Nov. 18, 2010
FAIRFAX, Va. - Three prospects for the 2011-12 season have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the George Mason women's basketball team as announced by head coach Jeri Porter. Three forwards comprise the signing class.
A 6-foot, 2-inch left-handed post player from Brookville High School, Talisha Watts averaged 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and five blocks per game last season. The Lynchburg, Va., native earned First Team All-District honors following her junior campaign and was an Honorable Mention All-Region in addition to receiving the team's Best Defensive Award. She helped lead the Bees to two district championships and a 62-10 record in three seasons. Described as a multi-faceted athlete with the ability to block and play the perimeter according to Brookville head coach Warner Dyke, Watts is ranked top 25 in the nation at her position by ESPN.com.
"Talisha is a really good fit in terms of her length and athleticism and we think her best basketball is still in front of her," noted Porter. "She needs to get a little bit stronger, but she brings a great deal of versatility to the team. Talisha is someone that can do some good things with her back to the basket, but also has the ability to face up and shoot the three. She also runs the floor extremely well. Overall, we're just excited about bringing her in and adding her to what we already think is a good core of post players. She gives us a little more of the size and athleticism we like."
Annie Lawler, a 6'0" forward from South Kingstown High School, joins the Patriots after leading the Rebels to three consecutive State semifinal appearances and a 61-10 record in three seasons. A strong athlete both mentally and physically according to South Kingstown head coach Joe Tuoni, Lawler is also described as an excellent shooter and rebounder. She surpassed 1,000 career points last season and has been named All-Class Division I First Team by the Coaches' Association the past two seasons.
"Annie shoots the ball as well as any post player I saw all summer and that was what attracted us to her," commented Porter. "Our system dictates that we have post players with the ability to face up and do some things on the perimeter, and she gives us a great deal of versatility. She is big and strong and has great range in terms of being able to shoot the ball very efficiently. She also gives us another strong presence in the paint defensively."
Rachel McNair, a 6'0" post player from Nyack High School, averaged 20 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals per game last season. In both her seasons at Nyack, McNair was named All-Section. She was team captain her junior season and named Team MVP. McNair has received the Black Achievement Award three times and played for the All New Jersey Elite.
"Rachel is a great fit for the style we like to play," Porter said. "She'll run the floor extremely well and does a great job of attacking the rim from 17-18 feet. We want to help her get stronger and develop into someone that can be more versatile, but coming in I think in terms of her hustle, work ethic and ability to rebound. We need someone in our program that has a good nose for the rim and the basket. We think Rachel is someone that is going to bring some really good things defensively as well as on the boards for us right away.
"We were very fortunate to be able to bring these types of players into our program as we continue to move forward as a program," said Porter. "As a coaching staff, we feel these three individuals' abilities on the court will enhance our presence and make us stronger as we solidify ourselves as a top-half program in this league. In addition, these three players are also great students and great kids with a lot of personality. They will do a tremendous job representing our program and University."
