ARKADELPHIA- Ouachita Baptist Head Women’s Basketball Coach Garry Crowder announced the signing of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Thursday.
Joining the team will be Mallory Clutts (Conway Christian High School), Nashia James (Watson Chapel High School) and Erica Sharp (Nettleton High School) as the 2010 recruiting class. The three incoming players will report to campus in August for the Lady Tigers.
Clutts earned Most Valuable Player honors during the Class 2A State Championship Finals, leading Conway Christian to the state title, after averaging 12 points and eight rebounds per game. The 6’0 post also recorded 36 blocks and 53 steals during the season.
“Mallory can be a match up problem for some post defenders,” Ouachita Head Women’s Basketball Coach Garry Crowder said. “She has good skill away from the basket and is a solid threat from the three-point line. We think she will fit into our system really well.”
James led the Watson Chapel Lady Wildcats to the Class 6A State Champion title, as the senior averaged 17 points and five rebounds, while also recording two steals and two assists in being named to both the Class 6A All-State squad and All-Conference teams. The 5’7 guard was a 6A All-State Tournament Team selection twice, while also earning an Arvest Player of the Week award.
James has also been named a Full Court Award Nominee by Channel 7 and is a McDonald’s All-American Nominee after her performance during her senior season.
“Nashia will give us another very athletic guard that can do more than just score points,” Crowder said. “She is a very good defender and will even mix it up inside with bigger girls.”
Sharp averaged 12.1 points during her senior campaign, while also grabbing 9.1 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 2 blocks a game. During her three-year career, Sharp recorded 774 points and 660 rebounds and compiled a 62-27 record for the Lady Raiders. The senior played a major role in back-to-back 5A East Conference Championships, while also leading Nettleton to the State Quarterfinals during her junior season, and the State Semifinals during her senior campaign.
The 6’0 forward has been selected to play in the Arkansas Activities Association All-Star Game for 2010, while also being named to the 5A All-State team twice. Along with being a three-year starter, Sharp was a two-time All-5A East Conference selection, named twice as the Best Under the Sun, was a member of the All-Fat City Classic Team, and was selected to play in the Senior Sun Classic All-Star Game.
“Erica is very athletic and can really run the floor,” Crowder said. “We feel she provides improvement in an area where we struggled this year in our post game.”
The 2010 recruiting class will join a Ouachita Baptist Women’s Basketball program that is a year removed from a 2009 NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen performance. The Lady Tigers finished 13-14 overall during the 2009-2010 season, including 5-9 in Gulf South Conference play.
“We feel that our incoming class will not only be outstanding basketball players, but will very be good students in the classroom, as well,” Crowder said. “Even though we are months away from the start of another season, we know the Gulf South Conference West Division is as good as it gets in Division II Women’s Basketball. We hope the additions to our team will help us return to being a top team in the GSC.”
