April 17, 2003
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State women's basketball head coach Jim Tomey has announced the signings today of three high school seniors and two junior college transfers to national letters of intent. Guard Jessica Huettl (Eau Claire, Wisc.), wing Candace Mattson (Alpine, Utah) and post players Lindsey Casey (Longview, Texas), Erin Jackson (Sparks, Nev.) and Jordie Smith (Fort Collins, Colo.) will join the Aztecs in the fall of 2003.
"We're really pleased with the five additions to our program," Tomey said. "We feel that with these five players, we have improved our team in all areas, particularly on the offensive side. All five have the ability to score anywhere on the floor and are players with great basketball intelligence, whose main attribute will be making other players on the floor better.
"All five are also tremendous people on and off the court and have the characteristics and personal pride that are necessary to build a great program."
Casey is coming off a one-year stint at Midland College in Midland, Texas, after transferring from the University of Oklahoma. This past season, she helped Midland to a third-place finish at the 2003 NJCAA National Basketball Tournament, a 31-6 record and region and conference titles.
"Lindsey can play either the three or four positions and has the ability to shoot from distance," Tomey said. "She comes from two great programs, in Midland and Oklahoma, where she gained valuable experience playing in the NCAA Final Four and finishing third at the national junior college tournament as one of her team's leaders. Her experience and leadership will help anchor what looks to be a young team next year."
At Oklahoma, Casey appeared in 11 games for the Sooners, who advanced to the 2002 NCAA title game, finishing with a 32-3 record. Prior to her stay in Norman, Casey averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds her senior campaign at Longview High School in Longview, Texas. As a prep, she was a three-time first team all-league selection in basketball and also was an all-state volleyball player for the Lobos.
Huettl led Regis High School to the school's first girls' basketball state title in 2003, earning first team all-state honors from the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel. The 5-7 combo guard averaged a Cloverbelt Conference best 17.9 points per game as a senior, en route to conference and region player-of-the-year honors. Huettl was named to the state honorable mention squad as a junior, is a three-time all-city selection and scored over 1,000 career points for the Ramblers. Her AAU team, the Velocity Red under head coach Mark Noll, has won four state titles from 2000-03.
"Jessica Huettl is a talented guard from Wisconsin, who is a proven winner after leading her team to the state title this past season," Tomey said. "At 5-7, she's a combo guard, who is just as comfortable running a team, as she is running off screens."
Huettl lettered in both track and volleyball at Regis, captaining the volleyball team to conference, regional and sectional titles and an appearance in the state finals as a senior. A class salutatorian, Huettl has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average throughout her high school career and was a Wisconsin coaches' and WBCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
A three-year letterwinner at Reed High School, Jackson helped the Raiders to the 2002-03 High Desert League title with a perfect 12-0 record and a 22-5 mark overall. The McDonald's All-America nominee garnered first team all-league and all-region honors and was named to the 10-member all-state first team by NevadaPrep.com in 2003. During the AAU season, she competes for the Nevada Basketball Academy under head coach Jason Glover.
"Erin Jackson really came on her senior year and developed all aspects of her game, in particular, her ability to score," Tomey said. "Erin is a multiple scoring threat from all over the floor. She's going to force a big player to have to guard her from beyond the arc."
A honor roll member, Jackson was her team's most improved player as a sophomore and a year later, earned second team all-league honors. Jackson has also been invited to the elite adidas Top Ten All-America Camp.
Mattson is coming off an outstanding career at Salt Lake Community College in which she led the Bruins to a 24-8 record and a runner-up finish in the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) this season. The 2001 Lone Peak High School graduate earned all-SWAC Region 18 honorable mention honors in 2003, averaging 9.4 points per game and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per contest. In her first year at Salt Lake, Mattson averaged 11 points and five rebounds per game, respectively.
"Candace is a great floor general, who embraces leadership and will be a great role model for our younger players," Tomey said. "At six-feet, Candace has the ability to play anywhere on the floor. We will be able to utilize her perimeter shooting as well as her ability to post players up inside. She brings great flexibility and versatility with her game and is a very thoughtful player."
At Lone Peak, Mattson was a four-year letterwinner, helping the Knights to the Utah state 4-A title as a sophomore and a second-place finish as a senior. Mattson capped her prep career by earning state, region and team most valuable player honors.
A 6-2 post player, Smith earned three varsity letters in basketball at Poudre High School in Fort Collins, Colo. Smith was a first-team all-conference selection as a senior, captaining the Impalas to the second round of the state playoffs. As a junior, she was an honorable mention all-conference selection in leading her team to a league and city title and an appearance in the state tournament's elite eight.
"Jordie has a great basketball IQ and has a tremendous feel for the game," Tomey said. "She understands the different roles being played on the basketball court and has a great sense for how to get herself and others open within offensive play. Jordie has the opportunity to be a very good player in the Mountain West Conference."
Smith also competed for the Colorado Select from 2001-02 under head coach Ron McClurg and has earned three letters in volleyball and one in golf as a prep. A member of the National Honor Society, she has earned academic awards at both the conference and state levels.
The five newcomers join fall signees Michelle Elliott (Pasco, Wash.) and Courtney Fritz (Newberg, Ore.), giving the Aztecs recruits from seven different states.
"The newcomers, along with our returnees, will lay the foundation for our program's future," Tomey said. "We're pleased with our (recruiting) efforts and look forward to meshing together the great qualities that these young women will bring to SDSU basketball."
2002-03 Aztec Women's Basketball Signees
Name Position Height Hometown (Last School)Lindsey Casey Forward 6-1 Longview, Texas (Midland College/Oklahoma) Michelle Elliott Guard 5-11 Pasco, Wash. (Pasco High School) Courtney Fritz Guard 5-8 Newberg, Ore. (Jesuit High School) Jessica Huettl Guard 5-7 Eau Claire, Wisc. (Regis High School) Erin Jackson Forward 6-1 Sparks, Nev. (Reed High School) Candace Mattson Forward 6-0 Alpine, Utah (Salt Lake CC/Lone Peak HS) Jordie Smith Forward 6-2 Fort Collins, Colo. (Poudre High School)