Five Players Sign Letters of Intent to Play Women’s Basketball for Lamar

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Five Players Sign Letters of Intent to Play Women’s Basketball for Lamar

Lady Cards ink four junior college and one high school player

Drew Lacy-Lamar University Assistant SID

May 15, 2007 - 4:07PM

BEAUMONT – Nikki Williams, Ashley Crawford, Emily Spickler, Agnija Reke and Brittany Hendrix have signed a national letters-of-intent to continue their education and play women’s basketball at Lamar University, announced Head Coach Larry Tidwell Tuesday afternoon.

Williams, a 5-6 guard, played two seasons at Copiah Lincoln Community College after completing her high school career at White Castle High School in White Castle, La. She was the driving force for the Lady Wolves, who posted a 30-5 record, won the Region 23 championship and finished sixth at the NJCAA tournament. She averaged 14.3 points, 3.2 steals, 2.8 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game, earning first team All-America, first team all-state, first team all Region 23 and was named to the Region 23 all-tournament team.

Williams also had a strong senior campaign in high school, leading White Castle to a 29-5 record while earning class 1A most valuable player honors as well as being named the MVP of the state tournament. She averaged 17.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, six assists and four steals per game as a senior.

“Nikki is just an all around good player,†said Copiah Lincoln head coach Gwyn Young. “She scores, she rebounds, she’ll pass out assists, is very competitive and she knows how to win. She is a leader and a very good player.â€

Crawford, a 5-5 point guard, played one year at Trinity Valley Community College, where she averaged seven points, five assists, three steals and 1.3 rebounds per game for the Lady Cards. Prior to Trinity Valley, Crawford was a three year letter winner at Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas.

As a senior at Horn, Crawford averaged 8.3 points, five assists, two rebounds and 1.3 steals per game and helped her team to the playoffs after missing the majority of the season due to an injury. As a junior, she averaged 17.8 points, five steal, four assists and four rebounds per game and led her team to the third round of the playoffs. She was named all-district, all city, and all-region as a junior and senior. In her sophomore season, Crawford led the school to their first playoff appearance and win in school history in any sport.

“Ashley is a very good ball handler and a floor leader,†Trinity Valley head coach Mike Landers said. “If I could sign 10 more players just like her, I would be very happy. She brings 100 percent to the floor everyday.â€

Spickler, a 5-10 shooting guard, played two season at Carl Albert State College in Poteau, Okla., where she averaged 9.8 points 3.2 rebounds, rebounds, 1.1 steals and one assist per game as a sophomore. She led the nation in free throw percentage, knocking down 90 percent from the charity stripe, and was second in the nation in three point shooting percentage at 49.2 percent.

Spickler played her high school career at Salina South High School in Salina Kan., where she averaged 15.2 points and six rebounds per game, while shooting .446 from the field and .360 from behind the three point arc. She garnered first-team all-conference honors, KBCA first-team 5A honors, Wichita Eagle class 5A honors and was named to the Salina Journal all-area and county team.

Reke, a 5-10 guard, started 30 of 34 games for Odessa College last season, helping the Wranglers to a 32-2 overall record, a 13-1 conference record, the Region 5 championship and the NJCAA national championship. As the starting point guard, she led the team in assists and assist to turnover ratio. She played her freshman season at Carl Albert before transferring to Odessa.

“Agnija is a tremendously hard worker and her upside is amazing,†Odessa head coach Nate Altenhofen. “She has the potential to be an all conference player, and Lamar University and the Southland Conference are lucky to have her.â€

Brittany Hendrix, a 5-11 small forward, played for DeSoto High School, where she averaged 10 points, seven rebounds, four steal and 2.5 assists per game. She helped her team to the regional finals and a 32-2 record on the year, earning first-team all-district and first-team all-region honors.

“I think the main things we addressed with this signing class are athleticism, speed and quickness and the ability to become a very good transition team while also playing intense defense,†Tidwell said. “Scoring ability off the dribble and from behind the three point line is also evident from this class. With the ability of these five players and Trashanna Smith, combined with the seven holdovers from last year, workouts are going to be very competitive.â€