Women's Basketball Inks Three

VIDEO: Coach Chris Vozab comments on Eagles' three early signees
VIDEO: Coach Chris Vozab comments on Eagle signee Jessica Marcus
VIDEO: Coach Chris Vozab comments on Eagle signee Angel McGowan
VIDEO: Coach Chris Vozab comments on Eagle signee Danielle Roberts

STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern women's basketball coach Chris Vozab announced today that Jessica Marcus (Charlotte, N.C./Berry Academy), Angel McGowan (Greenville, S.C./J.L. Mann) and Danielle Roberts (Dayton, N.J./South Brunswick) have signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Eagles, beginning in the 2013-14 season.

A 6-foot forward, Marcus plays for coach Ryan Copeland at Berry Academy and averaged 10.5 points and 14 rebounds a game as a junior. She was an All-MEGA 7 3A/4A selection and is a two-time Bojangles Shootout All-Tournament selection.

"Jessica brings strength, toughness and a fierce presence on the boards," said Vozab. "Her intelligence and ability to understand angles in the paint will enable her to thrive in our offensive system. She continues to gain confidence in her face up game, and these improving skills combined with her physicality down low will make her tough to defend."

McGowan averaged 14.4 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals a game for coach Darah Huffman at J.L. Mann. The 5-foot-9 guard was first-team all-region as well as first-team all-county. McGowan has made a name for herself off the court as well as she was recognized by South Carolina Governor Nikky Haley for publishing a children's book, entitled "STOMP OUT the Bullying." She produced a video to accompany it and won the Red Carpet National Best Message Award at the No Bull Challenge in San Francisco.

"Angel brings great versatility to the perimeter, as she can play any of the three guard spots," said Vozab. "She is comfortable directing an offense, makes great decisions in transition, shoots the three well and slashes to the basket to draw fouls and finish at the rim. Her toughness also sets the tone on the defensive end, where she provides great ball pressure and leadership."

Roberts averaged 10.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds as a junior for coach Beth Barrio at South Brunswick. The 5-foot-7 guard was named second-team all-conference and helped her team win the Greater Middlesex County Conference championship for the first time in 36 years and advance to the second round of the state tournament for the first time in school history.

"Danielle brings great vision and a terrific feel for the game to the point guard spot," said Vozab. "She pushes the ball well in transition but can execute in the half court as well. Her ability to shoot the three and her quick release make her equally dangerous playing off the ball."

The three players along with sophomore forward Briana Jones, a transfer from James Madison who committed in the summer and is sitting out this season in accordance with NCAA rules, make up Vozab's first recruiting class at Georgia Southern.

"Our recruiting coordinator Lisa Jackson and assistant coaches Justin Phoenix and Carolyn Riley all worked very hard and very smart to secure this first recruiting class, which we are excited to welcome to the Eagle women's basketball family," said Vozab. "These young ladies are the building blocks to the future of our program. They will represent us well in the classroom and in the community, and I am confident their on-court skills, savvy, toughness, physicality and athleticism will contribute to the growth of our program."

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics, and its new "Eagles GATA" mobile app for Android and iOS.

Category: Women's Basketball

Published on Monday, 19 November 2012 12:29