Nov. 15, 2001
SAN DIEGO - With five seniors on this year's roster, San Diego State head women's basketball coach Barb Smith knew she needed to have a big haul during the 2001-02 signing period. And that's just what she got Thursday, as SDSU received national letter-of-intent commitments from six high school seniors.
"This is the best class we've signed during my tenure here at SDSU," said Smith of a class that recruiting services are saying could rank as high as 30th nationally. "To sign six kids early allows us the luxury of concentrating on the future rather than having to focus our efforts on the late signing period. But the bottom line is that this class will help our program take a giant leap forward in both the quality of athletes we signed and numbers."
The class is evenly balanced across the floor and features two post players, a pair of forwards, a combo guard and a point guard. The group is also regionally diverse, with three players hailing from California, two from Texas and one from Arizona.
The California prospects include point guard Amber Fouse (Harbor City/Narbonne HS), wing forward Michelle Strawberry (Corona/Centennial HS) and power forward Ashley White (Chino Hills/Ayala HS).
"It was very important for us to sign California kids because we need to have the foundation of our program be in-state players," Smith said.
Strawberry is perhaps the most decorated of the group. The No. 38th-ranked wing by the All-Star Girls Report, she attended the 2001 adidas Top-10 Camp and was a second-team all-CIF and all-county first team selection after averaging 23 points and six rebounds as a junior at Centennial High School in Corona, Calif.
"Michelle is a very strong three, the type of player we've never had here," Smith said. "She can shoot the three and drive and has a strong, commanding presence on the floor."
One of the top guards in the country according to the All-Star Girls Report, Fouse has run the point the past two years for 2000 and 2001 USA Today national champions Narbonne High School of Harbor City, Calif. A two-time all-league selection, the 5-6 point guard averaged eight points three rebounds and five assists, while leading Narbonne to its second consecutive CIF state title last season.
"I think Amber is one of the best point guards in the country," said Smith, who recruited and developed All-American guard Shelley Sheets while at Colorado. "She has excellent speed and a sound knowledge of the game. She is also very intense and focused on the floor. She is going to be able to come in and make some things happen at the point guard spot."
White, a first-team all-conference selection out of Ayala High School in Chino Hills, Calif., averaged 10 points and 4.0 rebounds as a junior en route to first-team all-conference honors.
"Ashley is a very athletic four who can also play the three," Smith said. "She really is going to fit into our full-court style well."
The Lone Star State gave up two of its top post players in Megan Bryant (Austin, Texas/Westlake HS) and Tami Garnett (Arlington, Texas/Sam Houston HS). Bryant, who attends Westlake High School in Austin, is a first-team all-district performer and the No. 15th-ranked post player in the West Region according to All-Star Girls Report. She averaged 12 points and 4.6 rebounds last season at Westlake, leading her squad to district and area championships.
Garnett, who preps up the road from Bryant in Arlington at Sam Houston High School, averaged a double-double per game with 11 points and 10 rebounds and just may be the sleeper of the class.
"Texas has always been good to us," Smith said. "There is a lot of talent down there and it used to be that you couldn't get them to leave the state. But that's not the case anymore and Tami and Meg are great pick-ups for us.
"Tami is going to surprise a lot of people. We had her evaluated much higher than some others were giving her credit, but she can flat out play. Meg is a big player who is going to be a power player. She is very strong on the blocks and like many in this group is the type of athlete we've not had here before."
San Diego State's final signee is Veronica Shaw (Chandler, Ariz./Mountain Pointe HS), a tough-as-nails defender who can take over a game at both ends of the floor. A versatile player out of the Phoenix area, coaches think she can play both the shooting and point guard spots.
"Veronica is a very athletic two guard who comes from one of the top high school programs in the state of Arizona. She may be the best defensive player we have in this class, but she also has solid offensive skills."
A 2001 Street & Smith's honorable mention All-American and all-state selection, Shaw averaged 18 points, four rebounds and six assists as a junior and is tabbed as one of the top 15 guards in the nation according to All-Star Girls Report.
"The fact that we signed six player early and that we are not losing people is a huge step for us," Smith admitted. "My assistant coaches have put in a lot of long hours in securing this class over the past two years. I can't say enough about the job they did because all six of these players have the potential to come in right away and have an impact on the program."
2001 San Diego State Fall Signees
Player Pos. Ht. Yr.* Hometown (Previous School)Megan Bryant C 6-3 Fr. Austin, Texas (Westlake HS)Amber Fouse G 5-6 Fr. Harbor City, Calif. (Narbonne HS)Tami Garnett C 6-3 Fr. Arlington, Texas (Sam Houston HS)Veronica Shaw G 5-8 Fr. Chandler, Ariz. (Mountain Point HS)Michelle Strawberry F 5-10 Fr. Corona, Calif. (Centennial HS)Ashley White F 6-1 Fr. Chino Hills, Calif. (Ayala HS)*Incoming class year