Tanner Kerry of Australia signs letters-of-intent with Pepperdine men's basketball for 2009-10 season

Men's Basketball Signs Two Recruits for 2009-10
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information

Release: 11/20/2008

MALIBU, Calif. ­ Pepperdine men's basketball coach Tom Asbury announced
today that the Waves have signed two players -- guard Josh Lowery of Phoenix
and forward/center Tanner Kerry of Australia -- to letters-of-intent for the
2009-10 season.

Lowery is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard who attends Desert Vista High School,
while Kerry is a 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward/center from Sydney, Australia.

Following are capsule biographies with quotes on each player:

Tanner Kerry
Played the last four years on the varsity at Cranbrook High School ... Also
has played with an Under-22 Youth League club team called the Northern
Suburbs Bears for two seasons ... Averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds for
Cranbrook as a senior and made the CAS all-conference team ... Helped the
school to its first-ever conference championship as a junior and was on the
all-conference squad ... Averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Northern
Suburbs Bears last season ... An excellent all-around athlete who has also
won awards in track and field (high jump, 200 meters, discus and shot put),
swimming and rugby ... A dual citizen of Australia and the USA, as he was
born in Newport Beach, Calif., and moved to Australia when he was 5 years
old ... His father, Mark, was an Olympic swimmer for Australia and won one
gold and two bronze medals.

Quote from Asbury: ³I saw Tanner play in a tournament in Denver in the
spring and just fell in love with him. He plays hard, he¹s tough, he¹s got
good athletic ability and has a tremendous upside. He has a really bright
future. He has some great family genes. I would expect him to play
immediately.²

Quote from Stephen Whitebread, head coach, Cranbrook High: ³Tanner is
extremely athletic and strong. He is very enthusiastic, respectful and easy
to coach. Tanner plays the 5 for us but can easily play the 4 and I believe
with some work he can play the 3 spot. It has been a joy to watch Tanner
develop and I look forward to seeing him progress in the years to come. I
believe Tanner is a promising talent and with his existing tools, attitude
and commitment to improve, in addition to his physical presence continuing
to develop, I believe his future is boundless.²

Quote from Rob Beveridge, former head coach of the National Junior Team and
an assistant coach with the Olympic Team: ³Tanner has been a late developer
to the game of basketball and when I first saw Tanner play I was very
excited with the potential that he possesses. He is a big, strong and
athletic player with a great work ethic who wants to get better every time
he is on the floor. These attributes along with his great attitude will
ensure that he will have a very successful college career.²

Quote from Chris McKibbins, NSBA development officer: ³As a player, Tanner
is as hard working and honest as they come. A super-strong athletic big who
is as fast as any guard out on the court. Tanner has the ability to rebound
on the defensive end, throw an outlet, then beat the ball down the court. He
is a genuine inside player but with some refining of his perimeter moves he
could easily be a dominant swingman with his speed and tenacity. It has been
a real pleasure seeing Tanner develop and I look forward to seeing him take
on a big role at Pepperdine.²

Josh Lowery
Won the 2008 5A Division I state championship as a junior with Desert Vista
High School, which went 26-5 overall ... Averaged 12.8 points, 4.0 rebounds,
3.2 assists and 1.7 steals in 2007-08 ... Scored a season-high 21 points in
a 63-50 win over Phoenix St. Mary¹s in the state championship game ...
Pepperdine assistant Damin Lopez was the associate head coach at Phoenix St.
Mary¹s before joining the Waves as an assistant this season ... Josh has
been ruled ineligible to play his senior season by the Arizona
Interscholastic Association ... After moving from Washington to Arizona,
last season was his first at Desert Vista ... Had previously played three
years of high school basketball in the state of Washington (including one
year when he was home-schooled prior to the ninth grade), but Arizona¹s
rules allow no more than four seasons of play ... Is currently finishing up
his coursework at Desert Vista ... Plays with the club team Arizona Premier
Academy.

Quote from Asbury: ³Josh is a consummate point guard. He¹s a great leader
and has good size. He¹s quick and he really knows how to run the court. He
can play offguard, but he¹s a true point guard. He¹ll compete for playing
time right away as a freshman.²

The Waves have three seniors on the 2008-09 squad, all of them guards.

³We lose a couple of point guards, and you can never have too many good
ones, so Josh will help us there,² Asbury said. ³It¹s also clear that we
need more size, more big men who can play with their back to the basket and
rebound, and Tanner will help us there.²

The Waves (1-2) make their first road trip this weekend and are at New
Mexico State on Friday (Nov. 21) and #15 Arizona State on Sunday (Nov. 23).

https://www.nmnathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_

All-Aussie Hoops America Team selections – January 2009

by Mike Green (AussieHoopsAmerica.com contributor)

In our second month’s awards, teams have settled into their conference schedules where success hinges on the contributions of their players. This month’s teams were selected on that contribution, whether it was great or not and whether it lead to the raising of their program’s national ranking. The All-AHA teams (NCAA D1 unless noted) for January are:

Women’s Team
1. Hayley Munro (Sophomore Forward, Fresno State 15-6, 6-2 WAC): January saw the talented Victorian’s team go 7 and 2, including wins against Boise State and out of conference power UNLV. Fresno State received votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll this month. It was return to the polls since 1987 when the ‘Dogs were in the Top 25. A narrow 3 point loss at home against Idaho will see the Bulldogs looking for revenge against the Vandals when they travel there on Feb 13, a few days after facing #1 WAC team, Nevada. Hayley Munro became the third Bulldog to earn WAC Player of the Week honours this season. She scored a career-high 28 points against Utah State and had 22 against San Jose State in January.

2. Alison Lacey (Junior Guard, Iowa State 17-4, 5-2 Big 12): Another 7 and 2 January saw the Cyclones gain a National ranking of 21 and 23. Honourable mention pre-season All-Big 12 Lacey’s move to the shooting guard has seen her ppg production increase and her teams stocks rise. A communications major whose blog runs in the NY Times, the Canberra native is clearly enjoying her time in Iowa. The Cyclones overcame a tough challenge on February 5th when they upset #4 Texas A&M, 67-50.

Check out Alison Lacey's NY Times Blog after you finish reading this!

3. Tegan Cunningham (Junior Guard, Forward, Oklahoma State 13-5, 2-3 Big 12): Cowgirls' Cunningham is playing a great supporting role to potential All-American team-mate Andrea Riley who has had 5 thirty plus outings this year. The Cowgirls had a 5 and 3 January which saw their ranking drop out of the polls, however their schedule looks easier coming into February. Highlight game for them will be in the in-state game at home versus Oklahoma, with super-star Courtney Paris, the current leader of NCAA double-doubles, men or women.

4. Jillian Harmon (Senior Forward / Stanford 17-4, 8-1 Pac10): Surprise NZ Olympian, Harmon led the Cardinal by stepping up and scor­ing a game-high 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a win over UCLA. #9 Stanford, long a women’s powerhouse under former US Olympic coach Tanya VanDerveer, are eyeing off another +20 win season after experiencing their 7th sub-par year in her 30 year tenure. Valentines Day sees the top two teams in the Pac 10 go head to head, when Stanford host Cal.

5. Kylie Morrisey (Senior Forward / Troy 9-12, 4-7 Sun Belt) Geelong’s Morrisey leads the team in scoring and minutes played, and is fast closing in on the schools all-time top 5 scoring marking this year. Playing alongside 4 other Aussies, the senior is quick to pass on her tips and make her country women feel at home in Alabama. They play Sun Belt #1 Middle Tennessee on February 11 which they hope will set up their post-season ambitions.

Honourable mentions:
Louella Tomlinson (St Marys): Had the second triple-double of her career earning her third career WCC POW;
Emma Langford (Wyoming): Freshman still putting up big numbers;
Megan Sinclair (Metro State NCAA D2): 2nd double-double of the season in 1 pt loss v Regis on Jan 11;
Heather Oliver (USC): Former Central Arizona JuCo star now 10 ppg off the bench at a big-time program;
Caitlin Shadbolt (Mineral Area College – NJCAA D1): Part of a well balanced Region 16 team performing very well.

Men’s Team
1. Luke Nevill (Senior Centre, Utah 15-7, 5-2 Mountain West): The Utes are coming off two straight emo­tional victories, beating New Mexico, 69-68 at home on the 27th, and capturing a 94-88 overtime against BYU on the 31st to snap a four-game skid against their biggest rivals. Utah is led by 7-2 senior centre Luke Nevill, who is making a strong case for All-American and MWC Player of the Year honours. He won his 4th MWC Player of the week honour this season and leads the Utes with 17.6 points per game to go with 8.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. The Utes sit in 3rd place in the conference and host MWC#2 San Diego State on February 11 and #1 UNLV on February 25.

2. Patrick Mills (Sophomore Guard, St Marys18-3, 5-2 WCC): Pat suffered a broken hand in the Gaels 2nd loss for the season, in a bruising encounter against Gonzaga. Until that point in the game, St Mary’s was leading, had a record of 18 and 1, a national ranking of 18/22, and Mills was on course for a big night out, having already scored his season average 18 points in 17 minutes. A vital part of the Gaels success, his injury devastated the team and inspired the Bulldogs. The team dropped the next game v Portland before returning to Moraga for Pat to have surgery on his hand. The Gaels have a chance to right their season when they face San Francisco on February 5 and an even tougher battle without Mills when they face Utah State in a ESPN Bracket Buster on February 25.

3. Ryan Bathie (Nicholls State 13-8, 6-2 Southland): The Colonels went 6 and 3 in January and are currently equal conference leaders thanks in large part to their Aussie roster and a stifling defence. Led by Bathie, Nicholls State boasts one of the stingiest defences in D1 and are currently 7 and 1 on their home court. Victoria’s Bathie earned Southland Player of the Week on January 12 for his leadership and in combination with Sydney’s Anatoly Bose, they have the Colonels tied for best record in the Southland Conference after knocking off Stephen F. Austin, the #12 Mid-Major team in the country, 57-50 on February 5th.

4. Ben Magden (Junior Forward, Augusta State NCAA D2 16-4, 10-3 PBC): Slipping down the rankings by 3 spots to be ranked #7 nationally, Augusta State is 3rd in their conference, one game behind equal first place USC Aiken and GCSU. South Aussie Magden continues his fine form earning a conference Player of the Week honour on January 12. The Jags will look to keep in contact with the leaders and should feature heavily in post-season play again this year. Magden’s combination with Centre, Garret Siller, see them #13 and #14 on ASU’s all-time leading scorers list, both with more than 1300 career points.

5. Andrew Ogilvy (Sophomore Centre, Vanderbilt 13-8, 2-5 SEC): Sophomore standout A.J. Ogilvy has recently been under the weather and nursing a sore foot, but against Auburn, the 6’11 big man looked like his old self. He scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds to go along with five assists against the Tigers. Ogilvy was named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list with Pat Mills in mid November and Ogilvy has scored in double-figures in 48 out of 53 games in his two year career at Vanderbilt. The Commodores face a tough schedule with the feature match being a home game against Kentucky on February 17.

Honourable mentions:
Anatoly Bose (Nicholls State): The "Robin" to Ryan Bathie’s "Batman" in a super-Aussie display in Louisiana;
Jesse Wagstaff (Metro State, NCAA D2) named RMAC Academic Player of the Year to go along with his 3 double-doubles this year;
Trent Fildes (Miles CC, NJCAA D1): Increased his scoring output by 3 ppg with his team going 4 and 3 mostly on the road in January;
Auryn McMillan (Gardner Webb): averaging a career-high 9.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in a resurgent GWU Bulldogs outfit;
Kevin White (Alaska Anchorage, NCAA D2): has made 20 of his last 40 three pointers to go with his 24 assists and 4 turnovers in his last 6 games.

Mills to have surgery

San Franciso Chronicle
UPDATED Feb 4, 2009 - St. Mary's coach Randy Bennett said that point guard Patty Mills will have surgery to repair a broken right hand today and remains on track to return either for the final weekend of the regular season (Feb. 26-28) or for the WCC tournament that begins March 6. ... Mills broke his hand during Thursday's loss to Gonzaga in Spokane. ... St. Mary's (18-3, 5-2) lost its next game, 84-66 at Portland. ... The NCAA Tournament selection committee might want to see St. Mary's play at least one game with Mills when he returns before voting on the Gaels' selection.


Original report
by Tim Coakley (AussieHoopsAmerica.com contributor)

I recently spoke to Saint Mary's Assistant Coach David Patrick and he had some interesting news about the state of the Gaels and injured star Patty Mills.

Despite a devastating injury, two fractured metacarpal bones in his right hand, David Patrick says Mills is in higher spirits than nearly anyone else on the team. An official decision will be made tomorrow morning (early morning hours of Wednesday in Australia) whether or not Mills decides to have surgery, which will entail having a pin placed in his hand. If he opts for the surgery, and according to FOXSports.com, Head Coach Randy Bennett says this is the most likely scenario, the healing period should be about four weeks. This would coincide with a targeted return on Thursday February 26th (27th in Oz) when St. Mary's hosts Pepperdine. The Gaels would then host Loyola Marymount on February 28th before preparing for the West Coast Conference tournament which begins on March 6th in Las Vegas. FOXSPORTS.com goes on to report that Mills consulted with two doctors in the San Francisco area over the weekend, and that he will have a pin inserted into his shooting hand on Tuesday morning (Wednesday in Australia). Only one of the fractured metacarpal bones (the one that suffered a clean break) would require the pin while the other would be allowed to heal normally.

If he had opted to have the hand heal naturally the healing would take about 6 to 7 weeks with a good chance that Mills would miss the West Coast Conference tournament.

David Patrick said that if Mills has the surgery, he will likely begin rehab the following day and by Sunday or Monday he would begin handling the ball. He would probably be able to start shooting again in about two weeks time, and physical contact would be last on the timeline to recovery.

Mills has seen a total of four doctors, including Gonzaga's doctor, since breaking his hand and has carefully weighed his options keeping in mind both St. Mary's and the bigger picture, that is his health and future plans.

Patty's contribution on the floor goes beyond his 18.7 points, 3.9 assists and 2.4 steals. David Patrick pointed out that as a team the Gaels average just under 8 steals per game, and while Mills came into the Gonzaga game averaging 2.5 steals, St. Mary's as a team only had 1 steal in their loss to Portland. It's the intangibles that Mills brings such as tenacity and intensity that allow the entire team to thrive and the absence of that presence has affected the entire squad.

While it may be a tall task to catch Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference standings, David Patrick still sees the Gaels finishing 2nd or 3rd in the conference. If Mills comes back healthy, St. Mary's can still do damage in the conference tournament but as long as Mills comes back there's a good chance the NCAA will judge St. Mary's on how they performed with Mills in the line-up. A return trip to the NCAA Tournament is likely based upon the performance they've already put forward prior to Patty's injury. Just the presence of Mills on the floor instills confidence in his teammates and while the Gaels as a team have plenty of talent, Mills is the catalyst that makes St. Mary's click.

Notes: St. Mary's learned tonight that they will host #22/#25 Utah State (21-1, 9-0 WAC) in their "ESPNU BracketBusters Game" on February 21st, a game that Mills will not likely be ready for. Utah State is the team of Dom Cooks (Wollongong) however Cooks is redshirting this season after spraining his ankle in practice prior to the start of the regular season.

The seventh annual ESPNU BracketBusters event, a two-day men’s college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other on Feb. 20-21, will feature 13 nationally televised games—on either ESPN2, ESPNU, or ESPN360.com—selected from a pool of 102 teams.

Bears, Gaels earn national recognition By Jeff Faraudo STAFF WRITER   An excellent season of college basketball in the Bay Area got some recognition Monday when the men's teams from Cal and Saint Mary's College moved into the top 25 rankings for the first time this season. The Golden Bears, 15-2 and off to their best start in 49 seasons, were voted No. 22 in the Associated Press media poll. Cal is No. 23 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. The Gaels, whose 15-1 mark is their best since a school-record 16-1 start during the 1988-89 season, checked in at No. 25 in the coaches poll but didn't make the cut in the AP poll. The Bears made their first appearance in the AP poll since March 2003, when they were No. 24 before losing in the Pac-10 tournament. Cal climbed as high as No. 18 that season. "It just means we're going in the right direction," said junior guard Patrick Christopher, who was honored Monday with his second straight Pac-10 Player of the Week award after totaling 49 points in wins at Washington State and Washington. "We're more concerned with long-term goals. "Somebody on the staff mentioned to me you can't win the championship in January. That's kind of been the motto. But it's our first time being in the top 25, and it's a good feeling." Cal plays Saturday at Stanford in coach Mike Montgomery's return to the school where he formerly coached. Saint Mary's spent eight weeks in the coaches poll last season and six ranked by the AP. Coach Randy Bennett said that experience will help his players keep things in perspective. "Because they've been there, they'll be able to handle it and roll with it better," he said. "Last year we were so excited. I don't think we're too big (now) to be excited about being ranked, but I think we'll be more level-headed." Bennett said what he learned from last season's ranking was the exposure reaches out to everyone from the NCAA Tournament selection committee to potential recruits. "It shines a light on your program that can help in a lot of ways," he said. "I didn't realize that until last year. More people are paying attention to what you're doing."   The Gaels play host to Loyola Marymount on Thursday at 6 p.m.   Contact Jeff Faraudo at jeffscribe@aol.com.

U-19 star Ellis latest Aussie to visit Buffs

The 6-foot-8 forward, who also is considering Wake Forest and Saint Louis, might sign with CU, as did countryman Harris-Tunks.

By Tom Kensler
The Denver Post

 

 

BOULDER — One of Australia's top young basketball prospects toured the Colorado campus with his family Thursday and said he is strongly considering CU.

Cody Ellis, a 6-foot-8 forward and the star of Australia's under-19 national team, is a senior at the Australian Institute of Sport in Sydney and expects to sign a national letter of intent during the spring signing period in April.

Ellis previously visited Wake Forest and is scheduled to complete his trip with a visit to Saint Louis University. Ellis said he can handle the ball and shoot well from outside and is comfortable playing inside or outside.

"Education, as well as basketball, is important to me, so I'm visiting good schools," Ellis said Thursday. "I like Colorado a lot. I watched practice, and it was pretty intense. I could definitely fit in."

With the NBA having become wildly popular in Australia, Ellis said he first became familiar with CU coach Jeff Bzdelik several years ago while watching telecasts of Nuggets games. Ellis said Carmelo Anthony is one of his favorite players.

Saint Louis is coached by Rick Majerus, who coached the most famous Australian basketball player, Andrew Bogut, while they were at the University of Utah.

At AIS, Ellis is a teammate of Shane Harris-Tunks, a 6-11 center who signed with Colorado in November. Ellis, from Perth in western Australia, played youth basketball against CU freshman point guard Nate Tomlinson, who is from Sydney on the east coast.

Ellis said he has no timetable for picking a college.

"We're going to go back to Australia and sit down as a family and go over the pros and cons of all the colleges," Ellis said. "I'm going to make the decision at home."

NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from talking about recruits until they have signed letters of intent.

 

 

All-Aussie Hoops Australia Team selections - December 2008

by Mike Green (AussieHoopsAmerica.com contributor)

Time to put words behind the numbers; these monthly selections take into account many factors including players individual performance, how the player's school is performing, strength of schedule and conference, and individual honours the player may have earned over the month. The All-AHA teams (NCAA D1 unless noted) for December are:

Men's

1. Patrick Mills (Sophomore Guard, St Marys): He certainly isn't experiencing a second year hangover, leading his team in any way they need him. St Marys sit on top of the WCC having only lost one game, due to the growing leadership of Mills and courtesy of poor performances by Gonzaga. Pat has won 2 WCC Player of the Week awards and expect things to get tougher for the Gaels with key games on the road against San Diego (Jan 22) and Gonzaga (Jan 29).

2. Luke Nevill (Senior Centre, Utah): Big Luke is leading his inconsistent team in scoring, rebounds and double doubles. His team seems to have turned the corner recently taking care of #17 Gonzaga after embarrassing losses including to D2 school, Southwest Baptist. Luke has won 2 MWC Player of the Week awards so far and is in early consideration for MWC All-conference honours. The Utes face a January with 7 conference games, 5 of these at home and 6 against teams with better records, and a tough non-conference challenge against LSU on January 6.

3. A.J. Ogilvy (Sophomore Centre, Vanderbilt): Another 2^nd year player that hasn't slowed his production and seems to have grown with the departure of Shan Foster. Vanderbilt won their first 10 games last year with Foster and Ogilvy being credited mostly for their start. This year the Commodores have dropped 3 games so far and face a tough 8 game January schedule with 5 games on the road. A key match-up will be the home game v #14 Tennessee on January 20.

4. Ben Magden (Junior Forward, Augusta State NCAA D2): South Australian Magden leads his Jaguar team with the goal of returning to a D2 Championship game. They have only lost one game and play in one of the toughest conferences; Currently ranked #7 nationally, Augusta State is ranked 2^nd in their conference with 10 games scheduled for January. They play #2 USC-Aiken twice during the month, at home on the 5^th and on the road on the 19^th with these results expected to shape the Jags year.

5. Cameron Gliddon (Freshman Guard, Columbia University NAIA D1): After red-shirting last year, West Australian Gliddon has immediately added to an already strong Eagles outfit. Nationally Ranked #4 Concordia plays in the tough GSAC and have only lost one game against #7 Westminster. Concordia plays the only other GSAC ranked opponent on January 3 in a home match-up against #12 Azusa Pacific.

Honourable mentions:

Aron Baynes (Washington State) – Powerful inside player for a team struggling to score;

Nate Tomlinson (Colorado) – Having a great freshman year in a struggling team;

Ryan Bathie (Nicholls State) – Leader on Aussie-laden team, playing a weaker schedule this year;

Jesse Wagstaff (Metro State, NCAA D2) – Two Player of the Week awards for the Canberra senior;

Anatoly Bose (Nicholls State) – Super athlete right at home in the college game.

Women's

1. Tegan Cunningham (Junior Guard/Forward, Oklahoma State): The Cowgirls Cunningham is the 3^rd leading scorer on the team who have only had two losses this year, one of those against #4 ranked Duke. Victorian Cunningham, sister of Dandenong WNBL player Caitlin, is enjoying her 3^rd year in College basketball after transferring from Seward County Community College. Key games for the Cowgirls are away games at Iowa State on January 10 and at #7 Baylor on January 17.

2. Emma Langford (Freshman Forward, Wyoming): Highly recruited Langford is living up to her reputation having a stellar freshman season at Wyoming. The South Australian playing alongside a number of other Aussies leads the team in most statistical categories and is an early consideration for all-conference and possibly NCAA freshman honours. Wyoming plays 7 games in January, none against ranked opponents. Their first test against a ranked opponent comes early in February against #25 New Mexico.

3. Alison Lacey (Junior Guard, Iowa State): Canberra-born PG Lacey leads her team in assists and is third on PPG. Plays in a tough conference on a well-supported team that's just starting to get recognition. The Cyclones play the last of two non-conference games against #20 ranked Vanderbilt and IPFW in January, followed by 5 conference games including 2 against #22 Kansas State, #21 Oklahoma State, and # 7 Baylor. If they can come out of January with results against these opponents, they are sure to be ranked come tournament time.

4. Hayley Munro (Sophomore Forward, Fresno State): Another second year player who seems to be growing and producing even more. With increased time due to injuries in her team, Munro is gaining a solid reputation as a player of the future. Playing in a weaker conference, the Bulldogs should return to a stronger position after the return of some players. January is solid and the key-game for them will be against Utah State with their two Aussies, Alice Coddington and Stacey Howard, on February 1.

5. Louella Tomlinson (Sophomore Centre, St Mary's): After setting the most blocks record in the WCC last year, Big Lou is continuing her dominance inside with points and rebounds and of course blocks which she leads the NCAA in. Her team is really struggling having only recorded 3 wins, however should improve on this once they enter conference play in January. Tomlinson recorded the first triple double of her college career in a loss against Boise State on December 29, an effort which rewarded her WCC Player of the Week honours. St Mary's toughest game in January is against Gonzaga on January 24.

Honourable mentions:

Kylie Morrissy (Troy) – Senior who leads the Aussie-dominant Trojans in Points;

Micaela Cocks (Oregon) – Kiwi Junior who leads her under-performing Ducks in the tough Pac-10

Ellie Manou (Oregon) – Fighting injuries in her second year, she makes a difference when fit;

Diana Neves (Vanguard NAIA D1) – Super scorer from Queensland who's lighting it up in Cali.

Sarah Ilic (Hawaii) – Improving 2^nd year player, team is struggling to get it done.

Stetson signs 2 Aussies for 2009-10

DeLand, Fla. – Head Coach Derek Waugh is proud to announce the signing of three student/athletes for the 2009 freshman class. Joel Naburgs and Liam McInerney out of Victoria, Australia, as well as Tyshawn Patterson from Orlando, Florida will join the Hatters next season.

"We are obviously losing a very good and productive senior class, but I believe that this recruiting class will help us stay at a very competitive level in and out of our league," said Waugh.

Naburgs is a 6-3, 200 lb shooting guard who attended Box Hill Senior College and played for the Kilsyth Cobras in the Victorian Youth League (Big V) in Melbourne, Victoria. He averaged 23.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game and earned League MVP honors with the Cobras. Naburgs led his school team to an Eastern Zone Championship in 2008. He scored 46 and 47 points in back to back games.

"Joel was the MVP of the Melbourne Youth League which is quite an accomplishment. He can obviously score but I also think that he will be a very good defender for us. He has been very well coached and I think he will be able to step in and contribute quickly," said Waugh.

McInerney is a 6-8 forward/center who attended Ballarat & Clarendon College and played in the Big V Youth League for the Ballarat Nuggets. He averaged 19.5 points and 17 rebounds per game this past season. He was his team's MVP, the league's leading rebounder and a league all-star selection. He was named All Victoria Country State and All-Australian in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

"Liam is a very intelligent player with a very good skill set," said Waugh. "As we move forward, I am very confident that he and Graeme Radford will do a nice job in the middle for us. Liam also has a great feel for the game. With added strength, he should be able to step in and play a very important role for us offensively, defensively and on the boards."

Patterson is set to graduate from Orlando Christian Preparatory and then join the Hatters this summer. He is a 6-1, 165 lb guard who led his team to a 27-2 record and a 1A State Championship last season. He was named to the All-Tournament team and Second Team All-State. He averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 steals as a junior.

"Tyshawn has a lot of ability and has obviously been very successful at the high school level," said Waugh. "While I really like all of his skills, the most important thing he brings is great energy. He plays harder than his opponent night in and night out and we cannot wait to have him a part of the program."