Marshall University Athletics
Women's Basketball Signs Five More
11/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Women's Basketball Signs Five More
11/26/2001
Huntington, W. Va.?Marshall women?s basketball head coach Royce Chadwick has announced the signing of five more players to National Letters of Intent, pushing the Herd?s total in the early signing period to six. Earlier, Chadwick inked Sikeetha Shepard from Lutheran North High School in Houston, Texas. Shepard was a first team all-state member, while also being rated the ninth best senior in the state of Texas. The members of Coach Chadwick?s first class at Marshall are Teyonka Hodge, Modupe Ishola, Eariel Gholson, Crystal Champion, and Leighann Fry.
?This is one of the most talented recruiting classes I have ever been a part of,? said Chadwick. ?Our assistant coaches, Roxanne White, John Sutherland, and Kidada Holtzclaw, went out and got good quality athletes. More than anything, they sold the future of Marshall women?s basketball, and with this class, our future is bright.?
Hodge is one of three players signed by Coach Chadwick from the Washington, D.C. area. She comes to Marshall from Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., as the 60th best player in the country, according to the All-Star Girls Report. Hodge was invited to the prestigious ADIDAS Camp as a junior, while USA Today and Street and Smith Magazine each named her a member of their honorable mention All-American team. Hodge, a 5?5 point guard, averaged 13 points, nine assists, four assists, and four rebounds last year at Dunbar.
?Teyonka is a legitimate, big-time point guard, one of the top players in the country,? said Chadwick. ?She can lead a team, she can score, and she can pass. She?s going to be the Byron Leftwich of women?s basketball here at Marshall in the not-too-distant future. She is a prototypical WNBA-type of guard.?
Leighann Fry, a 6?2 forward from River High School in Hannibal, Ohio, averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocked shots her junior season. She was an All-Eastern District selection in her sophomore and junior years, and an honorable mention Ohio All-State member during the 1999-00 season. She has scored 909 points in her three-year high school career thus far.
?Leighann Fry will be a ?glue? player for us. On the perimeter, she plays like she?s 5?9. In the paint, she plays like she?s 6?4. She will contribute at both forward positions for us in the next few years, ? said Chadwick.
Eariel Gholson comes to Marshall University from Smithsburg High School in Smithsburg, Md. A 5?6 guard, Gholson is expected to contribute at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Gholson averaged 22 points as a junior for coach Jimmy Powell at Smithsburg.
?Eariel is a junkyard player, a player that can play a multitude of positions for us,? said Chadwick. ?She can play the wing, shooting guard, and point guard. She can shoot the three and take it to the rim. Her versatility is what makes her so valuable to us.?
Modupe Ishola is a 6?2 center from H.D. Woodson High School in Washington, D.C. She averaged a double-double during her high school career, with 10 points and 11 rebounds. She was an All-DC1AA 1st team member last season as a junior.
?Modupe is unbelievably athletic. She is a graceful power player, a real force in the paint. She can dominate a game inside and out. She has extreme quickness and an array of moves to score one-on-one. She handles her 6?3 frame exceptionally well. She?s going to be our interior decorator, so to speak.?
Crystal Champion is a 5?10 forward who is also from H.D. Woodson High School in Washington, D.C. Crystal has averaged 17 points, eight rebounds, and four assists thus far in her high school career. Like her teammate, she was a member of the All-DC1AA 1st team.
?Crystal is a scorer, and those letters should be capitalized. She?s the type of player I?ve had in the past that I would give the ball to so she could showcase her offensive skills. She can score at any time. I believe she will be a big-time offensive and defensive player in our league.?