Comings and Goings XII: Radford

Alexis Jackson

Winding down Comings and Goings with Radford.

The rest of the series so far with Hampton on deck:

Comings and Goings: Old Dominion
Comings and Goings: Richmond
Comings and Goings: George Mason
Comings and Goings: Virginia
Comings and Goings: Virginia Tech
Comings and Goings: William and Mary
Comings and Goings: VCU
Comings and Goings: Liberty
Comings and Goings: Longwood
Comings and Goings: Norfolk State

Who's going

Ayana Avery, 5-5 G 10.6 ppg, 36 percent from 3
Jordynn Gaymon, 6-1 F, 6.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg
Kiera McIvor 5-9 G, 3.6 ppg
Janelle James, 6-3 C; slowed by knee injury as a freshman last season; the Lancaster, Ohio native has transferred to Ohio State but will not play basketball
Britney Anderson: assistant coach has returned to her alma mater, Virginia Tech, to assist Dennis Wolff

These guys will be missed; Avery, Gaymon and McIvor started a combined 70 games last season, and Avery led the Highlanders in scoring. James, who recovered from knee surgery, returns closer to home to finish her education. The 17 wins last season was the most since 2007-08.

Who's coming

Destinee Walker, 5-11 G/F, Florence, S.C. (West Florence High), All-Star Girls Report lists the versatile wing as the 347th overall recruit in the country, the highest-ranked recruit ever signed by coach Mike McGuire; averaged 16.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 3.8 apg and 3.3 spg as a senior; amassed more than 1,000 career points; two-time Region 6-4A Player of the Year; two times all state; accepted to Team USA U17 tryouts last summer in Colorado Springs
Sydney Nunley, 6-3 C, Lewisburg, W.Va. (Meade High); had a triple-double (21 points, 16 boards, 11 blocks on Senior Night); averaged 15 ppg, 16 rpg, 5 blocks as a junior when she led G

Lydia Rivers, 6-2 F, Kinston, N.C. (Kinston High); sidelined most of her senior season recovering from an ACL injury; MVP of state championship in 2013 when she recorded 9 blocks; named Kinston's Female Athlete of the Year after averaging a double-double as a junior; two-time MVP for volleyball and track and president of her class her junior year; dad played tight end at Virginia tech

Jen Falconer, 5-7 G, Mechanicsburg, Pa. (Cumberland Valley High); led Cumberland Valley to the PIAA 4A state title game as a junior; leading goal scorer as a freshman and sophomore for school soccer team and named Mid Penn Conference Player of the Year as a junior when she was selected to play in the 2014 High School All-American Girls' Soccer game
Alexis Jackson, 5-8 G, Severn, Md. (Meade High); amassed more than 1,000 career points; can play all five positions; selected as a U.S. Junior National all-star after her junior year; one of two students selected from her high school to attend a student-athlete leadership conference in 2014
Courtney Davidson, assistant coach: the Michigan State standout who will assist with the point guards was the former director of operations at the College of Charleston and Youngstown State

Third-year coach McGuire looks to build on a banner year when the Highlanders advanced to the postseason WNIT with a 17-14 record, finishing tied for second in the Big South. Starters Aisha Foy (10.3 ppg), Janayla White (6.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and Jayda Worthy (7.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg) are joined by a crop of newcomers we're excited to see.

   

Comings and Goings XI: Norfolk State

Michelle Wright joins the Spartans                                         

Here's a look at Norfolk State's Comings and goings.

The series so far:

Comings and Goings: Old Dominion
Comings and Goings: Richmond
Comings and Goings: George Mason
Comings and Goings: Virginia
Comings and Goings: Virginia Tech
Comings and Goings: William and Mary
Comings and Goings: VCU
Comings and Goings: Liberty
Comings and Goings: Longwood
Who's going

Rae Corbo, 5-6 G started in all 30 games her senior year, leading scorer with 20.8 ppg
Ebony Brown, 5-9 F, played in 14 games, 2.1 ppg
Jazamine Gray, 5.4 F, 4.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, started all 30 games
Aivah Parham, 5-10 F, 4.7 ppg, 5.1 ppg
Io Chaney, 5-11 G/F, played in 12 games, averaged 1.2 ppg, has transferred to American University

The huge loss is Corbo, a should-of-been MEAC first-teamer who delivered consistently last season with 15 20-point games and was clutch in the conference tournament.

Who's coming
Michelle Wright, 5-10 F Baltimore (Baltimore City Community College/Dunbar High), Maryland Junior College Player of the Year after leading Baltimore City with 20.7 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 3.6 spg; will have two years of eligibility remaining; also shot 33 percent from 3; led Dunbar to consecutive Class A state titles and was first-team All-Metro (Baltimore Sun), spent her freshman year at Moberly (Missouri) Community College
Ashante Doby, 5-5 G, Palm Beach, Fla. (Miami Dade College/Palm Beach High), first-team All-Southern Conference honors, averaging 8.4 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.4 spg; shot 36 percent from 3, attended Palm Beach Central for one year after graduating Palm Beach High
Quiera Gilmore, 5-6 G, Charlotte, N.C. (Ardrey Kell High) averaged 5.6 ppg, 5 apg, 3.1 spg
Yazmen Hannah, 5-7 G, Hickory, N.C. (Hickory High), AP all-state selection, led Hickory to 47-0 finish and 3A state championship
Alexys Long, Clinton, Md. 5-10 F, (Largo High), 12.7 ppg,  younger sis of NSU men's signee Alex Long
Kiara Phillips, 5-10 G, Melbourne, Australia: Gulf Coast State: The Australian played in 26 games last season, averaging 4.7 ppg and 1.3 rpg; will have two years of eligibility remaining; her twin sis, Tenaya, plays professionally in Australia

Exciting to see the Spartans sign such a sizable class. Expect Wright to be an early contributor given her impressive resume that will complement the offensive prowess of Kayla and Nia Roberts. Debra Clark looks ready to build on last season's success that included an 11-5 conference mark, a defeat of Hampton and a trip to the MEAC Tournament semifinals.

Comings and goings X: Longwood

Here we go with another installment of Comings and goings. This time it's Longwood, which finished 4-26 during an injury-plagued 2014-15 season.

The other installments:


Comings and Goings: Old Dominion
Comings and Goings: Richmond
Comings and Goings: George Mason
Comings and Goings: Virginia
Comings and Goings: Virginia Tech
Comings and Goings: William and Mary
Comings and Goings: VCU
Comings and Goings: Liberty

Ebony Gilliam

Who's going

Riannah Frazer 5-4 G: Graduated last spring and will play her final year at Division III Stevenson University near Baltimore
Shannon Mosby 5-3 G: Played 22 games last season as a walk-on and averaged 2.4 ppg, transferred to Division II Salem International in West Virginia.

Who's coming

Ciarah Bennett, 5-5 PG, Camden, N.J. (Woodrow Wilson High), 12.1 ppg, 5.2 apg
Ashlee Jones, 5-9 G, Orlando, Fla. (University High); 12.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, named University High Female Athlete of the Year
Kate Spradlin, 5-8 G, Blue Ridge, Va. (Lord Botetourt HS): walk-on
Eboni Gilliam, 6-0 F, Richmond, Va. (L.C. Byrd High, Cape Fear Community College); 13.6 ppg (2nd-leading scorer), 9.0 rpg, 33 double-doubles for Lady Sea Devils; first player in program history to sign with D-I school; has two years of eligibility remaining
Kemari Jones, 6-0 F, Melbourne, Fla. (Melbourne Central Catholic); 18 ppg, 11 rpg; Honorable mention Class 3A all-state (Florida Association of Basketball Coaches)

Coach Bill Reinson tells us Daesha Brown, who underwent ACL surgery last December, is on the mend nicely, about a month ahead of schedule, and Khalilah Ali, who also tore her ACL and sustained meniscus damage, should also be ready by the season's start barring complications. Brown played in just three games last year before the knee injury, scoring 29 against Wake Forest and Ali started in seven.

Expect to see what physical post Eboni Gilliam can do right away, as she comes in with junior college experience under her belt, and Bennett looks to be an adept passer who can give a boost to the Lancers offense. Another bright spot: Autumn Childress will enter the season healthy. The ACL tear she suffered in high school is long behind her as is anemia. Reinson said fatigue slowed Childress last season before doctors determined she had almost no iron in her blood. He expects her to make an impact at both the 3 and the 4.

The Lancers are in for a treat in August with a 10-day trip to Italy that will include four games, one against the national team from Cameroon. Road games against James Madison, Oregon State, Virginia and West Virginia are on tap during the season.

Comings and goings IX: Liberty

Brooke Alexander

We move along with Part IX of Comings and goings with Liberty.

The rest of the series:

Comings and Goings: Old Dominion
Comings and Goings: Richmond
Comings and Goings: George Mason
Comings and Goings: Virginia
Comings and Goings: Virginia Tech
Comings and Goings: William and Mary
Comings and Goings: VCU


Who's going

Karly Buer: 5-7 G, 11.6 ppg, second leading scorer on the team last year;
Jasmine Gardner: 6-2 F/C, started 2 games, averaged 4.4 ppg
Ellee Rollins: 5-7 G, played 97 minutes last year, averaging 0.7 ppg
Emily Frazier: 5-7 G, started 16 games, averaging 4.9 ppg
Simone Brown: 5-11 F, started 26 games last year as a sophomore, averaging 7.5 ppg, transferring to University of North Florida near her home in Land O' Lakes, Fla.

Buer played just one year at Liberty after graduating from Missouri State, but sparked the Lady Flames from the 3-point line and was a key cog in the team's Big South championship and near upset of North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Brown will sit out next season for the Ospreys per NCAA transfer rules and have two years of eligibility remaining.

Who's coming

Brooke Alexander: 6-0 F Frisco, Texas (Prestonwood Christian Academy), averaged 13.5 ppg for first-ever state champion Prestonwood Christian in 2014 and also led team in assists, steals and 3-pointers made; team reached state final in 2015; TAPPS 5A all-state as a junior and senior; finalist for her school's Athlete of the Year award, generated interest from Texas A&M and Arizona among others
Keturah "KK" Barbour: 6-1 F, Charlottesville, Va. (Albemarle High); All-time leading scorer at Albemarle, amassing more than 1,200 points; averaged 23.8 ppg and 10.2 rpg as a senior; cousin to former VCU player Andrea Barbour
Stephanie Patton: 5-9 G, Hiawassee Ga.. (Hayesville High); amassed nearly 1,400 career points and 193 treys; transferred from Towns County High in Georgia to Hayesville midway through her junior season; at Towns County, set freshman class scoring record (326 points) and was the Georgia Class A state golf runner-up
Molly Reagan: 6-2 F/C, Braintree, Mass. (Braintree High); led Braintree to a 24-1 record and Massachusetts Division 1 state championship as a junior; selected Liberty over Yale, Dartmouth and Princeton; one of three Division I players at Braintree (Ashley Russell (Penn) and Bridget Herlihy (Villanova)); the three were 95-7 at their high school with two state titles
Kaitlyn Stovall: 6-3 F/G, Hopewell, Va. (Home-schooled), played high school ball at TPLS Christian Academy in Midlothian; part of BWSL AAU team that won a national title her freshman year and was national runner-up her sophomore year

Kudos to Carey Green and staff for what looks to be a recruiting class full of bigs that will leave an impact at Liberty. Reagan's basketball IQ looks to match her academic smarts, and we're excited to see Liberty get a near-local in Barbour. With the return of Ashley Rininger (12.8 ppg, .518 FG percentage) and a cast that includes Sadalia Ellis, Emily Frazier and Katelyn Adams, we expect the Lady Flames to make their usual run to a Big South championship and earn a 17th trip to the national tournament.

Comings and Goings Part VIII: VCU

Prom queen and new Ram Sandra Skinner

We continue to take a look at the Comings and goings from our state teams. Our latest installment: Virginia Commonwealth.

The others we've written about so far:

Comings and Goings: Old Dominion
Comings and Goings: Richmond
Comings and Goings: George Mason
Comings and Goings: Virginia
Comings and Goings: Virginia Tech
Comings and Goings: William and Mary
Comings and Goings: James Madison


Who's going

Brittani Burgess, G/F; 1.2 ppg; transferred to Maryland-Baltimore County
Briana DuBose, 5-10 G/F; 1.1 ppg; transferred to American
Monnazjea Finney-Smith: 6-1 G, 9 starts last season, averaged 5.6 ppg; transferred to Hampton
Rob Norris: Beth O'Boyle's assistant is now an assistant at Georgia Tech

The three Marlene Stollings recruits hope to find playing time elsewhere. Finney-Smith (5.4 ppg) was a significant contributor. Burgess and DuBose were never able to find meaningful minutes under Beth O'Boyle, who took over at VCU in April 2014 after Stollings left for Minnesota.

Who's coming

Bria Gibson: 6-1 F, Raleigh, N.C. (Sanderson High), 19 ppg
Sandra Skinner, 6-0 F, Winchester, Ky. (George Rogers Clark High), all-state in 2014, leading her high school to Final Four, amassed more than 1,000 points as a junior, also played volleyball and ran track, 3-star recruit according to ESPN
Katherine Strong: 6-0 F, Chicago Heights, Ill., (Bloom High), tore her ACL as a junior; nominated for McDonald's All-American Game as a senior
Galaisha Goodhope, 5-5 G, transfer from Old Dominion who was dismissed from the team; part of CAA All-Rookie team and biology major who plans to be a doctor, will have two years of eligibility for the Rams; averaged 8.1 ppg her sophomore season
Richard Fortune: Former ODU assistant joins Beth O'Boyle's staff, reuniting him with Goodhope, who he coached for two years.

Lots of size with this Rams class, which also includes Goodhope, a capable point guard with scoring ability. VCU finished 16-14 last season but struggled to find firepower on offense and dropped seven of its final nine. The Rams return their top five scorers led by Isis Thorpe (12.3 ppg), but could benefit by one of the freshmen posts making an early impact. Shanice Johnson (6-0 F), who the school had announced would be on the team after being suspended from Delaware last January, will not be joining the Rams this fall.