|
Utah State Women's Basketball Signs Junior College Pair
May 29, 2008
LOGAN, Utah - Utah State women's basketball head coach Raegan Pebley announced Thursday that junior college transfers Gekeela Clemmons (pronounced Juh-kee-la) and Stacey Howard have signed to compete for the Aggies beginning in the 2008-09 season. Clemmons will have two years of eligibility remaining while Howard will have three. The duo join incoming freshmen Chelsea Burns and Zana Williams who signed with USU in November. Clemmons, a 5-9 guard from Port Saint Joe, Fla., teams up with current senior Aggie centers Ndoumbe Diop and Shawnta Pope once again, as the trio played together at Chipola College during the 2006-07 season.Clemmons will be the fifth current player in the Western Athletic Conference from Chipola, as the Aggie trio are joined by Fresno State's Latoya Brown and Hawai'i's Sarah Ilic. "We are excited to add another Chipola student-athlete to our program," Pebley said. "They have an outstanding program that truly prepares their young women for the next level." As a sophomore at Chipola, Clemmons averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. She earned second-team all-conference honors as well as being the team captain last season. "Geekela is a very hard worker," said Chipola women's basketball head coach David Land. "She does not have one standout ability but rather is very solid in a number of abilities. This made her an invaluable player for us in her two years at Chipola. She will be able to fit into any system because of her diverse talent. I know with how coach Pebley and her staff run their program, Gekeela will be a tremendous addition." During Clemmons' freshman season, she averaged 9.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as she helped lead Chipola to a FCCAA State and NJCAA Region VIII Championship, as the team earned a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament.
"Geekela is a well-rounded player that is anxious to get to Utah State," Pebley said. "She has a solid basketball IQ and values the defensive end of the court." Howard, a 6-1 forward from Queensland, Australia, comes to USU after one season at Northeastern College where she helped lead the Plainswomen to a 25-7 record and its second-straight South-Sub Region IX Championship. Howard scored a game-high 28 points in the victory over Otero in the championship game. In addition to averaging 11.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, she also shot 48.0 percent from the field and 72.0 percent from the free throw line. "Stacey was a versatile player, who gave us a couple different dimensions at her position," said Northeastern assistant coach Dave Huss. "She had the strength to post up around the basket, the quickness to put the ball on the floor and the ability to hit a perimeter shot." During her elite junior competition days in Australia, Howard was named to the all-state all-star team as a member of the U-16, U-18 and U-20 teams in 2004, 2005 and 2007, respectively. She was also an all-Australian selection in 2004 and 2005, an award given to the top 14 female athletes in Australia. Howard held the Queensland Academy of Sport Scholarship from 2004-06 as a member of the elite development program and was the 2006 Queensland Academy of Sport "Athlete Encouragement" award winner. Howard will be the second Aussie on the USU squad, joining sophomore guard Alice Coddington. "Stacey has made a significant impact on every team she has participated on," Pebley said. "She is a leader on the floor and an intense competitor." The Aggies return 11 letterwinners from last season's squad, including two starters in senior guard Danyelle Snelgro and Diop. NAME POS HT YR HOMETOWN (HIGH SCHOOL/LAST SCHOOL) Chelsea Burns F 5-10 FR Carlsbad, Calif. (La Jolla Country Day HS) Gekeela Clemmons G 5-9 JR Port Saint Joe, Fla. (Port Saint Joe HS/Chipola College) Stacey Howard F 6-1 SO Queensland, Australia (St. Joseph's College/Northeastern JC) Zana Williams G 5-9 FR Vancouver, British Columbia (Kitsilana HS) |
