Aggie Women's Basketball Signs Three

Nov. 8, 2006

LOGAN, Utah — Utah State women's basketball head coach Raegan Pebley announced Wednesday [Nov. 8] that three players have signed national letters of intent to play for the Aggies in the 2007-08 season. The trio consists of Jade Hatchett, Amber White and Banna Diop.

 

"The class in general adds a lot of athleticism and size to our team, which we need to compete in the WAC (Western Athletic Conference) and to continue to get better as a program," Pebley said. "We have filled our needs really well. We had some specific things we were looking for with each position, and we got that in Jade, Amber and Banna. I'd like to commend our assistant coaches for their time and endless effort. We couldn't do this without them."

 

Hatchett, a 5-9 guard from Milwaukee, Wis., earned first-team all-City Conference and honorable mention all-area accolades as a junior for Milwaukee Vincent High School, after averaging 17 points and eight assists and helping lead the Vikings to a share of the conference championship. Hatchett played her club ball for Viking Club.

 

"We do not usually recruit in Wisconsin," Pebley said. "Jade was a kid that we saw last year in New Orleans while scouting somebody else and we were really impressed. We had a great connection with her club coach, Mike Bleadorn, that helped us a lot in her recruiting. She comes from a program that has been very successful and expects a lot from their players. She plays in one of the best leagues in Wisconsin. She is going to help us a lot on the perimeter, making us more athletic defensively and more creative offensively.

 

"We will play her at the two guard," Pebley said. "Camille Brox will be graduating from that position, who brings a great defensive presence and a spark to our team, so we needed to make sure that we were bringing somebody in that was going to replace that and I believe Jade can do that for us."

 

White, a 5-10 guard from San Leandro, Calif., averaged 7.8 ppg and 3.4 rpg as a junior for San Leandro High School, leading the Pirates to a 21-5 record, including an eight-game winning streak and posting 13 victories in a 14-game span. Posting double-figures in eight games, including five in a row, White notched a season-high of 17 points. White played for the East Bay Explosion Club.

 

"As a player, she is at the three position, where we graduate two very good perimeter shooters in Brittany Hagen and Brittany (Tressler) Phillips. Amber brings us that shooting range that we lose, and being a lefty gives us a different look. She is very creative with the ball offensively. Amber is a very good student and will really add to our team's academic success," Pebley said.

 

Banna Diop, a 6-6 center from the Senegal, is currently attending and playing for Kurashiki Suisho High School in Kurashiki, Japan. Diop averages 40.1 points and 12.7 rebounds, as well as 2.5 blocks per game in the up-tempo Japanese style of play. Diop led her high school to the quarterfinals of the National High School Championships this past year.

 

"Banna is pretty special. She is an amazing player that has the potential to play in the WNBA right now if it were legal for her, she is that skilled," Pebley said. "She has the ability to defend on the perimeter comparable to a guard, and her size in the post causes problems defensively as well. Banna is extremely versatile on the offensive end. The way Japanese basketball is played, you have to be. It is fast, it is primarily a perimeter orientated game and they move off the ball and pass really well, and Banna has developed all of that. I do not know that if Banna had been in the United States, she would have developed the passing skills and the ability to move without the ball like most 6-6 girls here in the United States, where they usually just get put on the blocks. Playing overseas and being in Japan, really is a key to where her game is at right now."

 

Utah State hosts NCAA Division II Mesa State in the Aggies' final exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Admission is free for the exhibition game.

 

Friday's game will also be broadcast on the radio, on KLGN (1390 AM).

 

The Aggies officially open the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 14, by traveling to Orem, Utah, to face Utah Valley State at 7 p.m.

 

Utah State's home opener is Nov. 17, when the Aggies open a two-game homestand, opening with Idaho State followed by Weber State on Nov. 21. Ticket prices for the regular-season games are $5 for adults, $1 for youth. Contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office at (435)797-0305 or at 1-888-U-STATE-1 (1-888-878-2831) for more information.

 

For more athletics news, visit the Athletics Web site.