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Aug. 6, 2010
FAYETTEVILLE, NC - The defending Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Champion Fayetteville State women's basketball team announced the addition of eight newcomers. Second-year Head Coach Eva Patterson-Heath and her staff used the momentum from the school's third CIAA title - a 66-50 win over Bowie State in February - to secure a talented, deep and diverse recruiting class. Six of the Broncos' eight newcomers will enroll as true freshman while two will be juniors. Six of the recruits in Patterson-Heath's first class are from the Tar Heel state. Amanda Sinclair and Shequitia Manning (Capitol Heights, MD) were teammates at Louisburg College and will continue that trend at FSU. Sinclair averaged 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season with Louisburg at the guard position. A native of Red Springs, NC, Sinclair will be reunited with Patterson-Heath, who coached her when both were at Red Springs High School. Manning, who will play in the post for the Broncos, averaged 10.4 points and nine rebounds per game while blocking 68 shots for Louisburg last season. Capricia Smalls (Gisbonville, NC) and Dasnii Curtis will play forward for FSU during the 2010-11 season. Smalls, a 5-foot-10 forward, scored 14 points and grabbed 4.4 rebounds per game during her senior season at Eastern Guilford High School. The FSU coaching staff expects Smalls' all-around game to help her contribute immediately. A graduate of Seventy-First High School and Fayetteville native, Curtis scored 12.4 points per game with the Falcons during 09-10. After the loss of starting point guard Danielle Russell and All-tournament team selection L'Oreal Price to graduation, Patterson-Heath and her staff sought to booster their backcourt talent. With signings of Courtney Small, Nia Trawick, Sinclair and Je`Lena Robertson the FSU staff was successful.
Small, who played at Kipp Pride Academy in Roanoke Rapids, NC, averaged 17.7 points, 7.3 assists, 3.3 steals and eight rebounds per game last season. She was a McDonald's All-American nominee for the '09-10 season. Fayetteville residents might recognize Trawick, who graduated from Westover High School. As a combo guard, Trawick averaged eight points, 4.2 assists and three rebounds per game. Robertson comes to FSU from Cypress Falls High School in Houston, TX. A good on-the-ball defender, Robertson averaged 7.3 points per game last year. The final piece of FSU's 2010 recruiting class is Phantasia Coe, a 6-foot post player from Charlotte, NC. Coe, who scored 8.9 points and grabbed 5.7 rebounds during her senior season, is expected to bring a physical presence and provide additional rebounding for the Broncos. The Lady Broncos will tip-off the new season at home on November 12 against Francis Marion University. The program is also collecting funds to support a December trip to Honolulu, HI for the Hoop-N-Surf Classic.
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