TicketsNov. 30, 2010
Recruiting Class Update with Coach Elliott
CINCINNATI - CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team has signed Talequia Hamilton (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington) and Alyesha Lovett (Newark, N.J./Malcolm X. Shabazz) to National Letters of Intent, second-year head coach Jamelle Elliott announced today.
Hamilton, a 6-2 forward, helped Huntington High to the state semifinals as a junior, averaging a double-double over the course of the season. She played her AAU ball with the D1 Greyhounds, the same program that produced current NBA star O.J. Mayo, who also attended Huntington High.
Lovett, a native of Newark, N.J., is a 6-0 guard ranked as the No. 71 player in the nation by ESPN Hoopgirlz. She averaged 10 points per game as a junior in 2009-10 in helping Shabazz to the NJSIAA Group 2 championship. She has been a part of three straight state championship teams, helping the Bulldogs to a combined 93-6 record during her three years with the varsity program.
The pair join Dayeesha Hollins (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods), who transferred from Michigan and will sit out the 2010-11 season per NCAA transfer guidelines. Hollins, who was a standout at Winton Woods and one of the top players in the greater Cincinnati area during her prep career, had a successful freshman campaign at Michigan. She started in 34 of 35 games, averaging 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, while earning a spot on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team.
The three-player class is ranked No. 32 in the country by Collegiate Girls Basketball Report, No. 55 by All-Star Girls Report, and No. 58 by ESPN Hoopgurlz. It is the eighth-ranked class in the BIG EAST according to Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.
The 2011-12 squad will feature just two seniors and will be loaded with young talent following last year's recruiting haul, which was ranked No. 55 in the country. The 2009 class included ESPN Top 100 prospect Kayla Cook, Tiffany Turner, Jeanise Randolph, and Vanderbilt transfer Chanel Chisholm who are each major contributors to this season's team.