The top high school player in the nation has decided to attend Connecticut.

Ann Strother, ranked No. 1 by the Blue Star and School Sports recruiting services, was expected to fax her signed letter of intent to UConn Wednesday as the weeklong early signing period ended.

Strother, a 6-foot-2 guard from Littleton, Colo., who also considered Tennessee, Notre Dame, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Colorado, becomes the fourth member of UConn's 2001-02 recruiting class. All four players are ranked among the top 15 players in several recruiting plublications.

Recruiting experts had initially tabbed Duke with signing the country's top class, but now UConn seems to have the edge.

"This now makes Connecticut No. 1 this year," Joe Smith, director of the Women's Basketball News Service, told the Hartford Courant. "The Duke kids ranked very high, but not quite that high."

Strother led Highlands Ranch to the Class 5A state championship last season, averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 5.0 steals per game. Strother was one of only four high school players invited to the 2001 USA Basketball Junior World Championship Qualifying Team, and was the only high school player to make the Junior World Championship Team, a team coached by Geno Auriemma which won a bronze medal in Brno, Czechoslavakia this past summer.

Strother is the third top-ranked recruit to sign with UConn in the past five seasons.

A look at UConn's other three recruits:

Willnett Crockett (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne HS), a 6-2 forward/center, is a two-time Nike High School All-American, and was named to the a Street & Smith High School Third Team All-American as a junior. The 2001 School Sports Preseason All-America Second Team honoree also was nationally ranked as high as No. 11 by School Sports and received a No. 13 ranking by the Blue Star Index. Crockett helped lead Narbonne to back-to-back state and national titles in 2000 and 2001.

Barbara Turner (Cleveland, Ohio/East Tech HS), a 6-0 forward/guard, was a 2001 Street & Smith Second Team All-Americn, a 2001 Preaseason Third Team All-American by School Sports and attended the Nike All-America Camp in 2001. In Ohio, she was a consensus First Team All-Stater and was the Metro and Area MVP. She was also named the Associated Press Ohio State Co-Player of the Year after averaging 23.0 ppg, 19.0 rpg, 6.0 apg and 4 spg as a junior. She was ranked as high as No. 7 by School Sports and was No. 8 according to the Blue Star Index.

Nicole Wolff (Walpole, Mass./Walpole HS), a 5-11 guard, averaged 23.0 ppg, 8 rpg, 7 apg and 6 spg as a junior. A two-time Nike All-America Camp participant, she was a 2001 USA Today Junior All-American, 2001 Street & Smith First Team All-American and a Third Team Parade All-American. She was a member of the 2001 USA Basketball Junior World Championship Qualifying Team. Wolff ranked as high as No. 4 by the Blue Star Index and held a School Sports ranking of No. 6.

Tennessee signs two
Guard Shanna Zolman and center Tye'sha Fluker signed letters of intent to play at Tennessee.

Zolman, a 5-foot-9 guard from Syracuse, Ind., has averaged 32.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 5 steals a game over her prep career at Wawasee High, where she has shot 56 percent from the field and 93 percent from the foul line.

The 6-4 Fluker, who Tennessee coach Pat Summitt says brings quickness and size to the Lady Vols, averaged 26 points and 19 rebounds per game for John Muir.

"Zolman ... possesses outstanding offensive capabilities and is very efficient from 3-point range; she's one of the best pure shooters I've ever seen on the high school level," Summitt said. "Fluker provides us with an imposing physical threat in the post. She possesses not only a great mindset but also size, speed and quickness. She also gives us a scoring threat after Michelle Snow and Shalon Pillow graduate."

Duke inks highly rated class
Four of the top 14-ranked high school basketball players in the country have signed national letters of intent to play for Duke, coach Gail Goestenkors announced Monday.

The early signing period, which opened Nov. 14, runs through Wednesday.

Goestenkor signed two post players and two point/combo guards -- Mistie Bass (Parker, Wis./Janesville Parker HS), Lindsey Harding (Tomball, Texas/CY-Fair HS), Caitlin Howe (Rochester, N.Y./Fairport HS) and Brooke Smith (Marin Catholic, Calif./San Anselmo HS).

"I think this is an exceptional class," Goestenkors said. "Not only are they great basketball players but they are excellent students and wonderful people that will fit right into our system. We were able to address some needs that we had in the post and point guard positions."

All four additions to the current fourth-ranked Blue Devil women's basketball program are ranked in the top 14 of the All-Star Girls Report (ASGR)-- Smith (No. 7), Bass (No. 9), Howe (No. 10) and Harding (No. 14). The ASGR ranks Duke's recruiting class as the top-rated class in the country.

Howe has been a varsity starter for Fairport High School since she was in seventh grade, leading her squad to four Section V titles in her five years. The 3-point threat averaged 24.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists as a junior, and 24.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 steals and 3.6 assists her sophomore year. She was a USA Today Junior All-America and a fourth team Street & Smith All-America last season.

"Caitlin is the best shooter I have ever seen, bar none," said Goestenkors. "If she stays healthy, I would expect her to break every 3-point shooting record we have here at Duke. She also has a great understanding of the game and would be a coach on the floor for us."

Harding, a three-year varsity player, was an adidas Top Ten Camp Upperclass All-Star, first team girls preseason All-Greater Houston team and sixth team Street & Smith All-America, after averaging 17.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists as a junior. An exceptional track and field athlete in high school, Harding presents opponents problems with her quickness, strength and all-around ability.

"Lindsey will remind people a little of Jia Perkins (Texas Tech) as she is extremely quick," said Goestenkors. "She pushes the ball up the floor very well and will fit right in to our running and pressing style of play."

Smith is a 6-3 center who has started on the varsity squad since her freshman year. She is coming off a junior season where she led her squad to a 31-3 record, while averaging 15.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.0 blocks, 2.7 steals. She is an adidas Top Ten Camp Upperclass All-Star and honorable mention Street & Smith All-America. As a sophomore, she recorded a school-record 138 blocks.

"She is very fast and works harder than any post player that I have seen at getting up and down the floor," Goestenkors said. "She reminds me of (Iowa State's) Angie Welle in that she gets up and down the floor very well, she works so hard, has a nice right- and left-hand hook, can shoot from 17 feet and is just a good all-around post player."

The most physical player Goestenkors added is Bass, a 6-2 dominating center who averaged 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks as a junior, while being named Wisconsin's Miss Basketball and Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year. She is a two-time USA Today Wisconsin Player of the Year, two-time Wisconsin Miss Basketball, two-time Associated Press Wisconsin Player of the Year, three-time Conference Player of the Year, third team Street & Smith All-America and named second team Parade All-America last season. Over the past three years, Bass has led her high school team to a 75-3 record and two state championships.

"Mistie is the first true low block player that we have had here at Duke since Michele VanGorp in 1998-99," said Goestenkors. "She posts up harder and better than any high school player that I have seen, is very strong and reads the defense well."

Goestenkors has two scholarships remaining for next season, but a decision on them won't be made until the spring.

Georgia gets highly rated guard
As the early signing period ended, Georgia inked one of the nation's top perimeter players in Alexis "Alex" Kendrick from St. Bernard Catholic High School in Inglewood, Calif.

Kendrick signed her letter of intent on Wednesday, the final day of the weeklong signing period. Kendrick, 5-7, is rated as the nation's No. 7 prospect by Blue Star Recruiting, while she also was ranked No. 8 and No. 10 by School Sports and the All-Star Girls Basketball report, respectively. She was tabbed second-team All-America by Street & Smith's this fall.

"What a great way to end the early signing period," coach Andy Landers said. "Last Wednesday, we signed two of the nation's top-30 players -- Sherill Baker and Marquita Driskell -- and adding Alex to this class only makes it more impressive.

"Alex is one of the best guard prospects in the country. She has the ability to defend, score, penetrate and break people down with the dribble.

As a junior, Kendrick averaged 24 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and seven steals per game while leading St. Bernard to a 25-6 record and its third straight CIF Division IV-A Southern California title.

Baker, a 5-8 combo guard from Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross, Ga., was tabbed as the nation's No. 20 prospect by the All-Star Girls Basketball Report. Driskell, a 6-1 wing player from Baldwin County High School in Milledgeville, Ga., was ranked as the No. 26 recruit in the nation by the All-Star Girls Basketball Report and the No. 40 prospect by Blue Star Recruiting Service.

Four in-state recruits sign with Purdue
Purdue on Monday announced that five players have signed letters of intent for the Boilermakers' Class of 2006.

Coach Kristy Curry said the talented quintet -- ranked as high as the fourth-best (behind Duke, Connecticut and Arkansas) recruiting class -- will help solidify Purdue as one of the top programs in the nation.

"This is an impact-type class," Curry said. "These five players bring lots of versatility and give us depth at every position. We are very proud of how well we did in the state of Indiana, but we also are very excited by the fact that we signed national-caliber players, regardless of where they’re from."

Carol Duncan, a native of Nappanee, Ind., averaged 17.3 points and 11.1 rebounds as a junior at NorthWood High School. The 6-foot-2 forward averaged 13.7 points and 7.8 rebounds as a sophomore.

Sabrina Keys, from Fairfield, Calif., averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds as a junior at Berkeley High School. She earned honorable mention All-America honors from Street & Smith’s, was named first team all-state and led Berkeley to a runner-up finish in the CIF state tournament. Keys, a 6-foot-1 forward, is ranked No. 91 by All-Star Girls Report, a prospect scouting service for college coaches.

Ashley Mays, a 5-foot-7 guard from Indianapolis, averaged 22 points and seven rebounds as a junior at Warren Central High School. A Nike All-America camp participant, honorable mention All-American by Street & Smith’s and Indiana Junior All-Star, Mays is ranked No. 87 by All-Star Girls Report.

Missy Taylor, a native of Connersville, Ind., averaged 21.8 points and 9.8 rebounds as a junior at Connersville High School. She earned honorable mention All-America recognition from Street & Smith’s and was named to the Indiana Junior All-Star team. During the summer of 2001, Taylor competed at Nike All-America Camp and earned AAU All-America honors. The 6-foot-2 forward is ranked No. 53 by All-Star Girls Report.

Indianapolis’ Sharika Webb averaged 15.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists as a junior at Cathedral High School, which went 27-1 and won the Class 3A state title in 2001. The 5-foot-8 guard was an Indiana Junior All-Star last season and participated in the Nike All-America Camp last summer.

Lady Techsters tap six signees
Louisiana Tech signed six of the nation's top players to national letters of intent Wednesday, including five high school seniors and one junior college player.

"This may very well be one of the most important recruiting classes in the history of our program," head coach Leon Barmore said.

The signees were Amisha Carter a 6-2 center, from Oakland, Calif., now playing for Midland College in Texas; LaTosha Christmas, 5-10 forward from Provine High School in Jackson, Miss.; LaTarsha Crain, 5-7 guard, from Kingsland (Ark.) High School; LaToya George, 5-11 guard from Clinton (Miss.) High School; Tamika Kursh, 6-1 forward from Fort Smith Northside High School in Fort Smith, Ark.; and Aarica Ray, 6-0 forward from Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana, Texas.

Stanford signs four players
Four athletes -- Clare Bodensteiner (Rupert, Idaho/Minico HS), Shelley Nweke (Marietta, Ga./Marietta HS), Eziamaka Okafor (Rolla, Mo./Rolla HS) and Krista Rappahahn (Lebanon, Ct./Norwich Free Academy) -- have signed National Letters-of-Intent to play for Stanford beginning with the 2002-03 season.

"I'm very excited about these four signees," Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said. "This is an excellent class and it will complement the two great recruiting classes ahead of them. The class has excellent size, athleticism and skill."

Bodensteiner, a 5-8 guard, averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 steals as a junior to lead Minico to its first conference championship in 18 years.

"Clare is an outstanding point guard," VanDerveer said. "She has excellent speed, court sense, and shooting and passing skills. She is an intense competitor and has a take charge attitude."

Nweke, a 6-5 center, averaged 12 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots per game in her junior season, which included a triple-double (14 blocked shots).

Said VanDerveer: "Shelly has great size and is a very aggressive player inside. She is a solid low block scorer and defender."

Okafor, a 6-foot forward, is a Street & Smith's 2001 Honorable Mention Preseason All-American. As a junior, she broke the Rolla High School career scoring record of 1,277 points and averaged 22.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.1 steals.

Rappahahn, a 5-11 guard, is a Street & Smith's 2001 Honorable Mention Preseason All-American. As a junior, she was named a Street & Smith's Honorable Mention All-American and Student Sports Junior All-American after averaging 22.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 steals and 3.0 assists. Also that season, she guided the Norwich Free Academy to a 27-0 record and a top 25 national ranking by USA Today.

"Eziamaka is a strong athlete, who can rebound, block shots and defend; she is very athletic and very competitive," VanDerveer said. "Krista is a very versatile player ... an outstanding shooter. She plays with a great passion and enthusiasm."

Longhorns hook three guards
Texas coach Jody Conradt announced Wednesday the signing of three guards to national letters of intent.

The three signees are: All-State 5-7 guard Tamra Cobbins (Kansas City, Kan./F.L. Schlagle HS), one of the top recruits in the state of Kansas; 2001-02 Preseason Street & Smith All-America 5-8 guard Nina Norman (Houston, Texas/Jersey Village HS), a McDonald's All-America candidate who is ranked as the No. 2 player in the state and the No. 19 player nationally by the All-Star Girls Report national recruiting service; and All-State 5-9 guard Stephanie Thiel (Nazareth, Texas/Nazareth HS), who led her Nazareth team to Texas Class A state titles the last two years.

With these three commitments, Texas has concluded its signing for the November signing period.

"All three of them are capable of playing (point guard) or (shooting guard), although Nina and Tamra are both primarily known as point guards," Conradt said. Last year, we brought in five players who fit in at the 3, 4 and 5 positions. Nina, Tamra and Stephanie will now help us out on the perimeter ... (Nina and Tamra) are both excellent ball-handlers who also can score when asked to. Stephanie will provide us with a much-needed 3-point threat. All three complement our style of play very well."

A two-year All-State selection as a sophomore and junior, Cobbins pumped in 20.9 points per game for F.L. Schlagle High School as a junior. As a sophomore, she netted 17.5 ppg. The Kansan Player of the Year as a junior, Cobbins also is a two-year All-Metro First Team pick and helped lead Schlagle to two league titles.

As a preseason All-American, Norman also is rated as the eighth-best point guard in the country by All-Star Girls Report in addition to her rank as the 19th-best overall recruit. One of the most explosive recruits in the nation from her point guard position, Norman averaged 16.1 points, 5.4 assists and 7.9 steals as a junior for Jersey Village.

Thiel was named the Texas State Class 1A tournament MVP last year during the state playoffs in Austin as she led Nazareth to its second consecutive state championship. Thiel set the Texas state record and the national record by hitting 48.1 percent of her 3-point field goal attempts as a sophomore. Last year as a junior, she connected on 37.2 percent of her long-range shots, going 103 of 277 from 3-point range. Overall from the field last year, Thiel hit 61 percent of her shots, averaging 21.5 points per game to go with 8.0 rebounds per contest.

Campbell chooses Rutgers
Michelle Campbell (Princeton, N.J.) has signed a national letter of intent to attend Rutgers next fall, seventh-year head coach C. Vivian Stringer announced Wednesday.

"We are elated to have a player of Michelle's skill and ability joining us here at Rutgers," Stringer said. "She is an exceptional four-player, has range, can play on the perimeter and is strong and quick. She is easily considered one of the top players in the nation, is a great student and has a great background."

Campbell, a 6-1 forward, averaged 21.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.9 blocks and 2.1 steals per game last season as a junior at Notre Dame High School. A second-team Associated Press all-state selection and a first-team Star Ledger all-state pick last season, she is the highest-rated player in the state of New Jersey, tabbed No. 22 by Student Sports, No. 40 by the All Star Girls Report and No. 92 by the Blue Star Report. An honorable-mention Street & Smith’s all-American, she helped lead Notre Dame to a 26-1 record last season and a final ranking of fourth in the Star Ledger Top 20 Poll.

McCracken commits to Cyclones
Megan McCracken, a 5-foot-8 senior guard from Port Byron, Ill., has signed a national letter-of-intent to play at Iowa State, the Cyclones announced.

McCracken, who verbally committed as a junior, is Iowa State's first signee for the 2002 recruiting class.

"Megan is the earliest commitment we have ever had at Iowa State," coach Bill Fennelly said. "I am excited that she is now officially a member of the Cyclone family."

McCracken helped lead Rock Island's Alleman High School to its first-ever Illinois State Tournament Class A Elite Eight appearance as a junior, averaging 19.9 points. The two-time all-Western Big Six and Quad City Times all-metro selection already owns the school's career records for field goals (540), field-goal attempts (1,214), free throws (266), free-throw attempts (348), points (1,369) and points per game (14.7 ppg).

McCracken was named the top prep player in this summer's Game Time League played in North Liberty, Iowa. She averaged 10 points on a league finalist team that featured current and former Iowa collegians.

"Megan is an outstanding guard who fits our system very well," Fennelly said. "She has great skills and a tremendous work ethic, which is a combination that is getting harder and harder to find. Our fans are going to love the way she plays the game."

Texas Tech signs three
The Lady Raiders have inked three high school basketball players -- Chesley Dabbs (Plano, Texas), LaToya Davis (Houston, Texas) and Erin Grant (Arlington, Texas) -- for the 2002 season. All three have been nominated for the McDonald's Women's All-Star game for next spring.

Dabbs, a 6-0 forward who attends Plano High School, averaged 20.3 points per game while adding 9.5 rebounds, four steals and three assists as a junior. She also shot 81 percent from the free throw line. Last year she was the Offensive Most Valuable Player for District 9-5A and wasnamed first team all-state and first team all-region.

"We're excited about Chesley's size and athleticism on the perimeter," coach Marsha Sharp said. "She is a 6-0 player who can shoot really well and already faces the basket, and that is important to fit into our system."

From South Houston High School comes 6-1 forward/center LaToya Davis, who averaged 24.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.5 steals, 4.5 blocks and 2.4 assists per game during her junior year. Last year she was a first-team all-state selection, while being named first team all-region, first team All-Greater Houston and first team all-district.

"LaToya brings a lot of size and mobility in one package," Sharp said. "We really feel like she can be an important factor for us in Big 12 competition because of those qualities."

Grant, a 5-7 guard, attends Mansfield High School where she averaged 12 points, eight assists, four steals and three rebounds in her junior season.Grant shot 60 percent from the field and 76 percent from the free throw line. Last season she was a Parade All-America third team selection and led the Lady Tigers to their third-consecutive Class 5A state championship, while being named the Dallas Morning News Player of the Year.

"Erin is one of those players who will make an immediate impact at the Division I level," Sharp said. "She will be an outstanding college point guard and will complement the guards in our program."

UW-Green Bay adds Witkowski
Wisconsin-Green Bay coach Kevin Borseth has signed Kari Witkowski (Van Dyne, Wis./North Fond du Lac), a 6-5 center who will be the tallest player in the 28-year history of UW-Green Bay women's basketball. She will enroll at UW-Green Bay in the fall of 2002.

"It's not easy to find quality big kids," Borseth said. "To be able to find one in our back yard who wants to come to Green Bay and knows how to win is paramount."

Witkowski enters her senior season at North Fond du Lac as one of the program’s all-time leading scorers and rebounders. She is fifth all-time in school history in both categories (893 points, 574 rebounds) and is second in team history in blocks (134). A three-year letterwinner, Witkowski was a two-time first team all-conference selection with the Orioles. She was an integral part in aiding North Fond du Lac to a WIAA State championship as a sophomore during the 1999-2000 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.