Nov. 12, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State Lady Lion basketball coach Coquese Washington announced today that she has signed three players to the 2010 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 20 by ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 24 by Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. Maggie Lucas (Narbeth, Pa./Germantown Academy) and Talia East (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends' Central) signed National Letters of Intent and will start their Lady Lion careers in 2010-11. Transfer Mia Nickson (Ashburn, Va./Notre Dame Academy/Boston College) is also considered a member of this recruiting class.
"Collectively, as a unit, this class brings so many intangibles to the table," Washington said. "They are a very competitive group, they love to win and they've proven to be great teammates. The other intangible that this class has is their personalities. They are a fun-loving bunch and will definitely add to the chemistry of the team. This group is also extremely competitive. They want to win. They want to work hard and are willing to get in the gym and do what it takes to improve."
"This is our third recruiting class and I believe we are bringing in athletic, quick, long players that can contribute to us having the style of play that we like to play. We are looking to have a style of play in which we get up and down the court, are aggressive and versatile defensively and are athletic at every position."
Lucas, the 14th-ranked player by Blue Star Basketball and 34th-ranked player by ESPN HoopGurlz, led Germantown Academy to a 31-0 record en route to their 11th-straight Inter-Academic League title and a No. 18 national ranking in the final MaxPreps poll in 2008-09. The 5-8 shooting guard was a first team ESPNRISE.com High School All-American last season after averaging 21.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 2.6 assists per game as a junior. Lucas is a two-time first team All-State selection and three-time Inter-Ac first team choice. Lucas enters her final season at Germantown Academy with 1,557 career points, which is seventh on Germantown Academy's all-time scoring list (boys and girls). Lucas needs 690 points to break the school's all-time scoring mark set by Laura Kurz. "The Sporting News" preseason All-American plays AAU for the Philly Belles, which was ranked third in the country. The Belles finished second in the 2009 U.S. Junior Nationals in Washington D.C. and second in the 2009 Boo Williams Tournament.
"Maggie is definitely going to add some depth at the guard spot," Washington said. "She's a phenomenal outside shooter and she will stretch the defense with her deep range. She is fearless, she doesn't care if she misses her first 15 shots, and she just has an unshakable belief in her ability to make plays. She plays with a high level of confidence."
East, the 29th-ranked center by ESPN HoopGurlz, averaged 10.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks as she led Friends Central to a 26-2 record last season. The Phoenix were ranked eighth in the Philadelphia area in 2009 and were semifinalists in the Pennsylvania Independents Tournament. The 6-3 post player enters her senior season with 766 career points and 668 career rebounds. The 2009 All-State selection also has been on the All-Friends League team and the All-Mainline team each of the last three years. East played AAU basketball with the Philly Triple Threat.
"Talia continues to add size in the post for us," Washington said. "That is something we are constantly trying to do is get bigger and athletic in the post and Talia definitely helps that. She's a very defensive-minded post player. She is a very strong defender and rebounder. I think she is going to give us a great compliment to Nikki (Greene) and Janessa (Wolff) in the post."
Mia Nickson transfered from Boston College to Penn State in the offseason and will have to sit out the 2009-10 campaign due to NCAA transfer rules. |
Nickson, who will sit out the 2009-10 season due to NCAA transfer rules, played in 28 games for Boston College last season, averaging 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. She had a career-high seven points against Wake Forest on Jan. 15, 2009. She also had a solid outing against Virginia Tech with five points and a career-best seven rebounds. At Notre Dame Academy, Nickson was a two-time first team All-Met selection in 2007 and 2008. The Ashburn, Va., native was also a Preseason All-American selection by The Sporting News heading into her senior season in 2008. She averaged 12.9 points per game as a senior and finished her career with more than 1,500 points. Nickson was a member of the Notre Dame Academy squad that was ranked fourth in the ESPN High Elite 25 Girls Basketball Rankings her senior season.
"Mia's athleticism, defensive prowess, work ethic and versatility at the forward spot will definitely give us added depth in the post," Washington said. "In addition, she is a great person and has added so much to our team off the court and in the locker room."
The Lady Lions open the regular season at Drexel on Friday before returning home to face NJIT on Sunday at 2 p.m. Penn State fans that attend the Indiana football game can use their football ticket to take advantage of a buy one ticket, get one free ticket promotion for the game against the Highlanders. Single-game tickets can be purchased by calling the Penn State ticket office at 814-865-5555.
The 2010 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m., as the Lady Lions take on Illinois in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game can be seen on www.bigtennetwork.com. The first three Pink Zone events have raised more than $80,000 for breast cancer awareness. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow head coach Coquese Washington (@psucoachquese), sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and assistant coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook. Search Lady Lion Basketball and become a fan.