FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7-20-07

AASU Women's Basketball Announces 2007-08 Recruiting Class

        Two junior college players with area ties start the class as former Bryan County HS product Angela Miller (5-9, G/F, Pembroke, Ga.) and former Bradwell Institute standout Alandris Griffin (5-11, F, Hinesville, Ga.) will join the Lady Pirates after each playing two seasons at Florida Community College at Jacksonville.

        Miller was a second-team All-Mid Florida Conference honoree this past season and was a 2004 first-team All-Coastal Empire selection by the Savannah Morning News as a senior at Bryan County HS. Miller averaged 7.6 points per game this past year and 15.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in her final year at Bryan County HS. She follows in the footsteps of AASU Athletic Hall of Famer Yolanda Oliver (1991-95) and Sonia Oliver (1994-98) as Lady Pirates who played for Bryan County.

        “Angela is the most versatile player we have signed in this class,” coach Hodge said. “She has good size for a guard, passes well, has three-point range and can handle the ball, seeing the floor like a point guard. Her father, Johnnie Miller, is one of the most respected coaches in the area and has taught his daughter well. Angela has the ability to play all three perimeter positions and will be a valuable asset to Lady Pirate basketball. More importantly, she is a person of great character and will represent our program well.”

        Griffin averaged 8.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore for the Stars last season, earning first-team All Mid-Florida Conference honors and ranking 12th in NJCAA Region VIII in rebounding and fourth in field goal percentage (56%). She was Bradwell Institute’s MVP as a senior in 2004, earning WTOC TV-11 Player of the Week honors while also excelling in track and field. She plans on majoring in nursing at AASU.

        “We needed a defender and rebounder on the interior and we were fortunate that Alandris has chosen to return to the area to play for us,” coach Hodge said. “She should be a great asset in shoring up our post play.”

        The Lady Pirates have also added two foreigners to the class with Finnish guard Laura Raatesalmi (5-9, G, Helsinki, Finland) and early signee Kelly Versluis from the Netherlands (6-2, C, Heerjansdam, the Netherlands).

        Raatesalmi averaged 12 points and six rebounds a game for two-time Finnish national champion club team Joukkue, while Versluis averaged better than 12 points and eight rebounds a game for Renes Binneland in 2005-06.

        “We have been waiting for the opportunity to bring Kelly into our program,” coach Hodge said. “She was scheduled to play here last season before an injury prevented her from coming. Kelly brings great size and a true post presence to us that we have been missing. She has good touch around the basket and has been part of a national championship in Holland. Also from Europe, we believe we have found a hidden gem in Laura. She is a solid athlete and score who plays extremely hard.  Laura also was a part of a national championship team in Finland, so she knows how to win. Her all-out effort makes her a great fit for our defensive scheme.”

        Three freshman round out the recruiting class this year for coach Hodge and the Lady Pirates, highlighted by West Virginia native Jenni Wynes (5-5, G, Alderson, W. Va.). Wynes led Summers HS to the 2007 AA West Virginia state championship and earned second-team All-State honors. She set the single-game (11) and state tournament (23) steals record this past season and averaged 11 points, five assists and six steals a game as a senior.

        “I have known Jenni since she was young and have always hoped it would work out for me to coach her,” coach Hodge said. “She is a smart player from an outstanding program. Her athleticism, ability to defend and hard-nosed attitude are perfect for our style of play. She comes from the high school that I coached at for several years and I am proud to finally have the opportunity to coach another Lady Bobcat.”

        Wynes’ high school coach and the 2007 West Virginia Coaches’ Association Coach of the Year, Wayne Ryan, had this to say about his former standout: “Jenni provides great passion and intensity. She is also a proven winner. Coach Hodge and the Lady Pirates will benefit from the intangibles she provides.”

        The other two freshman hail from closer locales as Bluffton HS product Jenea Boni (5-8, G, Bluffton, Ga.) and North Atlanta HS product Brittany Hodges (6-2, C, Atlanta, Ga.) join the Lady Pirates. Boni played for coach Lonnie Roberts at Bluffton HS, averaging 10.8 points per game and shooting 58 percent from the three-point line as a senior, leading the state of South Carolina in three-point field goals with 55. Hodges played for coach Tilford Ellerbee at North Atlanta HS, helping the Warriors to a 22-7 record and the AAA playoffs.

        “Jenea is an outstanding shooter and a very intelligent player,” coach Hodge said. “She is going to have a great future as a Lady Pirate. Our offensive system has evolved into one that values a true three-point threat and Jenea will be very valuable in that role for the next four years. Brittany has tremendous potential to be an outstanding college basketball player. We always try to look at players based on where they can be and I think, with her size, athleticism and commitment to hard work that she has a great future ahead of her.”

        Coach Hodge has also announced that Lindsay Holmes, who played for the Lady Pirates in 2004-05, has elected to rejoin the team for 2007-08. The players join seven returnees from last season’s squad, including WBCA honorable mention All-America forward Kaneetha Gordon, that went 15-14 overall and 8-8 in the Peach Belt Conference.

- Pirates -