Nov. 20, 2009
FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason head women's basketball coach Jeri Porter will welcome one of the top post player prospects in the nation to the Patriots next season, as Ondrea Shaw has signed her National Letter-of-Intent to join Mason for the upcoming 2010-11 season. The 6'4" center currently plays for the nationally-renowned Oak Hill Academy Lady Warriors.
Shaw is ranked No. 32 among all centers in Dan Olson's Collegiate Basketball Report, which also placed her No. 161 among all prospects in the 2010-11 recruiting class. For the Patriots, that class will also feature current Mason juniors Evelyn Lewis and Taleia Moton, who are redshirting this season following their transfer from Penn State, and Radford, respectively.
The combined three-person recruiting class has been ranked 74th in the nation by the All Star Girls Report.
Shaw is in her second season at Oak Hill after garnering All-State honors at Moore High School in her hometown of Louisville, Ky. An extremely long and athletic player who can rebound and score in many different ways according to Oak Hill head coach Mike Rodgers, Shaw averaged seven rebounds, six points and two blocks per game during her junior season. She was named a The Sporting News Preseason All-America honorable mention this year.
"Ondrea Shaw is a tremendous fit for our program at this time," said Porter. "Her length and athleticism along with her tenacity on the defensive side of the ball will give us a huge presence in the paint and allow us to stretch our perimeter defense out even further. Offensively, she gives us a true back to the basket presence as well as having developed a pretty consistent mid range jumper. Her impact on our program will be felt the moment she steps on the floor."
Shaw's decision came down to Mason and perennial national power Rutgers, and she listed Mason's campus and her comfort with the coaching staff and teammates among other reasons.
"I'm excited for Ondrea to have this opportunity to play at a very high level, be pushed and tap into the great potential that she has," said Rodgers.
Moton and Lewis will join the Patriots next season with two years of eligibility remaining. Moton, a 5'5" guard from Fort Washington, Md., and Lewis, a 6'3" post player from Hampton, Va., each will become valuable assets to the program.
"I am very excited to be reunited with Taleia Moton, who was a huge part of the most successful season I've had as a head coach," Porter said of the former Radford star. "She is a scoring combo guard who can finish off the bounce as well as consistently knocking down the long range jumper. Defensively she is a perfect fit in our pressure system and is one of the best on the ball defenders I've ever coached. She is a terrific addition to our program.
"Evelyn was a steal, and we are so excited about her presence in our program," Porter added of the Penn State transfer. "She has a big-time combination of strength and athleticism that will make her unlike any post in our league. She gives us a great presence on the low block on both ends of the floor with Big Ten playing experience.
"Both players, along with Ondrea, are terrific additions to our program and we expect them to be a very big part of our future success," Porter added.
