Clemson Head Women’s Basketball Coach Itoro Coleman and her staff signed four players in the early period, which began on Nov. 6, 2010. With the April 13 late signing period set to begin, here is an update of the future Lady Tigers after their senior seasons:
Total Class Information From ESPN HoopGurlz
Clemson’s four signees garnered the Lady Tigers a No. 33 national team recruiting ranking by HoopGurlz in the early period. Another class ranking will occur after the late period as well. Recruiting Coordinator Yolett McPhee-McCuin made sure that Clemson was present on a national scene, as the Tigers signed two players from North Carolina, one from Texas, and one from Georgia.
Each of the four was among the final 150 nominees for the McDonald’s All-American game.
Natiece Ford, a post player from Holly Springs, NC, is the highest-ranked recruit in the class, earning a four-star moniker and No. 47 overall player in the 2011 class by ESPN HoopGurlz. Ford is listed as the No. 6 post player nationally, and led her team in scoring at 13.3 points per game.
Ford became the first Lady Hawk in school history to record 1,000 career points earlier this season, and was named first team all-conference and was selected to play in the Converse All-Star game.
ESPN HoopGurlz analyst Lisa Bodine had this to say about Ford: “The 6-foot-2 North Carolina native is the type player that coaches love to coach and other players love to play with. She is willing to do whatever it takes on the court to make her team better, whether it is diving on the floor for a loose ball, taking a charge or battling in traffic for a rebound. Ford is blessed with shoulders and great build and showed that she is much more than a dirty-work player. She is highly skilled in several areas, including a smooth jump shot with perfect rotation. She is also a terrific passer, especially from the high post where she does a great job finding open teammates.” (Link)
Nikki Dixon, a 5-10 guard from Milton High School in Marietta, GA, had a strong senior season. The three-star player also earned a rating of 89 out of 99 by HoopGurlz. Dixon averaged 15.3 points, 4.1 steals, and 3.5 assists per game this season. She has been selected to play in the Florida vs. Georgia All-Star Game in Miami on March 26 as a representative of Georgia.
She is the 49th-ranked guard in the 2011 class overall, and was a 2011 McDonald’s All-American nominee. Dixon, who plans to study sports medicine, exploded for a career-high 39 points in a game earlier this season against North Forsyth. Led by Dixon, the Eagles advanced to the final eight of the Georgia 5-A state championship.
“Nikki Dixon has great versatility to go along with a tremendous knack for getting the job done,” said Coleman. “She can play all three guards positions, which works well within our offense. Her wingspan allows her to get a lot of deflections and steals on defense.”
Chelsea Lindsay is another bright guard from North Carolina. The 5-6 point guard was listed as the 67th-best point guard in the nation out of Hillside High School in Durham, NC. Lindsay graduated in December, and has been helping in various school projects and taking electives in preparation for her enrollment at Clemson.
The guard averaged 17 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals per game for her school, which finished 17-6 overall. Lindsay was the third of Clemson’s McDonald’s All-American Nominees, and was an East/West All-Star Nominee, and North/South All-Star nominees, the Bull City Classic MVP, and the Pac-6 Player of the Year.
Watch some junior highlights of Chelsea:
Clemson’s final signee on the books is Kelly Gramlich, and largely overlooked prospect out of L.C. Anderson High in Texas. Gramlich is a prolific sharpshooter, as she will enter Clemson with 1,892 points in her high school career. As a senior, Gramlich averaged 19.4 point, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game. She also nailed 2.65 threes per game, and shot 83.1 percent from the line.
She led Anderson to their first playoff appearance in the 5-A division, and was also nominated as a McDonald’s All-American. At 5-10, she will be one of the tallest guards on the roster as soon as she gets in. Gramlich has a terrific academic reputation, consistently taking honors and advanced placement courses. She is interested in studying Communications, or possibly gaining a background to eventually attend law school.
Coleman is excited about adding Gramlich, adding, “She can flat out shoot the ball. Kelly has a quick release and doesn’t need long to get her shot off. In addition, she is a great teammate and has outstanding leadership potential. She is going to bring so many positives to our team from a maturity standpoint both on and off the court.”
Look for these Lady Tigers on the court next fall as Coleman continues to restore the program to the former glory.
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