class. I want to thank my staff, administration and team for working hard to attract such high caliber student-athletes to Portland State. Nichole and Karley fit our style of play and will be great additions to our program. … Nichole is a deadly triple threat player. She is a prolific passer, a sharp-shooter, and can get to the rim. She is an intense competitor and was a key player in both state championships at Auburn Riverside. I love how Nic plays hard at both ends of the court. … Karley is an athletic and physically strong forward who can shut people down on defense and her versatility enables her to score anywhere on the court. Karley is a team player and I appreciate how hard she has worked to be successful in the classroom and on the court."
Coach Sharon Versyp on her class of K.K. Houser, Sam Ostarello and Ashley Wilson:
"(Houser)'s an extraordinary three-sport athlete, which makes her a competitor, a true winner and a leader. She's an outstanding point guard who is an energizer from start to finish and a leader who can shoot the deep three. She can pressure the ball for 40 minutes. She can excite the crowd and she gets the ball to her teammates. Her amazing personality and energy is very contagious, which will engage great team chemistry. We will have FahKara Malone and KK side-by-side because she's exceptionally quick. Her skill of attacking the basket will be an obvious asset. I don't think we've ever had someone like Michaela who has three state accolades in three different sports; she separates herself as a state champ in two out of those three (basketball and track). … Sam is an extremely versatile athlete who has a very long frame, is skilled and is strong competitor. She is the state high jump winner and has used her leaping ability on the basketball court by dunking in a couple of AAU games. Right now with Hoopgurlz she is ranked as the top-15 player in the country. Sam has great hands and can play inside or outside, and can shoot the three. She has great court vision which enables her to be a great passer. Her all around skill is what separates her from other players her size. She has the ability to rebound the ball and run within our style. … Ashley Wilson is a very gifted athletic and a strong competitor. She is usually very successful; she just picked up track last year and ended up a state finalist in the shot put in her first season. Ashley is very physical and a mentally tough player. She will play at the power forward position for us. With her tenacity, willingness to be physical and her great rebounding ability she will be a very demanding force down low. She is a tenacious rebounder, using her strength and jumping ability, which will be a key for us on the boards. She can score down low using her powerful and athletic build. I think Ashley's biggest asset is her will to win. She loves to compete at the highest level at all times."
Coach Greg Williams on his class of Lacey Neu, Zoe Rogers, Jessica Goswitz and Opal Taskila:
"Jessica is the consummate point guard who has started for her high school team since the eighth grade. She is a great competitor who plays a tough, hard-nosed style that our fans will appreciate and enjoy. She is an outstanding ballhandler who knows how to run a team. Jessica also is an excellent shooter so we see her being able to play both guard positions. Her high school coach [Shelly Collier] played for Pat Summitt on Tennessee's first national championship team so she has learned from one of the best. Her basketball IQ reflects that. … Lacey is a versatile player who can play both forward positions. She plays for the legendary Leta Andrews, the all-time wins leader among high school girls basketball coaches, so we hope we don't mess her up. Lacey is one of the best defenders we saw all summer and has the rare combination of size and quickness to defend all five positions. She can really run the floor and can shoot the three which will fit nicely with how we want to play. She also has a warrior-like mentality that our fans are going to love. … Zoe is a special sign for us because she is the first player to come up through our summer camps to join our program, additionally, both of her parents are Rice graduates. She has shown continued improvement and developed into an outstanding prospect since her freshman season in high school. Zoe can score both inside and facing the basket even out to beyond the three-point line. She is an excellent rebounder with a quick outlet pass and runs the floor well to be able to play our up-tempo style. … Opal is a true post player who we think still has a lot of game ahead of her as we watched her progress over the last two seasons. Her high school team has made the Final the last two seasons and is preseason No. 1 in 2-A by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches this season. Opal has an outstanding shooting touch facing the basketball and very soft hands in catching the ball. She has developed an excellent jump-hook this summer which expanded her offensive package. She runs the floor well for her size and should flourish in our fastbreak system."
Coach C. Vivian Stringer on her class of Erica Wheeler and Christine Huber:
"They are each keys to the future. … Erica represents that quick, break-ankle speed guard we will need while Christine at 6-4 - has the flexibility to shoot both inside and outside. I am very excited to welcome them to our Rutgers family. … Christine has a nice outside shot and at the same time doesn't mind banging it up. She runs the floor extremely well and she has excellent temperament. Christine takes a lot of pride in her game and it shows each time you watch her on the floor. … Erica is a quick, explosive guard with great ball-handling skills and can deliver the passes the way we need. She is a smart kid and player. Erica understands the work ethic that goes along with being a Scarlet Knight and has committed herself to it."
Coach Dan Muscatell on his class of Mallorie Franco, Kylie Kuhns and Natasha Torgerson:
"(Franco) is an athlete that has excelled in whatever she has wanted to do so far during her athletic career. She picked up soccer for the first time this year and led her team in goals. We hope to harness her natural athletic abilities to create a ball-hawking defender who can also contribute on the offensive end. … Kylie is a face-the-basket player who is not afraid to mix things up in the paint and go after loose balls. Her ability to rebound at the high school level comes down to her fundamentals, which will continue to improve once she steps onto campus. … Natasha is a player who is multifaceted for someone at the high school level. She has the ability not only to play inside, but to stretch the defense with range that extends past the three-point arc."
Coach Kim Barnes Arico on her class of Shenneika Smith, Amanda Burakoski, Jennifer Blanding, Eugenia McPherson and Nadirah McKenith:
"The 2009-10 signing class is one of our strongest ever. My assistants, under the direction of Recruiting Coordinator and Associate Head Coach Joe Tartamella, did an outstanding job of recruiting local talent to St. John's University. We were not only able to sign four outstanding basketball players, but we were able to sign four young ladies that grew up within 20 miles of the University. It has always been our goal to attract the best players in the area to our program and University. … These young women believe that they, along with our returning team, can bring a championship to St. John's. This class fills the needs of our team as we look to take the next step forward as a program. I truly look forward to coaching each one of these young ladies. … With her size and strength, Jennifer will give our program a dimension we haven't had in some time. Jennifer is a true center with great hands and finishing ability. … Amanda is one of the top shooters in the class of 2009. She has an unbelievable release and, with her size, she can score over most people. Along with Amanda's ability to shoot, she has great court vision and her passes can make those around her better. … I believe Nadirah will establish herself as one of the best high school point guards in the country this year. Nadirah is an exceptional ball handler and will dazzle the crowd with an array of no-look passes. With the guidance of her high school coach Felecia Oliver, Nadirah has taken steps every season to improve her game, as well as her leadership qualities. She is going to be a star at St. John's and in the BIG EAST Conference. … Eugeneia is a special young lady and I truly look forward to coaching her. Eugeneia is soft spoken off the court, but once she steps within the lines, she is one of the fiercest competitors around. She is one of the top players in the state of New York. She is a winner and will do whatever is takes to be successful, whether that is taking a three, going to the basket for an and-one or taking a charge to win the game."
Coach Tanya Haave on her class of Ashley Boggs, Melody Khlok, Bailey Barbour and Whitney Daniels:
"I want to congratulate my staff and players because we signed a really nice class. Everyone worked really hard to get these girls here and I'm really proud of them all. We can start building with the freshmen we have now, and with this new class. Time will tell, but I think this is a great class. … Bailey has a great build. We'll develop her, but she will really help us with her size in the post. She is a great girl from a great family and it was nice that we got her. We beat out some big schools, so she was a huge sign for us. … Ashley is a local girl who knows how to win and expects to win. She's been a part of three California State Championships and last year's National Champion. She's a shooting guard/small forward who really came on this last summer. She works hard, is a great student, great person. She really is the complete package. … Whitney comes to us from one of the biggest AAU programs, not only in the state, but in the country. She is a very athletic and great defensive post player. We'll work with her on her perimeter skills, but she'll be able to help immediately defensively and with rebounds. … Mel is a great athlete with a strong build. She will be a complement to our program. She has an attitude similar to Shay Rollins in that she's not going to back down from anyone. She works hard and has a great work ethic; I think she'll do very well in the WCC."
Mike Morris on his class of Hannah Dawson, Kylie Black and Jazmine Martin:
"We are very excited to have Kylie Black and Jazmine Martin join our basketball family. They both come from Alabama high schools, which we are excited about as well. … Kylie Black will be an ideal `P' in our system. She has the skill to score from the perimeter and the strength and size to score around in the post. She is an outstanding young lady who comes from a very good high school program. … Jazmine comes from Hoover High School, which is one of the best 6-A programs in the state. She is a tremendous player. She is very strong, very athletic and has the skill to really fit into our offense very well. Another of her strengths is that she is an outstanding defensive player. … As a whole, we like that all three players come from very successful high school programs. Hannah comes from Shelbyville Central which is one of the best programs in the southeast. Kylie Black comes from Speake High School, which has a lot of tradition, and Jazmine Martin is from Hoover High School which is a very good basketball program. We feel like with this recruiting class we have met the needs we had. We lost some good players from last year, but we feel like these young ladies fit everything we are trying to do and really have the opportunity to help make us competitive in the Southern Conference."
Coach Cindy Fisher on her class of Jacqui Marshall, Danaesia Williamson, Brittany Conger and Felicia Wijenberg:
"Danesia is an exceptional athlete who will give us great speed and athleticism in the back court. We are thrilled to have such a great local talent committed to our USD family. Danesia comes from a very well established and well coached team and I expect her to make an impact immediately. … Jacqui is an amazing athlete with great size and versatility in the post. Jacqui's ability to shoot the three and also be a strong post presence gives us many options for her in our offense. Jacqui's athleticism on the defensive end is going to allow us to extend our defense and do some different things in the post. Jacqui has played under a very well coached high school and club program and is going to be able to step in early and contribute. … Brittany is a very versatile big guard who will provide great depth for us in the wing. Brittany has a beautiful stroke from the outside but is also a great slasher. Brittany's greatest asset is her incredible work ethic. She will leave it all on the floor every game. Brittany comes from a very successful high school and Coach B will have her ready to come in and make a difference right away. … Felicia is going to add to our strength and size in the post. Felicia does so many great things away from the basket but can also get in and bang on the block. Felicia has great upside and will continue to mature into an amazing post player in this conference. Felicia is training in the NEDA program in Toronto Canada and playing at a very high level. This experience and individual focus is going to help her immediately in our program."
Coach Beth Burns on her class of Kiyanna Stamps and Ashley Duffy:
"This was our first specific-need (recruiting) class, because of the graduation of guards LaSandra Dixon this year and Jené Morris, Quenese Davis and Kim Spinardi next year. Our major focus was the backcourt and we couldn't be more excited about the addition of Kiyana Stamps and Ashley Duffy to the Aztec basketball family. … Ashley will play more on the wing (position) for us and can be a great ball-pressure guard. Her speed allows her to fill the lane and develop into a real scoring threat. Kiyana's versatility enables her to play any of the perimeter positions. When we were recruiting her, all anyone wanted to talk about was her defense, but what goes unnoticed is her untapped offensive ability, which is where she will really shine when she takes her game to the next level. Ashley Duffy attends El Capitan High School in Lakeside, Calif., where she is slated to be a four-year starter under coach Frank Quinones. When you think about (Ashley and Allison Duffy), you think about athleticism and toughness, and Ashley is all of that in a slightly smaller package (than her sister) at 5-9," Burns said. "She has great size to play on the perimeter and is strong and fast. … I have great respect for coach Williams and it's extra special to have a player come from Perris High School to SDSU. (Perris) has a similar playing style to ours and Kiyana's athleticism, ability to take the ball to the rim, shoot the three and play full-court pressure defense is a big asset. She will hit the ground running and will fight for playing time when she steps on campus. … As we targeted what are needs were, the opportunity to sign a great young backcourt and put in an elite front-line player like Jessika, has us really looking forward to the future.
Coach Cedric Baker on his class of Darice Fountain:
"We are excited about wrapping up our '09 recruiting class with the signing of Darcie. The staff did a pretty good job in meeting our needs of getting bigger stronger and faster. She can play multiple positions," said Baker. "She will make a immediate impact at small forward and will meet immediate needs on the offensive and defensive boards."
Coach Phyllis Mangina on her class of Terry Green:
"Terry Green is an outstanding addition to our program. She is a tremendous defensive presence on the court already and her offensive game is growing every day. Terry is as competitive as they come on the floor, and she is wonderful person overall."
Coach Gina Castelli on her class of Lily Grenci:
"Lily is a versatile forward that can score both facing the hoop and with her back to the basket. She has a knack for the boards and defends well in the post."
Coach Rick Pietri on his class of Veronica Cherizol and Bobbi Taylor:
"Bobbi Taylor is a perfect complement to our other post signee (Cherizol). Bobbi is a very strong, physical presence, yet has good skill in terms of handling the ball and shooting. She gives us some more balance and additional needed bodies in the post next year."
Coach Dawn Staley on her class of Ieasia Walker and Monique Willis:
"Ieasia is a consummate point guard. She has the qualities that I look for to manage our team. She has a natural feel for the game and will instantly make us better when she steps on campus. … Monique is a player that somewhat went under the radar. We are extremely pleased that she chose us over other SEC and ACC schools. She is electric on both sides of the ball. She brings a level of athleticism that is second to none. … I feel very fortunate to bring to the University of South Carolina Ieasia Walker and Monique Willis. Both of these young ladies are equally great people. We can't wait for the day they put on their South Carolina uniforms."
Coach John Ishee on his class of Jasmine Lewis, Bailie Roberts and Erika Lane:
"All three Tennessee kids (Jasmine Lewis, Bailie Roberts, and Erika Lane) played in a great AAU program in Tennessee Flight. Erika Lane is an ultra-quick guard that can play the 1 or 2 positions. She will replace a dimension that we lose with the graduation of senior Tarina Nixon."
Coach Ronda Rompola on her class of Sarah Shelton, Jasmine Davis and Alisha Filmore:
"We needed to sign speed, and we did that. We were looking for players who are fast enough to help us on the defensive end and in the transition game, and we got that. … Jasmine has great quickness, an unbelievably quick first step. She's a very unselfish player on the offensive end, but on the defensive end, she's very quick and aggressive. She's a defensive specialist, a defensive stopper, kind of like Sharee Shepherd was for us for the last four years. Jasmine will have one of the quickest first steps we've ever had in our program. … Alisha is going to help us so much with her speed. She'll add a lot to our transition game, and she's another great defender. She has an uncanny way of getting her hands on the ball - she also kind of reminds me of Sharee Shepherd that way. She has a knack for being around the ball, and goes hard all the time. … Sarah has only been playing basketball for a couple of years, so we know she'll get a lot better as she matures. She'll benefit from playing against some bigger players while she's learning the game, and we think her best basketball is ahead of her. She runs the floor very well, and she'll be a strong presence for us in the paint. She has a really bright future."
Coach Joy Lee-McNelis on her class of Danielle Johnson, Kassietta Brown and transfer Geneshia Dunbar:
As a staff, we are excited about the future of Lady Eagle basketball. We believe this recruiting class has the ability to make a major mark on this program during their careers. Each possesses a love for the game and is willing to do what it takes to be successful on the court and in the classroom. Each young lady does not simply want to earn a degree from Southern Miss, but wants to be one of the top student-athletes to wear a Lady Eagle uniform. … Kassietta provides great versatility in this class. She will fill a gap being left by Amber Eugene with her ability to play multiple positions. We expect Kassietta to come in and play all three perimeter positions. She plays with a high level of intensity which will be a great fit for the pressing, up-tempo style we like to play. … We are thrilled about Geneshia joining our program. She has overcome many obstacles to become a tremendous young lady, student and basketball player. She plays with heart and passion. As a 6-3 post, she has the ability to score in a variety of ways. Her toughness and versatility has the staff excited about the future. … Danielle is definitely a big piece to the puzzle. Losing Kendra Reed, arguably one of the best perimeter shooters to wear a Lady Eagle uniform, we needed to sign a player who could shoot the basketball with great consistency and range. As a staff, we feel Danielle's ability to extend the defense will make our team more difficult to defend."
Coach Kit Janes on her class of Chanel Thorley and Tayler Anderson:
"We expect Tayler to come in and play the 3-spot for us. She's a physical player that runs the floor well and has a great deal of athleticism. She is a great young lady and plays all phases of the game very well. We're excite to have her. … Chanel is very physical and tough, but runs the floor very well," Janes said. "She'll come in a play the 4-spot for us and we feel she is physical enough to play with the best 4's in our conference."
Coach Jose Fernandez on his signing class of Tahira Johnson, Tiffany Conner, Aleshia Flowers, Jessica Monroe and Kaneisha Saunders:
"I'm extremely happy with the class that we've signed during the early period and feel that we have addressed most all of our needs. We have some players that are going to come in and, I feel, make an impact to our program right away, along with players that have tremendous potential and will help our program in the future. They are not just quality basketball players but are good people and good students who have a quality work ethic both on and off the floor. … Tahira is a great young lady where the sky is the limit for this kid," said Fernandez. "I think she has a great physique, she has great bounce and she can go and get it (rebounds) off the glass. She is a player who, right now, plays at the four position, but with her coming in here and working hard and getting better, she can be a player that can step out and play the three position down the road. But the way she can run up and down the floor, defend and hit the glass is a very good sign for us. … Tiffany Conner had a very good summer and I was extremely impressed with her play in the tournament's I saw her play in," said Fernandez. "I think that she can defend and with her development she will have a very, very bright future at USF. She can defend 94-feet; she can get to the rim and score, and do a lot of different things on the floor. … With us losing Shantia (Grace) and Jazmine Sepulveda (next year), I thought we needed to get another experienced player in the back court and Dominique English, we feel fills that upcoming void. Last year as a freshman she was one of the top assist leaders in all of junior college. We return Jasmine Wynne who can play the point and the wing, but we needed another point guard for next year's team. Dominique has a tremendous future ahead of her at USF. … Aleshia Flowers is another young lady that has a lot of room to grow. She has a great mid-range game, and a tremendous upside, and I think can defend for us in our league. … It's good to get Sequoyah back. We signed her a couple of years ago and new that she was a very athletic wing player who could help us. She will have three years left to play at USF because as a freshman she hurt her knee. She will be a tremendous asset to our program. … Jessica Monroe has a ton of potential and she's still growing. She's 6-3 right now and she's a kid that reminds me a lot of Melissa Dalembert. She just continues to get better and develop after every practice and every game, and down the road when we put some weight on her I feel that she can develop into a solid BIG EAST post player. … Kaneisha Saunders is a player that I have had my eye on for the last two or three years, she's a Florida kid and we like that. Her high school coach played for me, and Nicole (Johnson) speaks the world her. I think that she's a player that will develop some very good perimeter skills in addition to already being able to shoot the long-range three. She can also be effective creating off the dribble."
Coach Tara VanDerveer on her class of Joslyn Tinkle and Mikaela Ruef:
We are thrilled that Joslyn will be coming to Stanford. We are excited about her versatility, competitiveness and maturity, and know that she will be a great player in our system, being able to play the at the three, four and five. Joslyn can make major contributions to our team's success. … Mikaela, at 6-3, is a 'three' player and we are excited to have her join our program. She shoots the three and handles the ball very well. Mikaela plays the game like a guard in a 6-3 body."
Jim Crowley on his class of Alaina Walker, Chelsea Bowker and Colleen Kiss:
"The 2009 class is a very important one for us on and off the floor; we are losing five seniors that make us better every day and in a lot of different ways. While there is no way to replace what those five have brought to our program, my staff has done an amazing job of bringing in three student-athletes who fit the skills, style, personality and intelligence we need to keep our program heading in the right direction. … Chelsea's versatility and creative style are skills that fit very well with what we need. She can score in a number of different ways from a number of different places and is a very gifted passer. She will be able to create match-up issues and make us a tough team to defend. … Colleen gives us a strong, athletic guard who can score in a hurry and in a number of different ways. She has a great work ethic, intensity, and passion for the game that will help make our program better. … Alaina is a terrific breakdown guard who plays the game at a very high speed and intensity level. Her ability to get by her defender and create will fit very well into our style of play. She is a very good athlete and special competitor who we think will make us better from the day she gets to campus."
Coach Paul Thomas on his class of Morgan Hatten:
"Morgan fits in perfectly with our style of play, our system, and with what we are trying to accomplish at Saint Mary's College. She comes from a successful basketball program at Clovis West, and she understands how to win championships."
Coach Michele Cherry on her class of Taylor Burner, Gerda Gatling and Sam Landers:
"I am very excited about the class we have signed during the early signing period. All three of our signees are skilled players as well as great students. I have no doubt that they will be able to contribute to our program from day one. I'm thrilled to welcome them and their families into the Stony Brook family. … In Taylor we get a legitimate center who played on a two-time national AAU championship team and with a renowned high school program. She brings us an instant presence in the post, with her ability to score on the block and from the high post and in her ability to defend the paint. On top of that, she is a Long Island kid so we're really thrilled that she decided to stay home. … Gerda is a very gifted athlete who plays small forward. Her athleticism allows her to affect a game at both ends of the floor. Offensively, she is a slasher who can get out and run the floor as well as anyone. Defensively, she can really get after it. She can guard three positions and can force turnovers on and off the ball. … Sam Landers is a gym rat and a just a straight-up basketball player. She is a very heady point guard who can score or distribute and who has great instincts for the game. She will bring us depth in the backcourt and a basketball IQ that is off the charts.
Coach Tanya Cardoza on her class of Victoria Macaulay and Tiffany Davis:
"I'm really excited to welcome Tiffany and Victoria to the Temple family. Both are athletic and talented players that can score and defend well and I expect them to make an immediate impact on our team."
Coach Tara Tansil-Gentry on her class of LaTesa McLaughlin:
"LaTesa is a large reason why her Millington team has had such success recently and she will be a very welcomed addition to our program here at UT Martin. She is a vocal leader on one of the best teams in AAA basketball and has an attitude to be successful. She has an excellent three-point shot and the ability to take defenders off the dribble so she will compete for playing time from the start when she gets on campus next year."
Coach Wes Moore on his class of Kayla Christopher, Erin Helton and Kylie Lambert:
"Kylie is a big guard who can handle the ball at the point. She's comfortable with the ball and can really shoot well. … Kayla is a great scorer. She's a coach's kid who can put up some numbers. … Erin Helton is a tough kid. She plays hard and can put up some numbers as well."
Coach Gail Goestenkors on her class of Cokie Reed and Lauren Flores:
"We're excited to have both Lauren and Cokie next season. They are both versatile players who can play multiple positions, and they fit well into our running and pressing styles. … Lauren has a great first step and can shoot the three from deep. … Cokie is powerful inside, has a good look from the outside and can dominate on the boards."
Coach Jeff Mittie on his class of Hannah Christian, Brandy Crawford, Delisa Gross and Ida Preetzmann:
"I really like the way this class stacks up. We added some very good players across all areas. Each knows how to play the game and serves as a leader on their current team. In terms of ability, these players possess scoring ability from all different positions on the floor, while each is also strong from an academic standpoint. We really need to build some depth for the future, and I think this class helps us accomplish that. Talent at both the guard and forward positions are well-represented in who we were able to sign. … Hannah is a physical guard and a tough competitor. She has the ability to score 30 points on one night and be the leader in dishing out assists to her teammates the next. We expect her to fit in very well in a combo guard role at TCU. … Starr is another very physical player in this class. She has a great knack for getting to the glass and being able to come down with the rebound, as well as a great nose for the ball defensively. We also like her scoring potential inside. … DeLisa is a versatile player. She can block shots, is an active defender and can shoot the 3, in addition to her ability to go inside and provide points there. We also like her ability to shoot the mid-range jumper. … Ida is another physical guard who can shoot the 3. She possesses good rebounding skils and is a very effective player in the open floor."
Coach Kristi Curry on her signing class of Monique Smalls, Shauntel Nobles, Marissa Ashton, Mary Bokenkamp, Chynna Brown and Christine Hyde:
"The thing that stands out first and foremost about this class is that they have been winners at the high school level and in the summer while playing at the highest level of travel basketball in the country. They understand what it takes to be successful and bring that mind set and work ethic to our program. This is our first class we have been able to evaluate and recruit for the majority of their high school careers. We feel like this class will lay the foundation of our program for the next several years. … Marissa has the ability to play both inside and out. She is another proven winner, having made it to the state championship game as a junior, who brings the versatility that is so prominent in our league. We believe she has only scratched the surface potential wise and has a chance to be a very special player. … Mary is a pure shooter who brings an outstanding work ethic from one of the premier high school programs in the country, Regis Jesuit. Her unlimited shooting range will definitely help stretch the defenses of future Lady Raider opponents. … Chynna is a proven winner and brings a toughness that we feel we need on the perimeter. She has won a state championship and played at the highest level in the summers with DFW Elite. She has great floor vision and has a knack for finding a way to win games. … Christine brings much needed size and athleticism to the perimeter for the 2009 recruiting class. Her ability to score in transition will be an outstanding addition to our squad. … Shauntal is an athletic post player who adds size and depth to our team. She played along with Chynna Brown on a nationally ranked travel team, DFW Elite, the past summer and was very successful against the best competition in the country. She has a tremendous up-side as a college player and has a strong desire to reach her full potential. … Monique is one of the best true point guards in the country. She is the kind of worker and leader you want in your guard position. She loves the defensive end of the floor as much as the offensive end and I think this in itself makes her unique."
Coach Tricia Cullop on her class of Andola Dortch, Yolanda Richardson, Riley McCormick and Lacretia Smith:
"I think this class brings a little bit of everything, but the one thing I'm most pleased about is their speed and athleticism. These four student-athletes will be a tremendous boost to our program. … Andola will probably be the quickest point guard I have ever coached. She can be an incredible ball-hawk defensively and cause some problems for opponent point guards. Offensively, Andola is a great slasher and lives at the free-throw line, because she creates so many foul problems for the opposition. … Riley brings size to the perimeter and great shooting and passing ability. She is a very-skilled guard that comes from a well-coached and skilled high school team. … We were ecstatic with the signing of a local product in Yolanda, and our hope in the future is to attract more local players. She has a tremendous future ahead of her. Yolanda established herself as one of the premier post players in the Midwest this summer. She is a solid rebounder and a force to be reckoned with offensively. She also runs the floor extremely well and comes from an extremely talented and well-coached high school team. … Lecretia is a great athlete. She can play inside or outside and she is a tremendous rebounder."
Coach Lisa Stockton on her signing class of Olivia Grayson and Brittany McDonald:
"Brittany and Olivia each fit in well with what our needs for the future. Both have a great work ethic, are excellent students, and come from highly competitive, winning programs. … Brittany's a player we need: She can step out and hit the outside shot, really runs the floor well, and is an excellent rebounder. She plays in a very tough high school league and they've been successful, making the state tournament last season. … Olivia is one of the best guards in the state. She is someone we've been watching for years, so it's quite rewarding to receive her commitment. Olivia (a.k.a. "Turtle") can score, defend, and she is also a great passer - she can play both the point and shooting guard positions. Olivia will be a very successful player in C-USA."
High school coach Annette Kennedy and Miami Dade coach Susan Summons on the Tulsa class of Taleya Mayberry transfer Natacha Ciezki:
"Taleya is an offensive threat because she has the ability to have an explosive tempo. She gets people into transition and she will only continue to get better in her four years at Tulsa. On defense, she will be able to give point guards trouble. She has quick hands and quick feet, and because of her size people will underestimate her. … Natacha will be a tremendous asset to the Tulsa program," Miami-Dade Head Coach Susan Summons said. "With her 6-3 frame, she has the ability to play a multitude of positions. She is a strong rebounder and shot blocker, and an extremely hard worker."
Coach Nikki Caldwell on her class of Markel Walker and Mariah Williams:
These two young ladies have given us a great start as the first recruiting class for our new coaching staff here at UCLA. They both bring quite a bit of ability and character with them, and we look forward to them joining the Bruin family and helping us to continue to build on the successes of the program."
Coach Lindsay Gottlieb on her class of Sweets Underwood, Destini Mason and Briahna Richardson:
Destini Mason is a guard that changes a game with her defensive intensity and ability to break down opposing defenders and get to the rim," Gottlieb said. "She can handle the ball, she shoots it well and she's so athletic. Destini has a bright and engaging personality to go along with that talent and she'll be a terrific addition to the Gaucho family. … Bree Richardson is a true combo guard that will add a new element to our backcourt. She can handle the ball at the point or shift to the off guard and use her scoring ability. She has a great length for a guard and a terrific court sense. She shoots the ball well, can slash to the hole and can really defend. The sky is the limit for Bree. She is a natural leader and I'm looking forward to seeing her in the blue and gold. … I'm excited for the women's basketball world to really see Sweets Underwood play. She has flown a little bit under the radar, but she is truly special. She is off-the-charts athletic, she is versatile enough to play inside or out and she's incredibly determined to succeed. Her skill level is tremendous considering that she only gave up track and picked up a basketball two years ago. Sweets is the first female from her high school to receive a basketball scholarship. I'm proud of what she has already accomplished and I know she has a bright future ahead."
Coach Karen Aston on her signing class of Amanda Dowe, Jaqauri Forney and Jessica Johnson:
"Amanda will be a tremendous surprise to everyone. She did not participate in summer basketball, so she is virtually an unknown. Her potential is unlimited, and I expect her to transition to the college game very quickly. She is long, athletic and can handle the ball, for her size very well. Amanda will fit into our style with her ability to run and play multiple positions. … Jai was our first commit back in the summer, and I can't say enough about how much I appreciate her loyalty to Charlotte during the process. She is a Charlotte native and we are so proud she chose to stay home. Jai brings many skills to the table. She can play multiple positions, has a mid-range game, and can defend anywhere on the floor. I love her personality and her passion for the game. Great things are in store for her here at Charlotte. … Jessica flew under the radar this year as well, due to an injury. All I can say is Charlotte got a steal, and she will leave her mark on this program. Again, I use the words long, athletic and can play many positions in regards to Jessica. I have seen J.J. run the point, all the way to the forward position, however, what I am most impressed with, is her ability to defend. Her offensive skills are great, however, her defensive instincts are tremendous. I feel like a broken record, but she fits into our style too, because she can defend and run."
Coach Lynne Agee on her signing class of Sidnei Harmon, Natalie Headley and Dayshaun Richbow:
"We have an opportunity for Dayshaun to come in and have a chance to start at the point. We are excited about her athleticism. I think she can make some noise at this level in our conference."
Coach Kathy Olivier on her class of Kelli Thompson, Amanda Anderson and Mia Bell:
"Amanda is going to add a lot of versatility to our team. She has a great outside shot and good size as well, which will help us in many ways on the court, and will be a big asset to our team next season. … Mia will provide us with quickness on both sides of the court. A feisty defender, she is also a very unselfish, team-orientated player and will mix in great with our returning players next year. We are also excited to have a local player joining our program as well."
Coach Raegan Pebley on her signing class of Devyn Christensen, Jenna Johnson and Ashley Mitchell:
"This is a great signing class that truly reflects our team's needs and our team's character. They will add depth to our perimeter game. Their potential as a class is tremendous, and we are thrilled to have them become Aggies! … Devyn defines what a competitor is. She loves to compete, and she loves to win. Devyn comes to us from a high school and club program that works tirelessly to prepare their team for the next level. We know this because of the tremendous player and person we had the fortune of coaching in Jenny Gross-Brown. … Ashley is a WAC-level athlete with raw potential. Her ceiling is high and this program is lucky to be a part of her development as a great player."
Coach Elaine Elliott on her signing class of Diana Rolniak, Rachel Messer and Rita Sitivi:
"This is an exciting class. Both Taryn and Diana give us size, athleticism, and smarts. Taryn is extremely physical and Diana is a long, lanky presence. Rachel is a great shooter with equal understanding of the game and Rita is a more powerful, slashing player. I really think the class together, especially with our redshirt freshman Iwa Rodrigues joining them, is a great core for the future."
Coach Keith Freeman on his signing class of Skyler Gick and Laura Richards:
"Skyler is a great fit for Valparaiso University. Athletically she has tremendous skills and will be able to help us at the guard spot. She has the ability to make others better. … Laura is an outstanding student-athlete. She is a versatile player who has the ability to make others better. She is a very good athlete and will be a great fit for our program."
Coach Debbie Ryan on her signing class of China Crosby, Erinn Thompson, Lexie Gerson, Simone Egwu and Telia McCall:
"This is an outstanding class of players and, most importantly, people. I am proud of each and every one of these young women and will be honored to be their coach. This class covers every position on the floor and will be a huge asset to our program moving forward. … China is the quintessential point guard and very highly regarded in this class. She can direct a team, lead a team and score and her decision-making is exceptional. … Simone Egwu is a very powerful, athletic low-post player. She is one of the best post players in this class because she is well-rounded, can score in traffic and defend. … Lexie Gerson is another highly regarded player in this class. She is an extremely athletic wing whose size and skill level is outstanding. She will be counted on to put points on the board every night. … Telia McCall is a sleeping giant in this class. Telia's best assets are her versatility and her athleticism. She will give us another scoring punch inside and out. … Erinn Thompson is a highly skilled, low-post player with exceptional footwork and the ability to go inside and outside and score in a number of ways. Ranked among the best players in this class, Erinn will be a huge asset to our program."
Coach Beth Cunningham on her signing class of Chelsea Snyder and Rhonda Watts:
"We really feel that the addition of Rhonda will give us another guard who will leave a lasting impact on this program. She is a tough, hard-nosed kid. … We're really excited about the addition of these kids. We feel like have addressed some needs and really strengthened our team. We have a lot of quality kids returning who were critical pieces to our success this past season. Between this group of kids and the talent we have returning, we fully expect to build on our success and keep moving forward as a program."
Coach Beth Dunkenberger on her signing class of Porschia Hadley, Alyssa Fenyn, Abby Redick and Ariel Wilson:
"We are extremely excited with the quality of this year's signing class. These four players bring a wealth of talent to our program. Alyssa and Aerial are both explosive guards who are proven scorers as they combined to average 48 points per game as high school juniors. … Porschia is an athletic forward and is one of the most dynamic rebounders ever recruited to Virginia Tech. … Abby's versatility as a player and her keen basketball mind will help her bounce back from knee surgery. We expect her to be full strength by the time she arrives in Blacksburg. … We are equally excited that these young ladies are all outstanding students and terrific role models in their respective communities."
Coach Mike Petersen on his class of Lakeesa Daniel, Lakevia Boykin, Sandra Garcia, Mykala Walker and Asia Williams:
"I am very happy with both the quality and quantity of this recruiting class. We feel like we've signed five talented student-athletes who will be able to make significant contributions to our program over the course of their four years at Wake Forest."
Coach Tia Jackson on her signing class of Jeneva Anderson:
"After the addition of eight talented players last season, our scholarship situation left us with only two to give in the 2009 graduating class. We wanted to be selective about who we brought in, keeping our list extremely short, with our eye on one player in particular ¬ Jeneva Anderson. When she decided that she wanted to play for the Huskies, we knew that life in Huskyville was getting brighter. Jeneva is an exceptional athlete who adds versatility inside and out. She is a young lady who not only understands what we are trying to accomplish here, but also the commitment and hard work it takes to excel in this new era of Washington women's basketball. "Jeneva's shooting ability ¬ off the pass and off the dribble¬ combined with an athleticism and lengthy wing span adds to the depth of our team, making us even more efficient on both ends. We are extremely excited to have such a wonderful young lady and student-athlete join our Husky family."
Coach June Daugherty on her signing class of Ki-shawna "Ki-Ki" Moore, Carly Noyes, Ireti Amojo and Razz Muir:
"We are proud to welcome four new student-athletes to Washington State University and our women's basketball family. Each of our four signees is extremely talented and athletic. They are people whom have won at the highest level of competition both nationally and internationally. My coaching staff and team members provided a strong amount of hard work and dedication to assist in them becoming our 2009-10 outstanding recruiting class! This is certainly an exciting day of celebration for the WSU Cougar Faithful."
Coach Carla Taylor on her signing class of Nicke Parks and Megan Patterson:
"Megan is a great shooter and a long defender. She can handle the ball and has a very high basketball IQ. Fundamentally she is very skilled and can score in a variety of ways. She will fit well with the system we run and can play a variety of positions. … Nicke is an athletic and mobile post player. She is very skilled at the low block and is only going to get better. She has very good hands and can play and defend inside and out. She had a great summer with her AAU team and we are very excited that she chose to be a Wildcat."
Coach Mary Taylor Cowles on her signing class of Courtney Clifton and Lashay Davis:
"We are very excited to have Courtney and Lashay join our program. They are very talented young ladies, and are proven winners. Both of them will add to our depth at the guard position, and I see them both becoming very valuable members of the Lady Topper program both on and off the court."
Coach Mike Carey on his class of Asya Bussie, Kyra Crosby, Akeema Richards and Antishia Wright:
"Since I've been at West Virginia, this is the strongest group of recruits we've ever signed at one time. I'm extremely pleased with this class. The future is very bright, and I expect them all to contribute to this program immediately. Every player is ranked in the nation's Top 100, and this is clearly a Top 20 class. We will rebuild our program with this class. … Asya gives us immediate size in the post. She has great quickness and moves her feet very well. She'll be a force on both ends of the floor. … Kyra is a very active, aggressive post that can score and play several positions for us. She's a very talented athlete that will help us out immediately. … Akeema is a very aggressive athlete on the perimeter and she can play several positions. She's capable of scoring and setting up others on the perimeter. … Antishia is a very athletic perimeter player and can play several positions for us. She can shoot the deep three from the perimeter and she's very active on both ends of the floor."
Coach Debbie Taylor on her class of Emily Correal, Taylor Hilton and Jackie McKenna:
"Our staff worked extremely hard to sign a class of not only exceptional players but extraordinary people. These three young ladies are such a great fit for our family, our university, and our basketball system. We look for their class to make major contributions early in their careers as we continue to elevate our program to the next level. … Emily's height, agility, and athleticism coupled with her ability to rebound and score from anywhere on the floor will make her a tough match up in the CAA. She runs the floor extremely well and will be an excellent addition to our half court offense and our transition game. … Simply put, Taylor is an intense competitor. She plays the game with passion, explosiveness, intelligence, and finesse. She can score in the paint, take you off the dribble, and step out and shoot the 3. In addition, she is a tenacious rebounder and talented defender. …Jackie is a low block presence who has great hands. She shoots and passes the ball extremely well in addition to having a true understanding of the game. It's a bonus when your center shoots over 85% from the free throw line. She will give us much needed depth in the post next season."
Coach Bud Childers on his class of Katie Fitzgerald, Mary Hathaway, Alli Lawrence, Chanel White and transfers Jalyssa Charadan and Chantel Johnson:
"With the graduation and departure of our outstanding 2009 class this year, we know this year's recruiting class is critical in keeping the program consistently in the top tier of teams in the conference. We feel we have definitely addressed those needs in this class. With four incoming freshmen and a sophomore & a junior transfer each we have attempted to balance our classes somewhat. This class has great versatility and size. We have players who in time should be able to make a considerable contribution to the program. There is a little bit of everything in this class as far as positions, skills, and potential. Hopefully, over the next three to four years we will be watching this group night in and night out compete hard for the Lady Eagles. … With the loss of a three year starter at point guard (Yvonne Van Daalen) next year we knew that filling that spot was crucial this year. We are very pleased that Alli chose to join the Lady Eagles & take the lead guard spot here at Winthrop. She has good size, long-athletic features, very good skills, creative vision, good defensive instincts, and can score in a variety of ways. Her brother plays football at nationally ranked Oklahoma State so we know she comes from an athletic family as well. Coach Nye-Hickson, who played guard at Jacksonville State, has prepared her well for that leap into college basketball. She is a very good student and a leader at her school. Alli is a great addition to our program. … Katie was our first commitment in the 2009 class. She is one of the most athletic and versatile players at her position we saw in this class. She has the ability to play a couple of positions, small (3) and/or power forward(4). As painful as it is to realize that Ashley Fann graduates this year, we needed someone who can step in to her role in the future. Those are gigantic shoes to fill, but we think Katie certainly has the potential. Coach Keith Ellis has done a good job of allowing Katie to use her natural abilities to grow her game. Katie is a good student with high goals for herself both in the classroom and on the court. We look forward to helping her reach those goals here at Winthrop. … It was paramount in the 2013 class we bring in a couple of centers in which to start the process of rebuilding our inside game since we graduate a player like Ashley Haugtvedt. Chanel caught our eye this summer as a prospect with excellent potential for the future. She has great hands, athletic feet, runs the court well, finishes around the basket, and shoots free throws well. Coach Mary Beth White has worked Chanel's game and potential to the point where we feel she is a great addition to the program. Chanel has an SEC type body and in time will show her potential. We think she can develop into a consistent low post scoring threat. She is a very good student who should add to the Winthrop community as well. We are glad she chose the Lady Eagles as her school choice. … Losing the likes of a Tiffany Rodd to any team might cause a few sleepless night for any coach. We feel the addition of Mary Hathaway to the Lady Eagles will help ease that anxiety quite a bit. Simply put "she can really shoot it!" She impressed us with not only her long range bombs, but her toughness as well and willingness to mix it up inside. She has good handles along with some very good court instincts. Coach Friend and the tradition of their championship level basketball program at Luers HS have prepared Mary very well for the transition to the college game. She comes from an athletic family where 3 other siblings played in college. We look forward to having another "Hoosier" (along with myself) in the program! … Jalyssa comes to us from Gulf Coast Community College, the defending National Champions, via Hialeah HS in the Miami area. Having recruited Jalyssa out of high school, we are thrilled she has signed with us at this time and will have three years to play here at Winthrop. She is an athlete with great versatility. She can play either forward positions as well as battle tough down low in the paint. She is a real intense competitor who aspires to someday play beyond her college career. Coach Roonie Scovell at Gulf Coast College has a reputation of developing her players into mentally tough and physically skilled players that are ready to jump right into the DI game. With the loss of Franchesca Davenport next year we are confident Jalyssa can help fill that role right away for the Lady Eagles. … How ironic that we should sign another center out of Coach Dave Kragel's nationally recognized program at Walters State Community College (via Wadmalaw Island, SC) and she is slated to take the role of Jen Walker who also attended the same juco? One reason…Dave gets them ready to play there! Chantel is a very good athlete who is just beginning to develop her offensive game to its fullest. Size, length, and versatility are what attracted us to her. She is an impact player already on the defensive end of the court with her quickness and speed at 6-4. We feel her best basketball is still yet to come. We look forward to her joining the Lady Eagles next season as well."
Coach Lisa Stone on her signing class of Taylor Wurtz:
"She is by far, in our opinion, the best player in the state of Wisconsin in her class. She is a player that can play a number of positions. She is strong, physical, (has a) great Big Ten body. She handles the ball very, very well. She has the capability of putting up very big numbers. We're thrilled that she said yes to being a Badger."
Coach Matt Bollant on his signing class of Breannah Ranger, Lydia Bauer, Sarah Eichler, Adrian Ritchie and Sam Zastrow:
"Lydia is one of the best shooters in the state of Illinois. She is an extremely smart player who will fit perfectly in our motion offense. She has great guard skills with size of a forward which is extremely hard to find. She will create match-up problems for teams with her ability to score inside and out. … Sarah is a hard-nosed player who gives tremendous effort on every possession. She is a great athlete who is as fast with the ball as anyone we saw all summer. She has worked really hard to develop her outside shooting. She is a great defender and can guard the point guard through power forward positions. … Breannah is a very gifted athlete with great size and athletic ability with the skills to play the center position. She is a tremendous rebounder on both ends of the court. With her athletic ability she can make it look easy at times scoring inside, and with development she can be a very good low post player. … I believe Adrian is the most complete player in the state of Wisconsin. She does everything well on the basketball court. She is very unselfish with great instincts and sees the play before it happens. She has become a great shooter and has always been a great passer. … Sam is a hard-nosed point guard who can get to the rim and distribute the ball. She is a very good three-point shooter with tremendous range. She is a great defender and can guard the ball baseline to baseline. She is a tireless worker who never leaves the gym without leaving everything on the floor."
Coach Joe Legerski on her class of Chaundra Sewell and Sara Wilson:
"We are excited about the additions to the Cowgirl basketball family. … Chaundra is one of the best wing players in the state of Colorado, and will have a major impact on our program. … Sara is a tremendous shooter and will bring depth and skill to our backcourt."
Coach Cindy Martin on her class of Casey Jackson and Kaitlin Rohrs:
"We are so pleased that Casey and Kaitlin are joining our basketball family. They both work so hard on the court and in the classroom, and they are smart basketball players that can also help our team with scoring. … Casey is a shooter that also knows how to put the ball on the floor. She knows her weak-side defense well and makes things happen just because she is in the right spot at the right time on the court. With her ability to knock down the 3-pointer, we will be able to spread out our offense more. … Kaitlin is a physical post player that can post up with her back to the basket and step out to the wing and face up to the basket. She can shoot the 3-pointer and put the ball on the floor and attack. Kaitlin is going to be a player that the other teams will struggle matching up with since she can play in a variety of positions on offense … My coaching staff has done a fantastic job with recruiting, and we hope to have another commitment within the week. The future of YSU women's basketball is exciting as we are hand-picking young ladies that want to be the best they can in the community, classroom and court. This is a great start toward building our future."
