GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Three student-athletes
have indicated they will attend Tusculum College and play
basketball for the Pioneers announced TC women's coach
Missy Tiber. Joining the Pioneers next fall are
Catherine Hintz, Staci Hicks and
Brenica Shephard.
Hintz, a 6-8 center from Hastings, Minn., becomes the tallest
women's basketball player in the history of the program. The
Illinois Central College transfer recorded 17 points on 6-of-10
shooting in the third place game of the NJCAA National Tournament.
In that contest, she posted five boards and two blocks. While at
Illinois Central, she averaged 5.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per
game.
"Catherine's size and strength will bring an added dimension to
our team," said Tiber. "A player of her size is rare in women's
basketball let alone NCAA Division II. We are confident her
presence will take away the focus of defending our outside game. On
the defensive end, she will be a dominant force protecting our
basket. I think Catherine's talent is no where near being tapped
and I'm looking forward to helping her achieve her goals."
The Hastings High School graduate averaged 12.8 points per game
during her senior campaign and was a two-time All-Conference
selection. She was also an honors student in the classroom in high
school.
Hicks, a 6-0 forward from Loveland, Ohio, comes to Tusculum from
Goshen High School where she was named the Southern Buckeye
Athletic/Academic Conference Player of the Year. This past season,
she averaged 19.6 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, while earning
All-State Honorable Mention accolades. In 2007, Hicks posted 20.6
points and 10.2 boards per contest and was selected to play in the
Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game.
"Staci is a strong, physical post player that can run up and down
the court," Tiber said. "She is an excellent runner in track and
those skills will be a great fit for our system. We recruited Staci
because we needed the presence of an inside player who desires the
basketball and wants to score. She will also give us another
physical player who loves to rebound. She is a great kid, a very
good student, and I'm extremely happy that she has chosen to join
us here at Tusculum College.
Hicks was also a First Team All-SBAAC honoree, while earning
All-Southwest Ohio Second Team accolades, scoring over 1,000 points
in her high school career. Off the court, she is a scholar athlete
and is ranked fifth in her class. She is a member of the National
Honor Society and is slated to graduate with high honors.
Shephard, a 5-6 guard from Charlotte, N.C., is the all-time
leading scorer at Hopewell High School, recording 1.086 points. She
averaged 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals in 2006-07, while
being named Conference Most Valuable Player. Shephard was tabbed to
the All-Charlotte Observer First Team, the 2007 Charlotte Weekly
Girls' Basketball Super Team and was named the MEAC-6 Player of the
Year.
"Brenica is very quick and athletic," added Tiber. "She has a
great ability to get to the basketball, because she is very strong
as a guard and extremely explosive. A year ago, she came to our
try-out and really impressed us with her skill set as a complete
player. Brenica is a wonderful person and we are very happy that
she has chosen to join us."
Shepherd also recorded 614 rebounds in her prep career and was a
three-time member of the honor roll.
Tusculum is coming off one of its best seasons in school history.
The Pioneers posted a 26-5 record while winning the program's
first-ever South Atlantic Conference Championship. TC advanced to
the NCAA Division II Tournament for the firs
TUSCULUM Women's BASKETBALL SIGNS THREE
Posted: Apr 24, 2008