University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Announces The Signing Of Five
December 06, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2007
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass women's basketball head coach Marnie Dacko announced the signing of five players to National Letters of Intent on Thursday. The Minutewomen's class of 2011 is made up of one player from Illinois, one player each from New Jersey and New York and two players from Ohio.
The most highly ranked recruit is Alesia Howard, a 5-10 swing player from Columbus, Ohio. Howard is rated the #57 player in the nation by hoopgurls.com. She averaged 11.8 points per game and 7.5 rebounds last season and earned first team All-City and All-District accolades last year. Howard plays for Coach Will McKinney at Africentric High School (Columbus, OH). They went 27-1 last season and won the state Division IV tournament. During the summer Howard played with the Ohio Legends AAU program.
The other Buckeye joining the Minutewomen will be Emilie Teuscher, a 5-8 guard from Miamisburg. Teuscher averaged 14 points per game last season and is a 37% career three-point shooter. She earned all AP Southwest District 3rd team honors last year. Coached by Ron Russo, Miamisburg High went 20-2 last season. Teuscher played with the Dayton Lady Hoopsters AAU program during the summer.
The addition of 5-8 combo guard Sarah Rogers from John Marshall High School in Chicago, Illinois will further bolster the UMass backcourt. Rogers plays for Coach Dorothy Gaters at Marshall. Gaters is recognized as one of the top high school coaches in the nation and Marshall is the winningest program in the state of Illinois. Last year's Lady Commando team went 29-5 with Rogers averaging 15 points and four rebounds per game. Sarah was named All-City, All-Conference and was selected to the third team All-State team as a junior. Rogers plays with the Illinois Hustle AAU program.
Nicki Jones, a 6-2 post player from Nazareth Academy (Rochester, NY), averaged 11 points, eight rebounds and over two blocks per game throughout her high school career. Last year's Nazareth squad, coached by Chris Belmont, went 12-10 and Jones was selected to the Private Parochial League All-Star team. Jones is also a decorated volleyball player, earning team and league MVP honors this past season. A lean athletic post player, Jones will give the UMass frontcourt added depth. This summer Nicki played with the SRAP AAU club out of Syracuse, NY.
Dacko's last signee, 6-1 forward Kristina Danella (Manalapan, NJ) attends Red Bank Catholic HS (Red Bank, NJ). Under Coach Joe Montano, Danella has averaged 14 points per game, nine rebounds per game and has an 82% free throw percentage thus far in her high school career. Kristina was the 2007 Asbury Park Press Player of the Year while leading her team to a 26-4 record. Red Bank Catholic has won the Shore Conference championship the last two years. They were the Non-Public A State champions last season. Danella played her summer AAU ball with the Central Jersey Hawks.
Coach Dacko loves the infusion of talent at all spots. "This incoming class reminds me a lot of this years departing seniors. We have one player coming in at each position and they all know that they will have the opportunity to earn playing time as freshmen," Dacko said. "We are bringing in a group that has experienced success at the high school level. Expecting to win and knowing the hard work it takes to win are two key ingredients to being a champion at the next level. These young ladies seemingly have that drive. I like the versatility that this group brings to the floor. With Kristina Danella, you get a player who knows how to score inside but is also very comfortable stepping back and shooting the three. Nicki Jones gives us post presence but is also mobile enough to guard a smaller player. Sarah Rogers has played all the positions, from 1-5, in high school. Alesia Howard is considered one of the top perimeter defenders and is accurately described as `a warrior' by one talent scout. Emilie Teuscher is not only a great shooter but she is a smart player. She doesn't take bad shots. I can't wait to coach this group and see how quickly they progress. The coaching staff is looking forward to four productive years out of this class."
The Minutewomen are currently 3-5 in the 2007-08 campaign. They return home to the Mullins Center, where they are a perfect 3-0, on Saturday to host Maine in a non-conference game at noon.