Four Sign with Rutgers Women's Basketball Program
Nov 14 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - Four student-athletes - Rashidat Junaid (Atco, NJ), Myia McCurdy (Cincinnati, OH), Epiphanny Prince (New York, NY) and Brittany Ray (Bronx, NY) - have signed national letters of intent to compete for the Rutgers University women's basketball program beginning in the fall of 2006, Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer has announced.
'It has been our objective to bring the very best players from the tri-state area, as well as the best from all over the world, to what is considered one of the greatest academic universities in the country in Rutgers,' stated Stringer. 'With players such as Chelsea Newton (Monroe, LA), Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL), Dana Boonen (Ghent, Blegium) and Tammy Sutton-Brown (Markham, Ontario), as well as such local players as Michelle Campbell (Princeton, NJ), Matee Ajavon (Newark, NJ), Essence Carson (Paterson, NJ) and Kia Vaughn
(Bronx, NY), we have done that, and this class adds to that. If we're one of the best academic institutions in the country with outstanding athletics, why wouldn't we get together? Now it is coming to fruition, and the best players in the area are coming to Rutgers. Whether they are from the Midwest or the East, the best-kept secret is now known to most.
'We are extremely proud of this class,' she continued. 'Each one of them is committed to carrying on the tradition established at Rutgers over the years. They all get along well with each other, and are already looking forward to playing together. We are excited about the growth of each and every player, and we wish them well during their senior seasons.'
Junaid, a 6-4 center, averaged 22.4 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocked shots per game as a junior at Camden Catholic High School. The 2005 Courier Post Player of the Year, she was named to last year's Associated Press All-State First Team and Star Ledger All-State Second Team. The three-time honorable-mention Street & Smith's All-American (2003-2005) was rated 43rd overall by Blue Star, 44th overall by Full Court Press and the 28th-best center by the All Star Girls Report. She participated at the 2004 Nike All-America Camp.
'Rashidat runs the floor very well for a big,' said Stringer. 'She is a hard worker who has good hands. She will have a big defensive presence, and offensively, she will give us an opportunity to have a twin tower effect when she is on the court with Kia Vaughn. She is a major addition to our team, and her coming to Rutgers will make sure that the fours and fives will be strong for the next four years. We have seen tremendous improvement out of Rashidat just since this summer. It's unusual for a big post player to like to run, but she does. She and Kia will take pressure off of each other when they are on the court together, and they will give us great flexibility.'
McCurdy, a 6-1 guard/forward, was named a fifth-team All-American by Street & Smith's following her junior season at Winton Woods High School. Rated 22nd by Full Court Press, 21st by Blue Star, 20th by Gameball Magazine and 47th overall and the seventh-best shooting guard by All Star Girls Report, she missed half of her junior season due to injuries, averaging 10.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, McCurdy averaged 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game, leading her team to a 20-1 record. A two-time selection to the All-Fort Ancient Valley Conference First Team and an honorable-mention Street & Smith's All-American as a freshman and sophomore (2003-2004), she played at the 2005 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival, winning a bronze medal as a member of the Red Team while averaging 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest. An excellent student, McCurdy was named to the 2003 FAVC All-Academic Team.
'Myia runs the floor very well,' said Stringer. 'She is a four who can play the three. Myia is quick, agile and loves to play defense. She has a very good understanding of the game of basketball, and she also is a great student.'
Prince, a 5-9 guard, averaged nearly 23 points and 12 assists per game as a junior at Murry Bergtraum High School. Named a 2005 All-American by Street & Smith's (first team), Parade (second team) and EA Sports, she has helped lead her team, ranked third in the Student Sports Preseason Top 50 Poll, to three straight Public School Athletic League (PSAL) titles and two New York State Federation championships. Prince has been among the highest-rated players in the nation, picked third by Blue Star, fourth by Gameball Magazine, 13th by Full Court Press, and eighth overall and the second-best point guard by the All Star Girls Report. The 2004 Daily News Player of the Year, she is a two-time first-team all-state selection (2004-2005) and earned All-America honors from Street & Smith's (fourth team, 2004; honorable mention, 2003), USA Today (2004-2005) and Student Sports (2004 Sophomore of the Year). Prince competed at the 2003 Nike All-America Camp. She played club ball with the New York Exodus and current RU freshman Kia Vaughn (Bronx, NY).
'All great teams need an outstanding guard, and Epiphanny has tremendous vision, excellent ball-handling skills, great range and the ability to break ankles on any player who tries to defend her,' said Stringer. 'She comes from a winning program, and people have had expectations of her throughout her high school years, and she has handled that pressure well.'
Ray, a 5-9 guard, averaged nearly 19 points and eight assists per game as a junior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Named an underclass all-star at the 2004 adidas Top Ten Camp, she was named to the 2005 Class A All-State Second Team and the 2004 Class B All-State First Team. An all-city selection by the Daily News, she is ranked 42nd by Full Court Press, 53rd by Blue Star, 60th by Gameball Magazine and the 58th-best point guard by the All Star Girls Report. Her older brother, Allan, is a senior guard at Villanova.
'We think the world of Brittany,' said Stringer. 'She is in the image of a punishing guard, like Mauri Horton, Cappie Pondexter and Matee Ajavon. She is a smart player, has a good handle and is a great shooter. And she is obviously extremely bright and is a straight-A student. She is eager to learn and has all the tools to be successful.'
With the additions of Junaid, Prince and Ray, the 2006-2007 Scarlet Knights will draw heavily from the tri-state area, giving Rutgers a total of seven players from New Jersey and New York, as the three freshmen will join current sophomores Matee Ajavon (Newark, NJ) and Essence Carson (Paterson, NJ), as well as current freshmen Vaughn and Heather Zurich (Montvale, NJ).
The 2006-2007 freshmen will mark the third straight top-15 recruiting class assembled by Rutgers, joining the current sophomores (ranked third by the All Star Girls Report) and the current freshmen (ranked 13th by Blue Star).
Rutgers, ranked fifth in both the preseason Associated Press and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association/ESPN/USA Today polls, posted a 28-7 overall record and a 14-2 mark in BIG EAST play last season, winning their first outright BIG EAST regular-season title and advancing to their second consecutive BIG EAST Tournament championship game. Rutgers reached the Elite Eight of the 2005 NCAA Tournament and finished seventh in the final WBCA/ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll.
Rutgers, which returns nine letterwinners and four starters from last season's Elite Eight team, will officially begin the 2005-2006 campaign on Grand Bahama Island, competing at the Junkanoo Jam Nov. 25-26.
