TicketsNov. 20, 2009
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team has signed four student-athletes to letters of intent, first-year head coach Jamelle Elliott announced today (Nov. 20).
Junior college transfer ShaQuanda Wiggins (Chicago, Ill./Thornton Township/Jefferson College [Mo.]) will join incoming freshmen Kayla Cook (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster), Jeanise Randolph (Calumet City, IL/Thornton Fractional North), and Tiffany Turner (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) at UC for the 2010-11 season. The class was ranked as the No. 55 recruiting class in the nation according to All-Star Girls Report, ahead of BIG EAST foes Pittsburgh, DePaul, USF, Villanova, and Marquette.
"I'm pleased and excited about the class that we were able to bring in," said Elliott of her first full recruiting class at Cincinnati. "We were able to fill some needs that will help us continue to become a better team."
Wiggins, the No. 7-ranked junior college transfer according to All-Star Girls Report, is currently competing in her sophomore season at Jefferson College, where she is averaging 13 points and seven rebounds through five games. The 6-2 post has helped Jefferson to a 4-1 record and a No. 2 national NJCAA ranking this season after leading the Vikings to a national runner-up finish at the 2009 NJCAA National Championship Tournament.
"ShaQuandra is a long, athletic post player out of Jefferson College," said Elliott. "She will give us a presence inside. She brings some size and she comes from a winning junior college program, one that finished as national runner-up a season ago."
Cook, the lone Ohio product in the class, is a 5-10 guard who starred in three sports as a prep. The No. 90 recruit in the nation according to ESPN HoopGurlz, Cook scored over 1,500 points through her first three seasons at South Webster High School, leading the Jeeps to three straight district titles. A three-time all-state honoree, she was named the league and district player of the year in each of her three seasons.
"Kayla is a really hard-nosed player that competes on every possession," said Elliott. "She is one of those players that can change the game when she is on the floor. She is a great ball-handler and shoots the ball well."
Randolph is a 6-2 post player who earned Northwest Indiana Times first-team honors as a junior at Thornton Fractional North High School, averaging 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest. She led the Meteors to the sectional title game last season, recording seven double-doubles throughout the campaign.
"Jeanise is a versatile player out of Chicago with a great personality who will make our team better," Elliott said. "She is a competitor and shows tremendous leadership qualities on the floor."
Turner, a 6-1 combo player from Philadelphia, has led Cherokee High School to a 63-20 mark in three seasons, averaging 11.0 points per game over the last two years. A solid defender and athletic perimeter player, Turner played her AAU ball with one of the top programs in the nation, the Philadelphia Triple Threat.
"Tiffany is a lefty guard whis is able to play on the wing as well as post up inside," Elliott stated. "She plays for one of the best AAU teams in the country in the Philly Triple Threat."
Chanel Chisholm (Long Island, N.Y./North Babylon/Vanderbilt), who transferred from Vanderbilt following the 2008-09 season, is the fifth member of Elliott's class and will join the team for the 2010-11 season after sitting out 2009-10 in compliance with NCAA transfer guidelines.