Tuesday, July 22, 2008

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (July 22, 2008) - Head ETSU women's basketball coach Karen Kemp and her staff put the finishing touches on its 2008-09 recruiting class Tuesday by announcing Natasha Dixon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Shannon White (Kansas City, Kan.) will join the Lady Bucs this upcoming season.

"I am very pleased and excited these two student-athletes will be apart of our ETSU family," commented Kemp, the 2008 Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year. "Both of these ladies will give us much-needed depth and will be expected to step in and contribute right way."

Dixon, a 5'4" point guard, played high school ball at Central Park Christian School (Birmingham) and St. Michael Academy in New York where she averaged 25 points, nine assists, six steals and five rebounds. The Birmingham, Ala. native not only poses a threat on the offensive side of the court, but can expect to cause problems on defense as she was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2005-06. The 2007-08 Ms. Offensive MVP also has a notable relative playing in the NBA as she is cousins with Joakim Noah from the Chicago Bulls.

"Natasha is an outstanding shooter and scorer," said Kemp. "She is a very gifted athlete and will give our outside shooting a boost with the departure of (Michele) DeVault."

White is transferring to ETSU from Cloud County Community College where she averaged 6.6 points and 3.3 rebounds for the T-Birds. The 5'11" forward scored double figures in eight of her 32 games played; including a season-high 20-point (10-of-16 shooting), six rebound effort versus Iowa Western. White was also a rebound shy of recording a double-double against Dodge City as she finished with 16 points and nine boards. The Kansas City native was also a four-year letterwinner at Sumner Academy of Arts and Science where she was named First Team All-Conference and Third Team All-State her senior year.

"Shannon will give us some depth at the four this season and having one year of junior college experience will give her an advantage," added Kemp.

Both Dixon and White round out another stellar class for the Lady Bucs as they join newcomers Natalie Pickwell (Kingsport, Tenn.) and Gwen Washington (Manassas, Va.).

For more information on Lady Buccaneer basketball, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.