OVU Women’s Basketball Program Signs Eight New Recruits
VIENNA, WV – Ohio Valley University women’s basketball program recently signed eight new recruits to its fall roster, announced Head Coach Alan Carroll.
Alana Auld, Victoria “Tori” Ball, Rapender “Rupi” Gill, Aline Lino, Tiffani Moody, Danielle Sams, Hillary Spears, and Brittany Taylor have all signed national letters of intent to play hoops with the Fighting Scots next season.
“We are excited about the 2008-09 class of OVU Fighting Scots women’s basketball team new signees,” Carroll said. “They are a great group of student-athletes from all over the world including some international talents from Brazil and New Zealand. They will compliment the returning players, add overall depth and size to the team, and make for an exciting upcoming season.”
Alana Auld, a 5’8” shooting guard from Dinsdale, New Zealand, will join OVU’s squad as a junior, after two years at Cochise College in Arizona. In high school, Auld earned consecutive honors as Team Offensive Player of the Year and Team Most Valuable Player. In addition, she served on two High School National Championship teams. While at Cochise College Auld averaged 13.1 points; 4 rebounds; 3 assists; and 2.2 steals per game. She will major in business management at OVU.
“Alana is an offensive threat with a great shooting range and dribble drive attack as well. She has a great work ethic, passion for the game, and will bring international experience to the guard position,” Carroll noted.
Tori Ball, a 6’ left handed small forward, a recent graduate of Sissonville High School in Sissonville, WV, boasted a high school career average of 1,111 points, 603 rebounds, and shot a 72 percent from the charity stripe. During her senior year she accumulated 287 points and 166 rebounds. She played in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) for the West Virginia Spirit from 2004-2007.
During that time, her West Virginia Spirit team finished third in the nation in Division II. In addition, during her junior year alone, Ball served on the 2nd Team Class AA All-State; 1st Team All-Cardinal Conference; and 3rd Team All-Kanawha Valley. She is also a recipient of the Indian Award, a top player award, for her contributions to her team in the following areas: leadership, sportsmanship, defense, and overall positive impact at Sissonville High School. She was recently nominated for the McDonald’s All-American Team. Ball intends to major in sports management at OVU.
“Tori was highly recruited among multiple schools,” Carroll noted. “She is a very versatile player that can shoot the three-ball and run the floor in transition. She is an excellent passer, a student of the game, a team player, aggressive on the boards, and leads by example.”
Rupi Gill, a 6’ power forward from Yuba City, California, will transfer in to OVU as a junior this fall from Yuba College. At Yuba College, Gill was selected to serve on the 1st Team All-Conference, were she averaged 16 ppg, 14 rpg, and had a season high of 30 points and 23 rebounds. She plans to major in nursing at OVU.
“Rupi will bring experience from a strong junior college league in California where she averaged a double-double. She is a competitor with strong post player skills and is an outstanding re-bounder which will be a great asset for the team overall,” Carroll said.
Aline Lino, a 6’2” post player from Brazil, will join the OVU squad as a junior transfer student from Sheridan College in Wyoming where her team finished 25-4 this past season.
While at Sheridan College, she had a career high game of 18 points and 16 rebounds and played a significant role on the 2008 conference championship team. In her native country of Brazil, Lino played at Mangueira High School where she averaged 18 ppg and 13 rpg. She was instrumental in helping her team win the Rio De Janeiro league championship game by contributing 15 points. She will major in business administration at OVU.
“Aline is an excellent post player that runs the floor in transition very well, is an outstanding defender, rebounder, competitor, and can score effectively from the post,” Carroll noted. “At 6’2”, she will bring extra size needed in the post position which will be a great asset to the team.”
Tiffani Moody, a 6’5” incoming freshman from Garner High School in North Carolina was selected 1st Team All-Conference in the Greater Neuse River Conference her senior year in her native state. She averaged 6 ppg, 7 rpg and 3 blocks per game her senior year. She also helped lead the Garner Trojans to back to back regular season championships and one conference tournament championship. In addition, she played an integral part in leading the Garner Flames AAU team to the Eastern Regional Championship in 2007 and finished 4th in the State of North Carolina.
“Tiffani is an excellent post player that has a tremendous defensive and shot blocking presence in the paint, is an offensive threat both in the post and from the 3 point arc,” Carroll noted. “She will be a great addition in the post at 6’5” for the Lady Scots.”
Danielle Sams, a 5’9” shooting guard from Clendenin, WV, was a member of the National Honor Society and student council at Herbert Hoover High School. During her high school basketball career she amassed a total of 1,411 points and 244 three-pointers. All three years she was also selected to play on the 1st Team All-Cardinal Conference, 2nd Team All-Kanawha Valley, and All-State Honorable Mention Team. Sams lettered in basketball three years and received the Most Valuable Player award two years in a row.She is the all-time leading three-point shooter in West Virginia high school girls basketball.
“Danielle is an outstanding student-athlete with great shooting range. She has a passion for the game of basketball, possesses a great work ethic, and will be an asset to the OVU community overall,” Carroll said.
Hillary Spears is a 5’11” basketball standout from Bellbrook High School in Bellbrook, Ohio. As a junior, Spears was recognized on the Dabbelt Report Top 100 Player (Southwest Ohio Area) List and led the team in field goals. She averaged six rebounds per game, 10 points, 35 steals, shot 70 percent from the charity strip, and had 31 assists. She was awarded The Eagle Heart Award for dedication, leadership, and overall performance during the season. Spears was instrumental in leading her team to its eighth consecutive league title and district championship game. She plans to major in psychology and sports management at OVU.
“Hillary is versatile 3-4 combo player that has an excellent work ethic, competitive spirit, and a leader by example,” Carroll said.
Brittany Taylor, a 5’9” guard from Pittsburgh, PA, will begin her career on the hardwood this fall with the Fighting Scots. A member of the National Society of High School Scholars, Taylor excelled and lettered in three sports in high school – basketball, volleyball, and indoor track and field. Her high school basketball career at Canon McMillan High School included serving as a four-year starter, three of which as team captain. She also earned accolades as having the best shooting percentage and most steals, as well as being the most outstanding defensive player.Taylor served as a USA Junior National recruit, as well as part of the All-District team and All-Section second team.
“Brittany is an excellent student, leader, and tremendous athlete that will bring versatility to the guard position offensively. She has been noted as one of the most outstanding defensive players in the history of her high school and will be an overall asset to women’s program at OVU,” Carroll said.
To learn more about OVU visit, www.ovu.edu
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