Sunday, August 11, 2013

Baker Adds Five To SSU Women's Basketball Roster

SAVANNAH, Georgia  -- Savannah State women's basketball head coach Cedric Baker, in his 11th year at SSU, has added five newcomers to his 2013-14 roster.

"I am excited about the body of work that was put into our 2013 recruiting class," Baker said. "As always you want to fill some vacancies that come along with graduation and kids moving on."

The 2013-14 class consists of four freshmen and one junior transfer. All of the class' freshmen come to Savannah State from inside Georgia.

"Our most decorated recruit is Bria Doresey," Baker said. "She had some success at Indian River Community College, and hopefully that will translate to the program here at Savannah State."

Doresey, an Atlanta, Georgia native and 5-7 point guard, averaged 17.0 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game last year. She shot 45.5 percent from the field, and 57.0 percent from the free-throw line.

"We definitely were looking to meet some needs in terms of our post play and our back court play," Baker said. "With the rules of the game changing – the 10 second back court- we definitely wanted to make sure that we had combo guards that could be primary ball handlers if necessary, and also be a threat on the perimeter. I felt like we met our needs with this class."

Baker didn't have to travel far to find a new forward. Charmia Graham  out of Richmond Hill High School will help fill that back court need for the Lady Tigers. The 6-2, Richmond Hill native averaged 6.5 points per game last year and 7.1 rebounds per game in 10 games last year.

Along with Graham, Baker added 6-2 center Tiyonda Davis from Cedar Shoals High School in Athens. Davis averaged 11.6 points per game and 9.79 rebounds per game last year.

"Tiyonda is a very skilled post player," Baker. "She can score multiple ways. She's effective in the open court and can give us a size presence that we're going need playing the schedule we're going to play. I think she has a basketball IQ that is going to put her in a position to get some valuable minutes as a freshman."

Balancing out the class will be two freshman shooting guards, Kenyata Hendrix, a 5-10, Carrollton, Ga. native, and Rhianna Warren, a 5-8 guard from Douglasville, Ga.

Hednrix comes to Savannah State from Carrollton High. Hendrix averaged 13.5 points per game and 3.0 assists per game last year. Hendrix's Lady Trojans went 19-9 in the 2012-13 season.

"Hendrix is probably the best late signee I've ever had," Baker said. "She had some offers from LaSalle and North Carolina Central. She'll play a combo guard position for us. She's long, rangy and can play multiple positions; from the one to the three. She's coming from a great basketball program at Carrollton High School."

Warren comes to Savannah State from Villa Rica High School. She averaged 13.9 points per game and 1.5 assist per game. She helped lead her team to a 22-9 overall record and an 11-3 record in the 2012-13 season.

"Warren is capable of stretching the defense," Baker said. "She is a slim, athletic kid that can get separation from defenders. Her strength is definitely shooting the basketball. In the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference), we see a lot of zones. So, we're looking forward to her helping us on the perimeter."

The five newcomers will accent the nine lettermen returning for the Lady Tigers this year and try and help SSU improve upon a 7-23 2012-13 season.

COURTESY SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

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