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Showing posts with label MEAC Basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MEAC Basketball. Show all posts
Tallahassee, FL - LeDawn Gibson will have two more years to complete her turnaround of the Florida A&M women's basketball team.
A day after the school's Board of Trustees approved a two-year contract extension for Gibson, FAMU president James Ammons said Friday it was a "huge vote of confidence." He also said he is optimistic that Gibson could take the team farther than it has gone in the past three seasons when it reached the semifinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament.
"As we take a look at where the program was before she came and the progress over these last three years," he said, "we think we are a short time away from hitting pay dirt."
Coach LeDawn Gibson has successfully made the transition from Winter Haven High School to become a successful Division I level coach. Just ask East Carolina University that was defeated by the Lady Rattlers 89-85 at the Iowa State Cyclone Challenge last December. Gibson knocked off both South Florida and Florida in an 18-11 season in 2009. She has made some superb moves in the hiring of assistant coaches Stephen Joyner, who was promoted to the head women's basketball coaching position at Winston Salem State and veteran assistant Freddie Murray from North Carolina A&T. Coach Murray was a top assistant under legendary coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs and is noted for being a great recruiter and position coach.
It appears the combine skills of Gibson and Murray have already paid the gas bill--with the signing of four junior college transfers and seven high school recruits with most in the Rivals 3-4 star category. This is going to be a very exciting team to watch over the next several years, as we expect Coach Gibson to earn her first MEAC championship and NCAA Championship berth.
GREENSBORO, N.C. - North Carolina A&T head men's basketball coach Jerry Eaves didn't attempt to replace 6-foot-9 first-team All-MEAC superstar Thomas Coleman because it is hard to replace 17.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Instead, Eaves decided to replace the Aggies style of play.
On Friday, Eaves released the rest of his 2011 recruiting class with all four players being either 6-6 or 6-7. The class includes Anthony Estes (6-7, 195, Washington, D.C.), Waylan Siverand (6-7, 220, Houston, Texas), Simon Barres (6-6, 212, Paris, France) and Jordan Herrera (6-6, 210, Silver Spring, Md.). Earlier this year, the Aggies announced the signing of Jean Louisme (6-4, 205, Fort Myers, Fla.) to bring the Aggies recruiting class total to five.
"There are going to be times this season when every guy on the floor is going to be 6-6," said Eaves. "This is going to help us match up with athletic teams in our league like Hampton. There are going to be points in the game where everyone on the floor for us can handle the ball, and everyone on the floor for us can guard three or four positions."
Estes attended Brisbane Academy in Charlotte. As a senior, he averaged 18.0 points and 12.0 rebounds. Estes also played at Our Savior in New York. He is an inside/outside player who can post and shoot the 15-footer.
"He wants to bang," said Eaves. "He is probably the most aggressive young man I have ever recruited. He can really put the ball on the floor and attack."
Siverand is gifted athletically and academically. He attended Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, N.H. In the classroom, Siverand graduated with a 3.6 grade point average. As a postgraduate for Kimball Union, he started all 26 games and averaged 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. He graduated from Hightower High School in Houston in 2009. Siverand gets off the floor quickly, runs extremely well and has tremendous length.
"He is a super smart young man," said Eaves. "By far, he is the best athlete I have ever recruited. With this young man, our pressure defense is back. He is long, athletic and can jump out of the gym. He just has to learn how to play on this level."
Barres played in various places in Europe before finishing his prep career at Evelyn Mack Academy in Charlotte. There, he averaged 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds.
"He is mature young man and player with a nice body and nice range," said Eaves. "He has a European-style game to him where he can step out and hit the three, the medium-range jump shot and he can put the ball on the floor."
Jordan Herrera attended Cloud Community College for one season after attending Hesston Junior College. At Cloud, he averaged 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. As a prep standout, he attended Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.
"On defense, he anticipates well," said Eaves. "He wants to steal the ball to get dunks and layups. He is 6-6, but he is long and active."
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. -- Hawks women's basketball head coach Fred Batchelor has announced the addition of four student-athletes for the 2011-2012 season.
All four players will enter the University of Maryland Eastern Shore as freshmen: Porsha Barr (Waldorf, Md.), Jessica Long (Fort Washington, Md.), Shawnee Sweeney (Colonial Heights, Md.) and Alexis Udoji (Randolph, Mass.).
"We are extremely excited about this recruiting class," says Batchelor. "With these strong freshmen, this class represents a group that will come in and help us immediately."
Porsha arrives on campus after being the top scorer from Westlake High School. She averaged a double-double a game in her senior season with the Wolverines, getting 17 points and 10 rebounds per contest, leading Westlake to a combined 38-9 record in her final two seasons. Barr scored a season high 29 points twice in her senior year. She has competed with the AAU squad Lady Pearls, based out of Washington D.C. and was named an All-Star at the INDY 100 last summer.
"Porsha is a high energy player who will compete and challenge her teammates every day. She is capable of creating opportunities to help the team by making plays out of pure effort and out working her opponents. She is a strong rebounder who is most effective in transition. She will assist in our consistency of building a foundation of hard work. She is what every coach would love to have; a self motivated, determined young lady on and off the floor."
Jessica Long - Freshman - 5'7" - Guard - Fort Washington, Md. (Oxon Hill HS)
Jessica will suit up for the Lady Hawks as the 79th-ranked point guard in the Class of 2011 as ranked by ESPN. Long scored over 1,000 points in her high school career and was the leading scorer in Prince George's County in 2011 with Oxon Hill High School, averaging over 23 points per game for the Clippers. She spent her first three years at Paul VI Catholic in Fairfax, Virginia, being named the Best Defensive Player in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference twice plus named all-conference 3rd-Team in 2010. Long helped the Panthers to two straight Virginia Independent State Championships in 2009 and 2010. She has competed with AAU squads Team Unique, Team MD Sure Shots and the U-16 Fairfax Stars.
"I see Jessica as a throw back, old school point guard. She has the ability to run a team like a true floor general, which will make the players around her better. I love the way she defends the ball. Her ability to pressure and contain the opponents' point of attack will allow us to be a more effective team on both ends of the floor. I also believe she will be a great teammate. She will have an opportunity to learn and grow into the challenge of being a Division-I point guard."
Shawnee comes to UMES as one of the strongest scoring shooting guards from the state of Virginia. She led Thomas Dale High School to their first two state tournament appearances in its history, finished ranked #6 in the state in 2010 and #8 in 2011 plus led the Knights to three straight Central District regular season and tournament championships from 2009 to 2011, amassing a combined 71-12 record. Sweeney averaged 15.3 points a game in high school, being named 1st-Team All-District and All-Metro 2nd-Team her senior year. She has also played for the AAU teams James River Blaze and Virginia Storm. Sweeney was named to her high school's Distinguished Honor Roll all four years.
"Shawnee is an extremely sharp young lady that has the ability and mentality to be an assassin from three point range. What I love about her the most is that she is just not a three point shooter. She is a tough, physical guard that is capable of attacking the basket to create for her teammates as well as get to the free throw line. Her passion and desire to produce excellence in every facet of her life is what's most impressive."
Alexis comes to Princess Anne as one of the top players in New England at the five position. As Cardinal Spellman High School's starting center, Udoji led the Cardinals to the Central Catholic League Championship in 2011, being named the league's Most Valuable Player that season after being named Defensive Player of the Year in 2010. She averaged a triple-double a game in her final three seasons, including 31 points, 16 blocks and 13 rebounds in the CCL title game, helping her be named The Enterprise Player of the Year in basketball. She set her school's record in blocked shots in a game with 20 in 2009.
"I believe this young lady will make a considerable contribution to our program as well as our league over her playing career. Her ability to effect the game on the defensive end will allow us to extend our pressure along with being able to take more risk because of her ability to block shots and make up for her teammates mistakes. Her development is critical to the overall effect she will have as a Lady Hawk. Alexis has a great spirit and a servant attitude which I believe will make her a pleasure to coach."
Udoji is #5 is this clip...
With an 8-8 record in the MEAC, the Lady Hawks earned a .500 or better conference finish for the fourth season in a row last year.
By University of Maryland Eastern Shore Sports Information
Greenbelt, MD - Eleanor Roosevelt graduate and incoming Howard University freshman Prince Okoroh has balanced his athletic accomplishments with an impressive academic career.
Prince Okoroh’s talent on the basketball court gained the former Eleanor Roosevelt High School standout an athletic scholarship to Howard University. It’s his dedication to performing well in the classroom, though, that may be even more impressive.
You didn't have to worry about eligibility stuff with Prince, Roosevelt coach Brendan O’Connell said. “It’s weird, because, like, in the offseason and stuff, he would miss practice or miss a workout or miss a running session. But it’s because he was going to take a college class at Johns Hopkins or something like that. So how can I get mad at him, you know?”
Okoroh — who was awarded a Gates Millennium Scholarship at Roosevelt — took part in the 2011 World Scholar-Athlete Games in the Greater Hartford, Conn. area, which ran June 26 through July 4.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- If there is one thing Gravelle Craig hated when he was a basketball player, it was slowing the ball down.
Playing one year under Richmond University coach Dick Tarrant's walk-the-ball-up-the-court system seemed like an eternity for the 5-foot-8 point guard. So after his freshman season in 1989, Craig transferred to Cleveland State where coach Kevin Mackey's breakneck running, pressing style was famously dubbed the "Run 'N Stun."
Apparently patience was not Craig's strength as a player. A lot has changed since then. He spent the past seven seasons at Bethune-Cookman as an assistant coach under Clifford Reed. It was only in the past year that he thought it might be time to being looking at NCAA Division II or III head coach openings.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Eight days after firing men's basketball coach Clifford Reed, Bethune-Cookman elevated assistant head coach Gravelle Craigto acting head coach. Craig, 41, was appointed to the new role Tuesday.
Reed was fired for -- according to his termination letter -- "failure to cooperate and insubordination with respect to the university's investigation into allegations against the university and its men's basketball program."
Reed had been head coach for 10 seasons and directed the program's turnaround to three straight winning seasons. The Wildcats went 21-13 in 2010-11, won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season title and received a bid to the National Invitational Tournament to cap the school's most successful season in 30 years.
"We felt that we've been on the right track, and we've accomplished so much, that we decided to continue on with the existing staff," athletic director Lynn Thompson said in a phone interview Tuesday evening. "The program has been working. The elements are still there."
Clark Francis, (Hoop Scoop) recruiting analyst labeled the recruiting class that Howard men’s basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry signed as a top 40 class.
Washington, D.C. -- Howard men’s basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry was never confident about securing a commitment from Prince Okoroh, the Eleanor Roosevelt forward who Nickelberry felt was good enough to play in the Atlantic 10 Conference and smart enough to thrive in the Ivy League.
As a Gates Millennium Scholar, Okoroh had his choice of schools. Would Okoroh want to suit up for a team that had won just six games this past season? Would he commit to a program whose basketball court was sprinkled with dead spots and whose poorly ventilated locker room was no bigger than a large storage closet?
The answer was yes. And when Okoroh called Nickelberry with the news in mid-April, a few days before he was named MVP of the preliminary game of the Capital Classic, the coach was “astonished,” Okoroh recalled. “He almost didn’t believe me at first. When I told him I was coming, it was almost like he fainted.”
This area’s already competitive college basketball recruiting landscape became more competitive in recent weeks with coaching hires at Maryland, George Washington andGeorge Mason. But an under-the-radar development has been the recruiting by success-starved Howard, which assembled an attention-grabbing class punctuated by Okoroh’s signing.
B-CU fires men's basketball coach Clifford Reed after most successful season in school history
Daytona Beach, FL - Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) announced today that it has released Head Basketball Coach Clifford Reed, effective immediately. The University made the decision to release Coach Reed following an internal administrative review. Assistant Head Basketball Coach Gravelle Craig is currently managing all B-CU basketball program operations.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Bethune-Cookman has fired longtime men's basketball coach Clifford Reed, a little more than three months after the Wildcats completed their best season in 30 years.
Reed was fired for refusing to cooperate with a university investigation and insubordination, according to his termination letter obtained today by The News-Journal.
The letter reads: "Please be advised that the University has decided not to offer you a new employment contract as head men's basketball coach, and your employment as head men's basketball coach is terminated effective immediately. This decision is based on your failure to cooperate and insubordination with respect to the University's investigation into allegations against the University and its men's basketball program."
Reed, 46, said he was presented the letter, which was signed by Bethune-Cookman President Dr. Trudie Kibbe Reed, at a meeting this afternoon. Clifford Reed added that Athletic Director Lynn Thompson also was at the meeting.
Bethune-Cookman has fired men's basketball coach Clifford Reed. The school announced the decision in a short press release Monday evening. It did not give a reason, but the decision came after an internal administrative review. Assistant Cravelle Craig will take over the program for now.
Reed, a B-CU graduate, was 125-166 in 10 seasons as coach, including an 74-88 mark in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. This past season the Wildcats had one of their best, going 21-13, winning the conference in the regular-season at 13-3 and qualifying for the NIT Tournament where it lost to Virginia Tech.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida A&M University coach LeDawn Gibson released her list of 2011 signees today. The class of 10 recruits represents a rebuild of the team that went 15-15 last season. In an effort to get a combination of players ready to play immediately and talent that the coaching staff will develop in building the program, the Lady Rattlers welcome four junior college transfers and six high school recruits.
Shannon Washington
Leading the class of signees is the Illinois Valley Community College standout Shannon Washington. Washington is a two-time junior college All-American and two-time 1st team all-conference player. The 5'11" guard from Sarasota, averaged 19 points, nine rebounds, five steals and five assists per game. The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., honored her for her play last season.
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame recognizes the country's top players on all levels, from pro to high school. In making the team, Washington's jersey will hang in the ring of honor at the museum in Tennessee, where she is among other greats such as Candace Parker (Univ. of Tennessee), Sue Byrd (Univ. of Connecticut) and Britney Griner (Baylor).
Keturah Martin
Keturah Martinwill also join the Lady Rattlers this fall. Martin is a junior college transfer from Southwest Tennessee Community College. Last season she averaged 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals per game. She is a 5'11" guard from Memphis, Tenn.
Ra'Shawn Sparkman is a versatile 5'8" guard from Columbia, Tenn. She signs with FAMU, via Volunteer State Community College. She was a junior college All-American, averaging 14 points, five assists and four rebounds per game last year. She will have three years of eligibility remaining at FAMU.
Ra'Shawn Sparkman
Patrice Collie is a 5'10" guard out of Palm Beach. As a freshman at Indian River State College, she averaged 10 points and eight rebounds per game. She was a second team all-conference selection. She will have three years of eligibility remaining at FAMU.
Carrington Caise comes to the Lady Rattlers from Bryan Station High School in Lexington, Ky. Caise stands 5'7" and plays point guard. Her senior year, she earned 1st team all-conference, all-district team, all-region team, all-region tournament and best defender awards. She averaged 10 points, six assists, five steals and three rebounds per game last season.
Cashala Thompson
Cashala Thompsonis a 5'8" guard from Tucson, Arizona., where she attended Sahuaro High School. Thompson averaged 20 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals per game. She is the all-time leading scorer in Sahuaro High School history. She attained All-Southern Arizona and first team All-State honors. She was also the Kino Region 4A Co-player of the year.
Jaleesa Blue is a 6'0" combo player form Leesburg, Florida. She averaged 11.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocked shots per game as a senior at Leesburg High School. She was honored as the Lakes County Player of the Year. She also made 1st team All-State. She was ranked the No.1 power forward in the state of Florida. She holds the record for most rebounds and blocked shots in Leesburg High School history.
Kaylin averaged 10.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, two assists, 1.3 blocks and two steals per game her senior year. She lettered three years in volleyball and four years in basketball. She made the all-region team in both volleyball and basketball.
Jamie averaged 19 points, 12.3 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three steals per game. She was the Augusta Chronicle Basketball Player of the Year. She averaged a double-double her junior and senior years in high school. She scored 1,362 points in high school. She was selected as an all-region player and the most valuable player.
Kabrina Merriweather
Kabrina Merriweather is a 5'11" forward/center from Indianapolis. She played at Tindley Accelerated School, where she averaged 20.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, four assists and two steals per game. She was selected 1st team all-city her junior and senior seasons and team MVP her senior year. She finished her career with 1,494 points and 1017 rebounds.
The pairings for the 2011 Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament were announced today, and Howard women's basketball is set to face Baylor in the opening round.
Top 10 teams Baylor, Notre Dame, and UCLA headline the field that features nine teams that played in the postseason last year. The Preseason WNIT field includes Akron, Chattanooga,Detroit, Drexel, ETSU, Hartford, Howard, Indiana State, Long Island, Manhattan, McNeese State, Tennessee Tech, and UAB. Here is the first-round schedule. Please see below for team notes.
First-round Preseason WNIT games
All 2010-2011 team records in parentheses
Friday, Nov. 11, 2011
McNeese State (26-7) at UCLA (28-5), 5 p.m. ET
UAB (20-15) at Chattanooga (17-14), 7 p.m. ET
Tennessee Tech (23-8) at ETSU (19-12), 7 p.m. ET
Akron (14-16) at Notre Dame (31-8), 7 p.m. ET
Long Island (19-11) at Drexel (19-13), 7 p.m. ET
Howard (16-18) at Baylor (34-3), 7:30 p.m. ET
Detroit (13-18) at Indiana State (16-16), 8 p.m. ET
Manhattan (24-10) at Hartford (17-16), 8 p.m. ET
The Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format. The event opens Nov. 11 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 13-14 and sites will be announced following the first round results; semifinals will be Nov. 16-17; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 20. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 18-19. All games are hosted by participating schools.
In last year's Preseason WNIT, Purdue defeated DePaul 67-58.
- Akron loses just one senior from its 14-16 team, and with the return of four starters, the Zips expect to get back to their form of 09-10 when they posted their best season in school history at 18-14.
- Baylor is a favorite to win next season's national title after advancing deep into the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Bears have U.S. Basketball Writers Association coach of the year Kim Mulkey to lead freshman of the year Odyssey Sims, All-American Brittney Griner, and the vast majority of the Bears that went 34-3 last season and captured the Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
- Chattanooga won 11 straight Southern Conference titles until last season's youth-laden team lost in overtime in the semifinals of the tournament. This year's team is a year older and will build on a 17-14 mark with everyone on the roster back for another season under coach Wes Moore.
- Detroit is a program on the rise, as the Titans return all five starters from their 13-18 team that defeated Michigan on the road for the first time since 1983.
- Drexel earned its third straight trip to the postseason and finished 19-13 despite suffering some key injuries. The Dragons welcome all but one player back for next fall.
- ETSU has won three of the past four Atlantic Sun Tournament titles. The Lady Buccaneers return three starters from their 19-12 team, including Destiny Mitchell, who earned all-conference freshman team honors after suffering a season-ending knee injury in February.
- Hartford finished last season on a high note by winning the America East tournament and earning its sixth trip to the NCAAs after a slow start with an inexperienced team. The Hawks, who were 27-5 a year ago, will again be a favorite this fall in the America East.
- Howard finished runner-up at the MEAC championships and returns conference Player of the Year Saadia Doyle for her junior season. The 16-18 Bison return all five of their starters for their first appearance in the Preseason WNIT.
- IndianaState head coach Teri Moren set a school record for most wins in a rookie season as the Sycamores were 16-16. They get all but one player back from a team that advanced to the Missouri Valley tournament's semifinal round.
- Long Island returns its top players from a 19-11 team in the Northeast Conference, including senior Ashley Palmer, a two-time NEC first-team all-conference honoree.
- Manhattan is coming off its winningest season in school history, as it finished 24-10 and played in the postseason. The Jaspers welcome back four starters.
- McNeeseState posted a record-setting season and tied the best turnaround in NCAA history with a 26-7 record after winning seven games the year before. The Cowgirls captured both the Southland Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and played in their first NCAA Tournament in school history. Their top players return to the team this fall.
- Notre Dame made it all the way to the NCAA championship game before falling to TexasA&M, and the Fighting Irish (31-8) will be back in force this fall for another strong run. They are led by point guard Skylar Diggins, who is among a record three Irish players who recently made the 14-player cut for the U.S. World University Games.
- TennesseeTech won the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title and played in the Postseason WNIT. The Golden Eagles posted a nine-game turnaround from the season before, finishing with a 23-8 overall record. They get all five starters back this fall.
- UAB rolled to its first 20-win season in a decade, going 20-15 and winning the WBI postseason event. The Blazers return four of their five starters and all but one player on their roster.
- UCLA earned more regular-season wins (26) than ever before, and matched its highest seed in history in the NCAA Tournament at No. 3. The Bruins (28-5) will have a new coaching staff led by Cori Close after Nikki Caldwell took the LSU job, but should again be picked to finish around the No. 2 spot in the Pac-12 Conference this fall.
For more information about the WNIT visit the website at www.womensnit.com.
Provided by Howard University Sports Information Jamilah Corbett, Assistant Director of Sports Information VISIT: HOWARD UNIVERSITY VISIT: HOWARDBISON
Orangeburg, S.C. - Trumain Carroll called it the "longest drive" he has ever embarked upon. The Houston native had just completed a grueling road trek through seven states, 1,035 miles and 17 hours from Kansas City, Kan., to Orangeburg in a loaded U-Haul truck which hauled his car on a trailer. Helping Carroll pass the time cruising through the southern states was his father, Kenneth, a former offensive lineman for Texas Southern.
The breathtaking view along Interstate 40 through the Great Smoky Mountains provided a scenic moment along the long ride for the former Oklahoma State linebacker and defensive end. "That was about the most beautiful sites that I had ever seen at least on a drive before in my life," Carroll said. "I was like ‘Wow! The beauty of the East Coast!'"
Upon reaching the final destination Tuesday, Carroll eagerly headed to South Carolina State University to meet with head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough.
As a men's basketball assistant coach for Winston-Salem State, Murray Garvin experienced his share of wins and losses against South Carolina State. This season, Garvin will try to help head coach Tim Carter and the Bulldogs regain their winning ways as he told the Winston-Salem Journal he plans to head to Orangeburg.
"We did some good things at Winston-Salem State and I wish (Rams' head coach) Bobby (Collins) and the school nothing but the best," Garvin told the Journal.
In three seasons at Winston-Salem State, Garvin worked with the post players and was responsible for coordinating the Rams' travel and academics. He also spent four years as the head men's basketball coach and athletics director at Clinton Junior College in Rock Hill.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida A&M University men's basketball announces their 2011 signing class. The mixture of athletes concentrated on increasing the size of the Rattlers' front line. Four athletes have signed, with three coming from within the state of Florida and one from Georgia.
First year head coach Clemon Johnson, charged assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Tony Sheals, to get some size to bulk up the inside play and toughen the defense. The result is the signing ofEddie D'Haiti, Markee Teal, Nathaniel Drayton andD'Andre Bullard.
D'Haiti, is from Orlando, Fla., and is a junior college transfer from Santa Fe College. He is 6'8" tall and weighs 235 lbs. He should help the Rattlers in the post position. He was an All-Mid Florida Conference player. He attended Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, where he led the team to a 43-13 record while playing there. He was shown interest by West Virginia, Valdosta St. and FAU.
Teal, is from State College of Florida (formerly Manatee Community College). He is from Ocala, Fla., where he attended Westport High School. He was also a first team Suncoast All-Conference selection as a post player. Teal stands 6'7" and weighs 220 lbs. He was shown interest by B-CU and St. Peters College.
Drayton, who goes by the name "Nate," is originally from Savannah, Ga. He is a junior college transfer from Salkehatchie Community College, where he was an All-Conference performer. Drayton plays the post and is 6'7" and 245 lbs. He was shown interest by Towson State, Coastal Carolina, and S.C. State.
Bullard, is a true freshman from Apopka, Fla. He attended Wekiva High School and was an All-County and All-Region player. He has good height for a point guard, standing 6'4" and 175 lbs. He was shown interest by Northeastern and Stetson University.
GREENSBORO, N.C. - In an attempt to add speed and versatility to the 2011-12 North Carolina A&T women's basketball team, head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs has announced the signing of five new players.
Ariel Bursey, Kelsei Ewings, Chyanna "Chy" Cunningham, Kierra Dunnington, and Adriana Nazario will try to add to what has become a championship program at N.C. A&T. Bursey, Ewings, Dunnington and Nazario are considered three-star recruits (out of five stars) by ESPN HoopGurlz.
Recruiting expert Dan Olson of Collegiate Girls Basketball Report, called the Aggies' class "by far the best amongst all HBCUs."
Earlier this year, the Aggies inked Jaylan Bodiford (6-2, Ballard Louisville, Ky.), Jasmine Parker (6-2, A.L. Brown, Kannapolis, N.C.) and Eboni Ross (6-2, Eau Claire, Columbia, S.C.). Tiffanie Adair, a 2010 signee, will also be added to the Aggies roster this year, bringing the Aggies total number of newcomers to nine. Bodiford, Cunningham, and Ewings were McDonald's All-American nominees.
"There are some outstanding guards in our conference," said Bibbs. "We had to improve our depth and team speed so we can defend those guards. We want to be able to matchup with any lineup our opponents put on the floor."
Bursey (5-10, Western Harnett, Sanford, N.C.) is ranked the 35th best guard in the nation. Bursey enters her collegiate career with the reputation of being a scorer. Over the final two seasons of her high school career, she averaged 25.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. In the classroom, she earned a 4.2 grade point average. Her sister Trinity Bursey played at the University of North Carolina.
"She is super athletic and gets to the rim quickly," said Bibbs. "She is one of the highest rated players we have ever signed. She has good size and huge hands. But the thing I like about her most...she will play defense."
Ewings (5-5, West Point, West Point, Miss.) provides the Aggies with another scorer. She averaged 27.0 points and 6.0 assists per game. She is the No. 7 rated player in the state of Mississippi. ESPN HoopGurlz gives her a grade of 83 (out of 100), and ranks her as the 103rd best point guard in the country. In the Mississippi All-Star game, she was awarded Defensive Player of the Game.
"We are excited about finally having a smaller guard who can defend some of the small guards in our conference," said Bibbs. "She is lightning quick and a true menace defensively."
Cunningham (5-10, Tupelo, Tupelo, Miss.) is another Mississippi product headed to N.C. A&T. Ranked No. 17 in the state, Cunningham can play shooting guard, point guard and small forward. She is ranked 86th among guards in the nation. She averaged 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
"She is going to be able to do so many things for us," said Bibbs. "She is a versatile athlete who can defend several different positions."
Dunnington (5-10, Indian River, Chesapeake, Va.) averaged 17.7 points and 8.1 rebounds as a senior. Maxpreps.com ranked her the 77th best player in the state of Virginia. The Aggies, who shot 27.7 percent from 3-point range during the 2010-11 season, welcome her ability to knock down perimeter jump shots. She is ranked the 121st guard in the country.
"We are so pleased to be able to go into the Tidewater area and get a player of this quality," said Bibbs. "That is a tremendous accomplishment for our program. She is lightning quick on the defensive end, and she is going to hit some big threes for us."
Nazario's father Dre Nazario told ESPN HoopGurlz, "North Carolina A&T offers (Adriana) a family environment with a top notch education along with a competitive team that always has a goal of challenging for a championship." Nazario (5-8, George Washington, Charleston, WVa.) verbally committed to Virginia Tech originally, but later decided to come to Aggieland. She is ranked No. 7 in the state of West Virginia, and Jumpoffplus.com ranks her 140th in the nation.
"We landed a steal here," said Bibbs. "You're talking about a young lady who was an All-State performer and the conference player of the year. She will be a perfect fit here."
Tallahassee, FL - LeDawn Gibson will have two more years to complete her turnaround of the Florida A&M women's basketball team. 
