Thursday, April 24, 2008

TUSCULUM WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SIGNS THREE

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Three student-athletes have indicated they will attend Tusculum College and play basketball for the Pioneers announced TC women’s coach Missy Tiber. Joining the Pioneers next fall are Catherine Hintz, Staci Hicks and Brenica Shephard.

Hintz, a 6-8 center from Hastings, Minn., becomes the tallest women’s basketball player in the history of the program. The Illinois Central College transfer recorded 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the third place game of the NJCAA National Tournament. In that contest, she posted five boards and two blocks. While at Illinois Central, she averaged 5.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

“Catherine’s size and strength will bring an added dimension to our team,” said Tiber. “A player of her size is rare in women’s basketball let alone NCAA Division II. We are confident her presence will take away the focus of defending our outside game. On the defensive end, she will be a dominant force protecting our basket. I think Catherine’s talent is no where near being tapped and I’m looking forward to helping her achieve her goals.”

The Hastings High School graduate averaged 12.8 points per game during her senior campaign and was a two-time All-Conference selection. She was also an honors student in the classroom in high school.

Hicks, a 6-0 forward from Loveland, Ohio, comes to Tusculum from Goshen High School where she was named the Southern Buckeye Athletic/Academic Conference Player of the Year. This past season, she averaged 19.6 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, while earning All-State Honorable Mention accolades. In 2007, Hicks posted 20.6 points and 10.2 boards per contest and was selected to play in the Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game.

“Staci is a strong, physical post player that can run up and down the court,” Tiber said. “She is an excellent runner in track and those skills will be a great fit for our system. We recruited Staci because we needed the presence of an inside player who desires the basketball and wants to score. She will also give us another physical player who loves to rebound. She is a great kid, a very good student, and I’m extremely happy that she has chosen to join us here at Tusculum College.

Hicks was also a First Team All-SBAAC honoree, while earning All-Southwest Ohio Second Team accolades, scoring over 1,000 points in her high school career. Off the court, she is a scholar athlete and is ranked fifth in her class. She is a member of the National Honor Society and is slated to graduate with high honors.

Shephard, a 5-6 guard from Charlotte, N.C., is the all-time leading scorer at Hopewell High School, recording 1.086 points. She averaged 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals in 2006-07, while being named Conference Most Valuable Player. Shephard was tabbed to the All-Charlotte Observer First Team, the 2007 Charlotte Weekly Girls’ Basketball Super Team and was named the MEAC-6 Player of the Year.

“Brenica is very quick and athletic,” added Tiber. “She has a great ability to get to the basketball, because she is very strong as a guard and extremely explosive. A year ago, she came to our try-out and really impressed us with her skill set as a complete player. Brenica is a wonderful person and we are very happy that she has chosen to join us.”

Shepherd also recorded 614 rebounds in her prep career and was a three-time member of the honor roll.

Tusculum is coming off one of its best seasons in school history. The Pioneers posted a 26-5 record while winning the program’s first-ever South Atlantic Conference Championship. TC advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in school history, while posting winning streaks of 12 and 11 games in a row. Three players earned All-Conference honors, including Stephany Neptune, who was named to the WBCA Division II All-America team.

Tusculum College, located in Greeneville, Tenn., is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA and is a NCAA II member of the South Atlantic Conference, which is comprised of nine colleges and universities in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

- TC -