GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- After signing two athletes in November, North Carolina A&T head women’s basketball coach Tarrell Robinson completed his first recruiting class this week with the signing of Whitney Martin, junior college transfer Jessica Warren and Division I transfer Dana Brown.
Martin (5-9, Guard, Charlottesville, Va., Miller School of Albemarle), Warren (6-2, Forward/Center Olympia, Ill., Kaskaskia College ) and Brown (5-7, Guard, Willow Springs, N.C., UNC Wilmington) will join MaKayla Williams (5-9, Guard, Wakefield, N.C., Wakefield) and Kenya Hailey (6-1, Forward, Greensboro, N.C., Southeast Guilford) as the members of Robinson’s first recruiting class.
“We’re excited about the two new additions to our women’s basketball program,” Robinson said. “Whitney and Jessica will add much needed depth for us on the perimeter and in the paint for the upcoming season. My staff has done an excellent job of identifying and then securing what our needs were going into next season.”
Martin averaged 11.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game her senior year, helping the Mavericks to a 25-9 record. She was a two-time, first-team All-Blue Ridge honoree, as well as a two-time all-state recipient. She led the Mavericks to two state championships in her three seasons at the varsity level. They won consecutive VISAA DIII State Championship titles in 2010and 2011. She also helped the Mavericks win the 2013 Blue Ridge Conference championship title. She also competed for the Cap City Ballerz AAU program.
“Whitney brings size and a legit scoring threat from the perimeter for us,” Robinson said. “We were fortunate that she became available during the late signing period. She is an excellent student in the classroom. I expect her to come in and immediately compete for playing time as a freshman. She will play guard or forward spot during her time here.”
Warren is transferring to A&T after finishing her freshman season at Kaskaskia College in Centralia, Ill. For the Blue Angels, Warren averaged 5.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, and shot 41 percent from the field. She ranked 14 in the nation among NJCAA Division I programs with 63 blocks.
She started 22 of 29 games as a freshman, helping the Blue Angels to a 24-9 overall record and an appearance in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference Championship title game. The Blue Angels also competed in the NJCAA National Championships, losing to Blinn College in the first round.
“Jessica has the athleticism and ability to give us another defensive presence in the paint,” Robinson said. “She’s very agile and gets off the floor extremely quick. She also has a developing offensive game with a soft shooting touch around the rim. It’s rare that you are able to get a junior college player who has three years to play in your program. She is expected to come in and compete for a starting role at the power forward position for us.”
Brown joins guard Whitney Martin (5-9, Charlottesville, Va.), forward/center Jessica Warren (6-2, Olympia, Ill.) guard MaKayla Williams (5-9, Wakefield, N.C.) and forward Kenya Hailey (6-1, Greensboro, N.C.) as the members of Robinson’s first recruiting class. .
Brown, who was an Associated Press All-State selection from Enlo
e High following her senior year, had a solid freshman season for the Seahawks in 2012-13. At UNC Wilmington, Brown averaged 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. She started in 22 of 31 contests, and shot 26 percent from the floor and 72 percent from the free throw line. The Seahawks finished the season 5-26 overall, including a 56-47 loss to A&T on Jan. 3 at Trask Coliseum.COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
