WGTC sign 11 for women's basketball program

CARROLLTON, Georgia – West Georgia Tech head women’s basketball coach Kenny Edwards has signed eleven incoming freshmen in his initial recruiting haul for the 2013 recruiting season.

Edwards is starting his second year in a rebuilding project after a successful first season which saw the Golden Knights tie for the regular season conference championship and earn the No. 2 seed in the Region 17 – Division III conference tournament.

“I am very proud of what my first recruiting class last year accomplished,” Edwards said. “We had numerous athletes in top of all statistical categories in the Georgia junior college ranks, including number one in steals. We look forward to having many of those players back, and building on what we started last season.

“That being said, I am very excited about this recruiting class to date,” Edwards continued. “We needed some help in a few areas. We lacked size, knock-down shooters and rebounding which hurt us in games last year. I think this current recruiting class will help us in those areas.”

Of the eleven early signees, three are post players, in Harris County’s Yasmine Carter (6’1), Tattyanna LaRoucque (5’10) from Mundy’s Mill High School and Sequoyah High School product Kierra Smith (6’1).

“We signed girls who are physical on the inside, and all of them were great rebounders in high school,” Edwards said.

Edwards also signed a guard/forward combo in Stockbridge’s Miracle Johnson, and signed seven players who could potentially play the point guard position as well as shooting guard in Jasmine Williams of East Coweta, Bowdon’s Whitney McClure, Harris County’s Keonna Harris, Dominique Washington of Chamblee Charter High School, Jhalyn Feaster of Shaw High School, Newton High School’s Micah Sneed, and Haralson County product Mahogany Harris.

“Our strength last year was our speed and our defense,” said Edwards. “We have signed some great guards that fit that mold and that have played a similar style and had success playing that style in high school.”

Edwards believes that the women’s basketball program has taken a natural progression, and will lead to great future collegiate basketball players coming out of this class, as well as last year’s.

“We also have signed some players that will come in and make an immediate impact and compete,” he said. “Not only are we signing players that will have success on the court, but we made it a priority to sign kids with high character. We want athletes who are focused in the classroom as well as on the court. We lost two key contributors and leaders on our program last year in sophomores Bria Hollins and Sha’Ron Forte. This new recruiting class will have big shoes to fill and we have a high expectation for them as well as our returning players.

Edwards expects to sign a few more players over the next few weeks to round out the class.