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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Sign Seven (For Now)
November 09, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2006
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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Bowling Green State University women's basketball head coach Curt Miller has announced the signing of seven student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Chelsea Albert (Brighton, Mich.), Bianca Hooten (North Canton, Ohio), Liana (Lee) Jennings (Stow, Ohio), Crystal Murdaugh (Dublin, Ohio), Tracy Pontius (Morton, Ill.), Jen Uhl (Wadsworth, Ohio) and Kelly Zuercher (Orrville, Ohio) will join the Falcon program for the 2007-08 academic year.
The Falcon women's basketball program, under the direction of Miller, associate head coach Jennifer Roos and assistant coaches Brandi Poole and Kevin Eckert, expects to add one more signee during the early signing period.
"Years ago the coaching staff realized that it would be a daunting task to replace this year's graduating seniors," said Miller. "This group (Amber Flynn, Julie Gompers, Liz Honegger, Carin Horne, Ali Mann and Megan Thorburn) was unique in the fact that they are not only a large class, but a very successful class. To date, they have averaged 24 wins per year and won two MAC championships, and they will account for approximately 4,500 points when their careers come to an end.
"That is why we are so ecstatic to announce our 2007 recruiting class. I believe this entire class can have an impact early in their careers. As a group, they look unbelievable on paper. But, they realize that they have a lot of hard work ahead of them, and that you don't win games through press clippings.
"I was asked if I was scared to sign a class of as many as seven or eight players. I said that I wasn't, because classes have a funny way of balancing back out. You can never plan on things such as injuries or illnesses. And, I believe you must sign great players when you have the chance to get them. I believe we have signed great players and great people."
Albert, a 6-2 center, is in her senior year at Brighton High School. On Tuesday (Nov. 7), she helped the Bulldogs to a win over Howell that clinched the school's seventh-straight Kensington Valley Conference title and improved the team to 16-3 on the year. Albert is currently averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per game, and recently became the school's all-time leading rebounder. The Detroit News (fifth), Michigan Crossover Service (seventh) and Detroit Free Press (10th) all ranked Albert as one of the top-10 seniors in the state.
"Chelsea is an excellent fit for our program," said Miller. "She is an athletic post player that can get up and down the floor. Chelsea is talented with either hand around the basket, and has a chance to make an immediate impact upon our program. We are delighted that she chose to be a Falcon over numerous scholarship offers from other Mid-American Conference programs."
Hooten, a 5-10 wing, is a senior at Canton McKinley H.S. She was ranked as one of the top 20 seniors in the state of Ohio by the Ohio Girls Basketball Report (hereafter referred to as OGBR). Hooten also was listed as one of the top 265 players in the nation by the All-Star Girls Report, in that publication's rankings prior to the summer of 2006. Last season, Hooten averaged 15.4 points and 5.6 rebounds en route to All-Federal League first-team honors and Division I All-Ohio honorable mention.
"Bianca is a long, athletic wing player with a smooth style of play," said Miller. "She will certainly excel in our ball-screen offense. With the upcoming graduation of Carin Horne and Megan Thorburn, Bianca brings us the size and athleticism to guard big wings within the conference. Bianca has a huge upside, and we are truly excited about the opportunity to coach her."
Jennings, a 5-8 guard, is in her senior year at Stow H.S. A three-year starter entering her senior season, she has helped the Bulldogs to a 64-9 record during that time. Last year, Jennings averaged 18.8 points and nearly five assists per game in helping her team to the Western Reserve Conference championship. She was ranked the second-best senior combo guard in Ohio by the OGBR. Like Hooten, she was listed among the top 265 players in the nation by the All-Star Girls Report.
"Lee is regarded by many to be the best athlete in the state of Ohio," said Miller. "She has unbelievable quickness, but her competitiveness is what truly stands out. Lee will be an outstanding point guard in the ball-screen offense, but she can also excel as a 2 guard. She is the best on-ball defender we have recruited during our tenure at BGSU. Lee passed on numerous opportunities to play in a 'power conference' while deciding to become a Falcon."
Murdaugh, a 5-11 forward, attends Dublin Scioto H.S. She was listed as the fourth-best senior wing/forward in the state by the OGBR, and was listed the 13th-best wing/forward in the nation and the overall 99th-best player in the country by the All-Star Girls Report. Last season, Murdaugh helped the Irish to a 21-3 record, an OCC-Cardinal Division co-championship and an appearance in the district finals. She averaged 13.6 points and 7.5 rebounds en route to all-league and all-district first-team honors.
"Crystal is an unbelievable athlete with an outstanding physique," said Miller. "She is a versatile player, and will be counted on to play multiple positions while at BGSU. Crystal has the size and strength to create matchup problems at the offensive end in numerous positions. She has an excellent mid-range game, and can create off the dribble. Crystal received national recruiting attention from schools including Xavier of the Atlantic 10, as well as several Big Ten and Big 12 programs, and we are very happy she chose to become a Falcon."
Pontius, a 5-6 point guard, is a senior at Morton H.S. She was an honorable mention Street & Smith All-American, and was ranked 175th on the Blue Star Index's list of the top 200 players in the nation. Pontius averaged 18.3 points per game last year, helping the Potters to a 22-6 record and a second-straight regional championship. She was a third-team all-state selection by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, and enters her senior season with 1,325 career points, good for second on the school's all-time list.
"Tracy is an outstanding true point guard with a scoring mentality," said Miller. "She is the best 3-point shooting point guard we have recruited to BGSU during my tenure, and is also a crafty scorer in traffic, using runners and floaters. Tracy is a gamer, and is always up for a challenge, having excelled in the big games in high school and summer ball. As a point guard, you are asked to make everyone around you better. Watching her throughout the summer, we could see that Tracy does just that."
Uhl, a 6-1 forward, is in her senior year at Wadsworth H.S. She was OGBR's fourth-best senior power forward in the state. Last winter, Uhl averaged 15.4 points and 9.6 rebounds in helping the Grizzlies to a 23-4 record and a trip to the Ohio Division I semifinals. WHS won the Suburban League championship for the third time in Uhl's first three years there. In those three seasons, the Grizzlies have posted a combined record of 62-10 and won three league and three sectional championships.
"Jen was the first commitment to the 2007 class," said Miller. "She is an outstanding post player who has the ability to play in the post, or to be a face-up player that stretches the defenses. She is a hard worker, an excellent teammate, and a winner. Jen has already become a great ambassador for BGSU, spreading the word about Bowling Green to everyone with whom she comes in contact. With the impending graduation of the three top post players currently in the program, Jen will be counted upon from day one."
Zuercher, a 6-1 center, is a senior at Waynedale H.S. She is ranked second on the OGBR list of top senior centers in the state of Ohio. Last season, Zuercher averaged 16.1 points and 7.6 boards as the Golden Bears went 19-4 and won the Wayne County Athletic League for the second-straight season (the first two league crowns in school history). Zuercher, who has earned all-league and all-district first-team honors in each of her first three seasons, was an All-Ohio Third-Team choice last year after earning honorable mention as a sophomore. She enters the 2006-07 season just five points shy of 1,000 for her career.
"Kelly is a physical low-post center, with an excellent attitude and a willingness to work hard on her game," said Miller. "She is very competitive and, maybe most importantly, wants to be a good post player in the MAC. We are very fortunate to have kept Kelly away from the power conferences, as she is widely considered the second-best center in the state. Kelly's best basketball days are ahead of her, and I look forward to watching her development here at BGSU."
As mentioned, the Falcons expect to add one more signee during the early signing period, with that announcement likely coming on Tuesday (Nov. 14).
"Overall, this is the most athletic class we have signed during our tenure here at BGSU," said Miller. "This class is loaded with quality young women, on and off the floor. They are very talented in the classroom, and are winners on the court. They will allow us to stay an exciting, up-tempo team and give us an added dimension of helping to create offense with our defense.
"My assistant coaches deserve much of the credit for signing this stellar class. They are tireless workers, and they truly love getting to know each of the recruits personally. Jennifer, Brandi and Kevin will not be outworked when competing in the recruiting wars. And, we had some great selling points to these recruits: come to a championship program, come get a great education, and come to BG and have the opportunity to play from day one."
The Falcons, the defending back-to-back MAC regular-season and tournament champions, open the 2006-07 season Friday (Nov. 10) at Detroit. That game tips off at 5:00 p.m. at UDM's Calihan Hall. BGSU then plays at Notre Dame on Monday (Nov. 13), and heads to a tournament at UCF before opening the home portion of the schedule vs. Temple on Friday, Nov. 24.
BGSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SIGNEES
Chelsea Albert 6-2 C Brighton, Mich. (Brighton) Bianca Hooten 5-10 G/F North Canton, Ohio (Canton McKinley) Liana (Lee) Jennings 5-8 G Stow, Ohio (Stow) Crystal Murdaugh 5-11 F Dublin, Ohio (Dublin Scioto) Tracy Pontius 5-6 G Morton, Ill. (Morton) Jen Uhl 6-1 F Wadsworth, Ohio (Wadsworth) Kelly Zuercher 6-1 C Orrville, Ohio (Apple Creek Waynedale) The Falcons expect to sign one additional player during the early signing period
