Women's Basketball Adds Five For 2011-12 Campaign
5/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Trio of spring commitments join two fall signees for Kent State women's basketball squad
KENT, Ohio – Kent State University women's basketball head coach Bob Lindsay announced today the addition of five players for his 2011-12 roster.
Diamon Beckford (Upper Darby, Pa./Kirkwood C.C.), Dena Droste (East Lansing, Mich./Dewitt) and Jamie Hutcheson (Ancaster, Ontario/Bishop Tonnos) signed National Letters of Intent to attend Kent State and play basketball for the Golden Flashes.
The trio joins Kent State fall signees Lerren Ducharme (Windsor, Ontario/St. Thomas of Villanova) and Melanee Stubbs (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) on next year's squad.
"We are very excited to have these young ladies become members of our program," said Lindsay. "As a group, they are outstanding people and players who are capable of contributing to our program immediately both on and off the court."
Beckford, a 5-11 forward, will have two years of eligibility upon her arrival at Kent State this fall. In one season at Kirkwood Community College, Beckford was a second-team All-American selection after leading the Eagles to a 25-7 record while averaging 12.8 points per game. As a prep at Upper Darby High School, Beckford surpassed both the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound plateaus.
Droste, a 5-7 guard, garnered Michigan Class B first-team all-state honors after averaging 19.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a senior. Droste was listed as a Top 25 performer by Michigan Girls Basketball Report this past season.
Hutcheson, a 5-10 guard, averaged 17.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on her way to being named to the Ontario Provincial team twice and earning provincial Championship MVP honors. Hutcheson was selected to play in the All-Canada Classic in 2011.
Ducharme, a 5-10 guard, was named the 2010 Windsor Ms. Basketball after averaging 28 points per game. During the 2010-11 season, Ducharme participated on the boys' basketball team at St. Thomas, averaging 8.0 points per game as the team's top reserve. Ducharme was also a standout in track and field, competing in javelin as well as 800 and 1500 meters.
Stubbs, a 5-9 guard, was a first-team Academic All-State selection as a senior and earned all-conference honors at Merrillville. She garnered Hoosier Basketball Magazine Top 100 Seniors recognition this past season. Stubbs also lettered in tennis as a prep.
The Golden Flashes are coming off their second consecutive WNIT appearance and 16th 20-win season of the program's history.
