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University of Massachusets Athletics
Four Sign Early Women’s Basketball NLI’s As Tory Verdi’s First Recruiting Class
November 17, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Alexia Allesch, Autumn Giles, Paige McCormick and Aerial Starks to join Minutewomen in 2017-18.
AMHERST, Mass. – UMass women's basketball head coach Tory Verdi announced today the signing of four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the NCAA early signing period. The first four of Verdi's first recruiting class at UMass is made up of forward Alexia Allesch (Basking Ridge, N.J.), guard Autumn Giles (Fort Myers, Fla.), guard Paige McCormick (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) and guard Aerial Starks (College Station, Texas).
"I'm excited about our first recruiting class," said Verdi. "These four young women are a quality group of people with great character and who are outstanding students. Overall, they bring a ton of skill offensively and adds size which is going to help bolster our program in the years ahead as we work towards our goal of winning Atlantic 10 championships."
2016 UMass Early NLI Signees
Alexia Allesch • F • 6-1 • Baskin Ridge, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's HS
Autumn Giles • G • 5-9 • Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS
Paige McCormick • G • 5-11 • Ogdensburg, N.Y./Heuvelton Central HS
Aerial Starks • G • 5-9 • College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated HS
The quartet signed during the early NLI signing period from Nov. 9-Nov. 16. The regular signing date for NCAA basketball will next be April 12, 2017 through May 17, 2017.
For complete coverage of the UMass women's basketball team, follow the Minutewomen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassWBB and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.
2016 UMass Early NLI Signee Bios
Alexia Allesch • F • 6-1 • Baskin Ridge, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's HS
Has been a key player for head coach Aaron Gratch at Gill St. Bernard's helping the Knights to a three-year record of 62-21 … Missed much of 2015-16 due to injury … Named first-team all-conference and first-team all-area as a sophomore … Earned honorable mention all-area honors as a junior … In 66 career games, has scored 681 points (10.3/game) with 535 rebounds, 184 blocks, 113 steals and 56 assists … Earned academic honors in each year of high school … Played AAU for YuNG & Tha Restless and coached by Curtiz Simpson … Spent part of the past summer working basketball camps and clinics and helping build a house in Guatemala.
Verdi on Allesch:
"Alexia is a versatile post player who can score with her back to the basket, can face up and shoot the three and is really good in transition. We expect her to produce a lot of offense for us. The fact that she has all that versatility and the ability to score on the inside and the outside will be a major plus for us."
Autumn Giles • G • 5-9 • Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS
A standout guard for head coach Chad Terrell at Fort Myers High School … Helped the Green Wave to the 2016 Class 6A Florida Championship title … At Fort Myers, has led the team to a 74-17 record over the last three seasons with three district championships and two regional championships … Earned FABC All-Florida Second Team honors in 2016 … Also an all-conference player as a junior … Named to New-Press Third Team as a sophomore and first team as a junior … Needs just 41 points to become fifth person in Fort Myers High School history to reach 1,000 career points … Has averaged 12.6 points, 2.0 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game for Green Wave … Also a member of the cross country and track teams … Played for AAU Florida Future where she was coached by Jamie Outten and her father Robert Giles.
Verdi on Giles:
"Autumn is an athletic guard who can get up and down the floor with the ability to get to the rim. We're really excited about her athleticism and she'll be really good at the front of our press."
Paige McCormick • G • 5-11 • Ogdensburg, N.Y./Heuvelton Central HS
A natural scorer for Heuvelton High School where she was the two-time NYS Class D Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016 … Also a First-Team All-New York selection in those seasons while picking up All-NAC MVP honors … As a freshman was named to the All-NAC First Team … Led Coach Rob Powers' Bulldogs to a 71-5 record over the last three years including a 28-0 season as a junior in 2016 … Heuvelton won the NYS Class D State Championship in both 2015 and 2016 … Has scored 1,720 points with 810 rebounds, 324 assists and 243 steals entering her senior year … Averages a double-double for career with 22.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game … Holds the Heuvelton High School records for points in a game (41), points in a season (690) and career points (1,720) … A standout softball player as well being named to the All-New York First Team as a freshman and junior and the All-New York Second Team as a sophomore … A two-time All-NAC First Team selection in volleyball as well … Has earned academic honor roll honors each semester of high school and is a member of the National Honor Society … Played AAU basketball for head coach Roger Long and the Northern Border Rampage where she was named to the 2016 Gym Rat All-Star Team.
Verdi on McCormick:
"Paige is a natural scorer who has well over 1,700 points in her career entering her senior year. She can hit the three and has the ability to create shots for herself and for others."
Aerial Starks • G • 5-9 • College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated HS
A standout shooting guard for coaches Karen Heintz and Wendy Hines at A&M Consolidated High School … Named a 2016 Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State selection after averaging 21.9 points and 8.9 rebounds as a junior … Also named to the 2016 All-Brazos Valley First Team honoree … Helped A&M Consolidated win a share of three district titles … In 2015-16 led squad to a 27-10 record and a Region 5A Championship appearance … Played AAU basketball for AD Elite … Speaks five languages and hopes to become a foreign ambassador.
Verdi on Starks:
"Aerial is a big guard who can score at all three levels – she can shoot the three, she can shoot the mid-range jumper, and she can get to the rim. Obviously we are very excited about her skill set in that regard. She is a transition player who can get up and down the floor well and has the ability to score in bunches."
"I'm excited about our first recruiting class," said Verdi. "These four young women are a quality group of people with great character and who are outstanding students. Overall, they bring a ton of skill offensively and adds size which is going to help bolster our program in the years ahead as we work towards our goal of winning Atlantic 10 championships."
2016 UMass Early NLI Signees
Alexia Allesch • F • 6-1 • Baskin Ridge, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's HS
Autumn Giles • G • 5-9 • Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS
Paige McCormick • G • 5-11 • Ogdensburg, N.Y./Heuvelton Central HS
Aerial Starks • G • 5-9 • College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated HS
The quartet signed during the early NLI signing period from Nov. 9-Nov. 16. The regular signing date for NCAA basketball will next be April 12, 2017 through May 17, 2017.
For complete coverage of the UMass women's basketball team, follow the Minutewomen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassWBB and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.
2016 UMass Early NLI Signee Bios
Alexia Allesch • F • 6-1 • Baskin Ridge, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's HS
Has been a key player for head coach Aaron Gratch at Gill St. Bernard's helping the Knights to a three-year record of 62-21 … Missed much of 2015-16 due to injury … Named first-team all-conference and first-team all-area as a sophomore … Earned honorable mention all-area honors as a junior … In 66 career games, has scored 681 points (10.3/game) with 535 rebounds, 184 blocks, 113 steals and 56 assists … Earned academic honors in each year of high school … Played AAU for YuNG & Tha Restless and coached by Curtiz Simpson … Spent part of the past summer working basketball camps and clinics and helping build a house in Guatemala.
Verdi on Allesch:
"Alexia is a versatile post player who can score with her back to the basket, can face up and shoot the three and is really good in transition. We expect her to produce a lot of offense for us. The fact that she has all that versatility and the ability to score on the inside and the outside will be a major plus for us."
Autumn Giles • G • 5-9 • Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS
A standout guard for head coach Chad Terrell at Fort Myers High School … Helped the Green Wave to the 2016 Class 6A Florida Championship title … At Fort Myers, has led the team to a 74-17 record over the last three seasons with three district championships and two regional championships … Earned FABC All-Florida Second Team honors in 2016 … Also an all-conference player as a junior … Named to New-Press Third Team as a sophomore and first team as a junior … Needs just 41 points to become fifth person in Fort Myers High School history to reach 1,000 career points … Has averaged 12.6 points, 2.0 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game for Green Wave … Also a member of the cross country and track teams … Played for AAU Florida Future where she was coached by Jamie Outten and her father Robert Giles.
Verdi on Giles:
"Autumn is an athletic guard who can get up and down the floor with the ability to get to the rim. We're really excited about her athleticism and she'll be really good at the front of our press."
Paige McCormick • G • 5-11 • Ogdensburg, N.Y./Heuvelton Central HS
A natural scorer for Heuvelton High School where she was the two-time NYS Class D Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016 … Also a First-Team All-New York selection in those seasons while picking up All-NAC MVP honors … As a freshman was named to the All-NAC First Team … Led Coach Rob Powers' Bulldogs to a 71-5 record over the last three years including a 28-0 season as a junior in 2016 … Heuvelton won the NYS Class D State Championship in both 2015 and 2016 … Has scored 1,720 points with 810 rebounds, 324 assists and 243 steals entering her senior year … Averages a double-double for career with 22.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game … Holds the Heuvelton High School records for points in a game (41), points in a season (690) and career points (1,720) … A standout softball player as well being named to the All-New York First Team as a freshman and junior and the All-New York Second Team as a sophomore … A two-time All-NAC First Team selection in volleyball as well … Has earned academic honor roll honors each semester of high school and is a member of the National Honor Society … Played AAU basketball for head coach Roger Long and the Northern Border Rampage where she was named to the 2016 Gym Rat All-Star Team.
Verdi on McCormick:
"Paige is a natural scorer who has well over 1,700 points in her career entering her senior year. She can hit the three and has the ability to create shots for herself and for others."
A standout shooting guard for coaches Karen Heintz and Wendy Hines at A&M Consolidated High School … Named a 2016 Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State selection after averaging 21.9 points and 8.9 rebounds as a junior … Also named to the 2016 All-Brazos Valley First Team honoree … Helped A&M Consolidated win a share of three district titles … In 2015-16 led squad to a 27-10 record and a Region 5A Championship appearance … Played AAU basketball for AD Elite … Speaks five languages and hopes to become a foreign ambassador.
Verdi on Starks:
"Aerial is a big guard who can score at all three levels – she can shoot the three, she can shoot the mid-range jumper, and she can get to the rim. Obviously we are very excited about her skill set in that regard. She is a transition player who can get up and down the floor well and has the ability to score in bunches."
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