Friday, July 20, 2012

XU Nuggets wrap up recruiting, announce three more signees

Talor Hixon
Danielle Tucker
Emoni Harvey
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana concluded its 2012-13 women's basketball recruiting class with the signing of Danielle Tucker of Rochester, N.Y., Talor Hixon of Carson, Calif., and Emoni Harvey of Memphis, Tenn., to scholarships. The Gold Nuggets will have eight newcomers next season.

Tucker, a 5-foot-10 forward, transferred to Xavier from NCAA Division II member Mars Hill (N.C.) College and will be an XU junior next season. She led Mars Hill with 12 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this past season, shot 52.6 percent from the floor and was a two-time South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week. At Rochester's East High School, she scored 1,226 career points, averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds for a 15-4 team her senior year and made the Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester second team.

Hixon, a 5-7 guard, will be an XU sophomore after transferring from Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif. Hixon averaged 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds this past season and led the Falcons with 72 steals. She was second-team All-South Coast Conference and helped Cerritos finish second in the league and 23-8 overall. At St. Anthony High School in Long Beach, Calif., Hixon was a four-year varsity starter who averaged triple-doubles her senior and freshman seasons. She averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds, 10 steals and nine assists her senior year (2009-10) for a St. Anthony team which was the CIF Division V state runner-up.

Harvey, a 5-6 guard, will be the eighth Memphian to play for the Gold Nuggets and the sixth during Bo Browder's 14 seasons as head coach. She averaged 11.2 points as a four-year starter for Briarcrest Christian High School, helping the Lady Saints finish second in Tennessee's Division II-AA state playoffs in 2010 and 2011 and reach the semifinals this year. She was all-region as a senior and first-team all-conference as a senior and junior.

Tucker will major in political science with a sociology minor and hopes to attend law school. Hixon will major in sociology, and Harvey — who had a 3.98 grade-point average at Briarcrest — will be a chemistry/pre-pharmacy major.

Previously signed were centers Whitney Gaston-Loyd of Shreveport, La., and Kelsee Singleton of New Orleans and guards Whitney Gathright and Schuyler Morton of New Orleans and Andraquay Quinnine of Elk Grove, Calif.

Xavier was 26-9 in 2011-12, won Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and, for the second consecutive year, reached the second round of the NAIA Division I National Championship. The GCAC Tournament title was the Gold Nuggets' third in a row. Xavier reached 20 victories 19 of the past 20 seasons and qualified for the national tournament 16 of the past 18 seasons.

2012-13 Xavier University of Louisiana Women's Basketball Signees
NamePos.Ht.Yr.*Hometown


H.S./(College)
Whitney Gaston-LoydC6-0Jr.Shreveport, La.
Southwood (Ark.-LR)
Whitney GathrightG5-4Fr.New Orleans, La.
John Curtis Christian
Emoni HarveyG5-6Fr.Memphis, Tenn.
Briarcrest Christian
Talor HixonG5-7So.Carson, Calif.
St. Anthony (Cerritos JC)
Schyler MortonG5-7So.New Orleans, La.
Ursuline Academy (Fordham)
Andraquay QuinnineG5-9Jr.Elk Grove, Calif.Franklin (Consumes River JC)
Kelsee SingletonC6-2Fr.New Orleans, La.Karr
Danielle TuckerF5-10Jr.Rochester, N.Y.
East (Mars Hill)
* athletic classification at Xavier in fall of 2012

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

No comments: