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| | Friday, May 19 Recruit Ndiaye signs with Rutgers | |||||
| ESPN.com news services PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Fatime Ndiaye, a 6-foot-2 forward from Midland Junior College (Texas), has signed a national letter of intent to attend Rutgers, Scarlet Knights coach C. Vivian Stringer announced Thursday. Ndiaye (pronounced fa-TEAM JAI) was named a first-team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) after averaging 16.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Midland College team (27-6) that advanced to the NJCAA Region V finals. Ndiaye was named the Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC) Most Valuable Player as well as first team all-region. A starter in 33 games, she led the team in scoring 17 times and shot 48.3 percent from the field. As a freshman, she averaged 9.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 27 games and shot 45.4 percent from the field. She was also named a first team WJCAC All-Conference and all-region as a freshman. "I'm really excited. It's a different level and a new experience," Ndiaye said. "I chose to come to Rutgers because I heard a lot about the coach, and I talked to her and I really believe in everything she told me. I know I can help in the post." A native of Dakar, Senegal (St. Michael High), Ndiaye comes from a family of basketball players. Sister Astou is a member of the WNBA's Detroit Shock and previously played for the ABL's Seattle Reign and Southern Nazarene University, an NAIA school in Oklahoma. Another sister, Mary, is an assistant coach at Southern Nazarene, and sister Jasglow plays professionally in Europe. "Fatime is an experienced player who can contribute immediately to our inside play, which is crucial to our continued success," Stringer said. "She is strong, works hard and is an extremely bright and mature young lady. She plays more of a four spot, but can give us a center presence as well. She can play in the high post or down low and is a solid rebounder." Ndiaye joins three players who signed in the early period in November. Ross signs with Sooners NORMAN, Okla. -- Rosalind Ross, a National Junior College first team All-American, has signed a national letter of intent to play for Oklahoma next season, Sooners coach Sherri Coale announced Monday. Ross, a 5-foot-9 guard from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, earned NJCAA All-American honors after guiding her team to an overall record of 33-3 and averaging 17 points, five rebounds and three steals per game as a sophomore. She also connected on 41 percent of her shots from 3-point range. Ross was voted the region and conference player of the year. In addition, she was selected as the regional tournament most valuable player and was named to the Juco National All-Tournament team. "Rosalind is a great addition to our program," Coale said in a statement on Oklahoma's official athletic site. "Her athleticism will allow her to be utilized in several different areas, which could cause her to make an immediate impact. She's a terrific scorer and tremendous perimeter player who has extremely quick hands and feet." Grayson County trio signs with Baylor Sheila Lambert, a former prep standout from Seattle, has signed a letter of intent with Baylor, first-year coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson has announced. Lambert, a 5-foot-7 guard who was twice named a NJCAA All-American and Grayson County's first two-time Juco All-American, averaged 23.2 points, 7.9 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game last season. "Sheila is the ultimate point guard who can score and distribute the ball," Mulkey-Robertson said on Baylor's official athletic site. "She is capable of playing any of our perimeter positions. Sheila is one of the most unselfish players I've ever seen." Lambert re-wrote the Washington high school record books before graduating in 1999, capping her prep career at Chief Sealth High School by setting or tying eight state-tournament records, including a 42-point single-game performance in the Class 3A 1998 tournament. As a high-school senior, Lambert signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Washington, but failed to achieve an entrance-exam score high enough to be eligible. Lambert's Grayson County (Texas) College teammates Carla Mathisen and Brooke McCormack, both natives of Melbourne, Australia, also signed with Baylor. Mathisen is a 5-8 first-team all-conference guard who averaged 13.7 points and sank 116 of 281 (41.3 percent) 3-pointers last season. McCormack, a 6-2 post, also was a first-team all-conference pick, averaging 9.3 points and 7.2 rebounds a game. Bruins ink Veasley UCLA coach Kathy Olivier announced Thursday that Jamila Veasley of Valley Christian High School in Cerritos, Calif., has signed a letter of intent to play for the Bruins next season. Veasley, a 6-1 forward who was a three-year starter, averaged 14 points and eight rebounds last season for the Olympic League champions. The Bruin signee was named the CIF Division 4-AA Player of the Year and a first-team All-CIF Division 4-AA. She was also a first-team all-league selection and the league's co-Most Valuable Player. In addition, the Long Beach Press-Telegram named her to the first-team of its All-Area squad. "Jamila is an outstanding all-around frontcourt player with good instincts and leadership qualities," Olivier said. "She has the size and quickness to help us both inside as a rebounder, as well as on the perimeter with her defense. I am especially excited to add the sister of a former player to our team." Jamila is the sister of Aisha Veasley, who played for the Bruins from 1995-1998. Aisha just completed her first season as an assistant women's basketball coach at Tulsa. | ALSO SEE UCLA signs three to fill frontcourt positions French point guard nabs last Colorado scholarship  | |||||