Radford Women's Hoops Inks Local Talent and Teammates from High Point, N.C. as Part of Porter's First Recruiting Class

Radford, Va. - Radford University's women's basketball head coach Jeri Porter announced the signing of three high school players to National Letters of Intent. Local talent, Ashley Young of Blacksburg, along with Meagan Hilligas and Chelsy Sikes both from High Point, N.C. have committed to play for the Highlanders in the 2003-04 academic year and become a part of Porter's first recruiting class at Radford.

"Our goal this year was to get bigger and more athletic in the backcourt. We brought in three guards who are 5-10 and all possess the necessary skills to compete at this level. I feel that these girls are the perfect fit for the future of our program," head coach Jeri Porter.

Young is a 5-10 guard/forward who currently plays for undefeated (22-0) Blacksburg High School. This season, she is averaging 7.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 55.3 percent from the field for the Indians as a senior.

"Ashley is a local product who is very athletic and versatile with a good perimeter game. Her strength will allow her to play the three or the four with the ability to post up. She can also take people of the dribble and create her own shot."

Hilligas and Sikes are teammates at Southwest Guilford High School. Both girls are 5-10 guards who were named to the 2002 Piedmont Triad 3A All-Conference team. In her junior year, Hilligas averaged 12 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Cowgirls. Sikes averaged eight points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game during her junior campaign.

"Meagan is a great athlete. She is a solid open court ball player who has an excellent nose for the ball. Her speed and athletic ability will allow her to fit in nicely to our press and up tempo style of transition offense."

"Chelsy is a lot like Ashley. She is a very strong player who could step in and play the three or four in our system next year. She's an accurate shooter with great range, but can also play down on the block. At her high school, she played all five positions and we will be a very versatile player for us in the future."

The 2002-03 Highlanders start their season off in Minneapolis, Minn. where they will participate in the Subway Classic hosted by University of Minnesota on Nov. 23 and 24. They will play Savannah State on Nov. 23 at 4:30 p.m. and either the Golden Gophers or IPFW the following day.