Tuesday, November 15, 2005

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (November 15, 2005) - With the 2005-06 season tipping off this weekend, the Lady Bucs basketball staff has announced four signees for the 2006-07 recruiting class.  Head coach Karen Kemp and company will welcome Devin Thompson, Brianna McClelland, Latisha Belcher, and Siarre Evans for the 2006-07 campaign.

"This recruiting class has the potential to be the best in my tenure at ETSU," said Kemp.  "All four players have the potential to come in and make an immediate impact on ETSU women's basketball."

Going into recruiting this year, Kemp and her coaching staff focused primarily on post players, and managed to pull in three.

"Devin, Brianna, and Latisha are all post players that will bring different styles to the floor, but will also compliment each other well and make our current post players stronger," said Kemp.

Thompson will be playing her final season at Smyrna High School, in Smyrna, Tenn., this winter.  Along with her success at Smyrna, Thompson also played for the Tennessee Pride basketball club.

McClelland, a 5'11" post player from Douglas, Ga., will join the Lady Bucs after completing her tenure at Coffee High School.  McClelland has led her team in rebounding since her sophomore season, and received the Top 50 Female Athletes in the State of Ga. Award. 

Belcher will make the trek to Johnson City from Ridgeway, Va., where she currently attends Magna Vista High School.  As a junior, Belcher averaged 18.4 points per game for the Warriors, including a 36-point, 20-rebound performance.

"Siarre is the only guard we signed this early period," said Kemp.  "Our total focus was on our inside game, but when I saw Siarre, I felt if we could get a player of this caliber, we should definitely sign her.  At 5'10", she can play the one through three positions."

Evans, out of Griffin, Ga., is a 1,000-point scorer for the Lady Jaguars at Spalding High School.  Evans has proved her scoring ability in the high school ranks, scoring as many as 45 points in a single game during the 2004-05 season.  She was also named to the Georgia Sports Writers Association all-state first team last year. 

"My assistant coaches did an outstanding job with these young ladies," said Kemp.  "Our players, staff, and the ETSU campus played a major role in convincing these student-athletes that ETSU was the place for them."

The 2005-06 version of the Lady Bucs open up the regular season this weekend, as they travel to Starkville, Miss., to face SEC foe Mississippi State.  Tip off is set for 2 p.m. CDT.