NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Friday four more signees for its 2019-20 women's basketball team.Joining the Gold Nuggets, who won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship last season, are:
• Jade Alexander, a 5-foot-7 guard from Miami Gardens, Fla., and Hallandale High School. A transfer from city and GCAC rival SUNO, Alexander is a pre-pharmacy major at XULA.
• Mackenzie Davis, a 5-7 guard from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, and Reynoldsburg eSTEM Academy. A transfer from NCAA Division I Stetson, Davis is a psychology major.
• Kira Mercado, a 6-2 center from Hollywood, Fla., and South Broward High School. Like Alexander, she's a transfer from SUNO. Mercado is a mass communications major.
• O.C. Mbakop Ngassam, a 6-2 center from Yaounde, Cameroon. A transfer from two-year Roane State (Tenn.) Community College, Mbakop Ngassam is a business management major with a minor in accounting.
Mbakop Ngassam is a junior; Alexander, Davis and Mercado are sophomores.
Alexander averaged 2.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 21 games for SUNO last season and produced back-to-back 10-point games. She averaged 16 points as a senior at Hallandale, was second-team All-Broward County and made six 3-pointers in Hallandale's first victory in 16 years against rival South Broward. As a ninth-grader at Dillard in Fort Lauderdale, Alexander helped the Lady Panthers win a state championship and finish second in a national prep tournament in New York.
"Jade Alexander is a good 3-point shooter and a good defensive player," said 21st-year XULA head coach Bo Browder. "She's going to help us with our inside-outside game."
Davis averaged 3.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and one steal in 31 games with 21 starts for Stetson last season. She was a three-time Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Week and had game highs of 14 points, seven assists and five steals. As a senior at Reynoldsburg eSTEM, she helped her team finish 20-6 and win a conference championship. Davis averaged 5.8 points, 6.8 assists and 2.3 steals that season, was all-conference and all-district, and she led central Ohio with a school-record 177 assists.
"Mackenzie Davis will be a big-time difference-maker in our program this season," Browder said. "She's an outstanding defensive player. She has great leadership skills. She can make plays when her team needs them."
Mbakop Ngassam averaged 7.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots in 30 games last season for Roane State. She ranked 18th in NJCAA Division I with 57 blocks. As a freshman she averaged 8.5 points, five rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 28 games.
"O.C. is an outstanding defensive player in the post. She runs the floor extremely well," Browder said. "She can score around the bucket, and she will give us additional rim protection."
Mercado averaged 8.2 points, eight rebounds and 3.1 blocks in 28 games with 21 starts last season for SUNO. Mercado led the GCAC in blocks per game — she had the league's highest average since the 2013-14 season — and ranked fourth in NAIA Division I.
Mercado played for Hallandale and South Broward and helped the latter finish second in Class 8A as a freshman and reach the semifinals as a junior.
"Kira Mercado has a chance to be one of the best post players in the GCAC this season," Browder said. "She will have a major impact on our program the next three seasons."
XULA has announced five signees for 2019-20. Announced in April was guard Abryhia Irons of Boutte, La., and John Curtis Christian School.
XULA will open the season Oct. 25-26 in the Lawrence Tech Blue Devil Classic at Southfield, Mich. The Gold Nuggets' home opener will tip off at 6 p.m. Oct. 29 against William Carey. The Gold Nuggets last season were 23-8 overall, 13-1 in the GCAC. They qualified for the NAIA Division I National Championship tournament and ranked 24th in the final coaches poll.
| 2019-20 XULA Women's Basketball Signees | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Yr.* | Hometown | High School (Previous College) |
| Jade Alexander | G | 5-7 | So. | Miami Gardens, Fla. | Hallandale (SUNO) |
| Abryhia Irons | G | 5-7 | Fr. | Boutte, La. | John Curtis Christian |
| Mackenzie Davis | G | 5-7 | So. | Reynoldsburg, Ohio | Reynoldsburg eSTEM Academy (Stetson) |
| O.C. Mbakop Ngassam | C | 6-2 | Jr. | Yaounde, Cameroon | College de La Retraite (Roane State JC) |
| Kira Mercado | C | 6-2 | So. | Hollywood, Fla. | South Broward (SUNO) |
* XULA athletic classification in 2019-20 | |||||
Department of Athletics & Recreation
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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