MOREHEAD, Ky. – Coming off a successful first season at the helm of the Morehead State women’s basketball program, coach
Tom Hodges and his staff have announced a strong seven-member recruiting class for 2011-12.
The class includes:
Whitney Kyle (Jefferson City, Tenn./Jefferson County HS),
Natalie Greenwell (Elizabethtown, Ky./ Elizabethtown HS),
Mackenzie Arledge (Chillicothe, Ohio/Unioto HS),
Almesha Jones (Cincinnati, Ohio/Hughes HS),
Casey Ryans (Rogersville, Tenn./Cherokee HS),
Kristin Perry (Olive Hill, Ky./West Carter HS), and
Ashley Henry (Murfreesboro, Tenn./Riverdale HS).
“I couldn’t be any prouder of this great class of young ladies that have signed on with us at Morehead State. Our coaches,
Eric White,
Christian Stefanopoulos and
Lindsey Hicks did an outstanding job working to get this talented class here,” said Hodges. “We made a conscious effort to go through the recruiting process with all of them to add the very best student-athletes to our program and, more importantly, to the Morehead State community.”
Kyle, the daughter of Jeffrey and Pamela Kyle, is a 5-11 forward who lettered four years at Jefferson County High School and who saw tremendous success with her AAU team, the Tennessee Flight. As a senior at JCHS, she averaged 10.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while also handing out 5.0 assists per outing to earn All-Conference. Kyle averaged 9.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists as a junior. She helped the Flight win the Nike National Tournament and the Dallas Super 64 event in 2010. Her team finished fifth in the nation two consecutive years and won the state tournament in 2007 and 2009. She also lettered two years in volleyball.
“We knew we needed to add depth, size, length, and athleticism on the perimeter and on the wing in this class – we got them all with Whitney Kyle. Whitney is a superior athlete that has played at the highest level of basketball over the past few summers, winning a Nike National Championship last year as a key member of the Tennessee Flight. Whitney has the skill and athleticism on the wing to come in and help us immediately,” said Hodges.
Greenwell, a 5-7 guard, is the daughter of Andy and Dawn Greenwell and was a four-time All-State athlete at Elizabethtown High School. She also won a state championship with her AAU team in 2004. At EHS, she averaged 14.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a senior while shooting 51 percent from three-point range. She was named to the district and region all-tournament team as well as being named Second Team All-State. Greenwell was tabbed the 5th Region Player of the Year and set school records in scoring, assists, three-pointers, and free throw percentage. She was also named Second Team All-State as a sophomore and junior and set the state record with 44 consecutive free throws made as a sophomore.
“When we found out Natalie Greenwell was still available and hadn’t signed anywhere after the early period in November, she became a priority for us. Playing in one of the best high school programs in not just Kentucky, but the south, at Elizabethtown and playing for one of the very best coaches I know in Tim Mudd made Natalie a ‘can’t miss’ for us,” said Hodges. “She has great presence on the floor with the basketball in her hands while being able to distribute from the point guard spot, or score from the two- guard spot. Natalie is a physical guard that we look forward to having in our program and a young lady that will represent Morehead State very well.”
Arledge is a 6-1 forward and the daughter of Jay and Crystal Arledge. She lettered four years at Unioto High School and was a four-time All-Ohio honoree. During her prep career, she shot higher than 50 percent from the field all four years. As a junior, she averaged 16.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, Arledge scored 12.0 points a game and grabbed 9.3 rebounds. As a freshman, she averaged 1.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. She also averaged about three blocked shots per game throughout her career. She was named First-Team All-SVC League three times and was the Player of the Year as well. She played for the Capital City Comets AAU team.
“Mackenzie is a young lady that comes from a great high school program and has been exposed to high level basketball her entire playing career. She will be an immediate impact to our program with her physicality and her ability to play on the interior. She has great touch and understands post angles as well as any player I have ever recruited,” said Hodges. “Mackenzie has a great command of the game and understands post play at an advanced level. I couldn’t be happier to have Mackenzie on the blocks for us over the next few years.”
Jones is a 5-6 g
uard who is the daughter of Albert and Jerri Jones. She was a 1,000-point scorer for Hughes High School and was a two-time (2010 and 2011) CMACV League Player of the Year. As a senior, Jones averaged 20.6 points per game, 5.5 steals, and 6.3 assists per outing. She was named First Team All-District and First Team All-City as a senior and Second Team All-District as a freshman, sophomore and junior. She finished her career with 1,136 points. She was also a standout player for Cincinnati’s Finest AAU team and was a two-time First-Team All-League player in softball too.
“Almesha is as electric of a guard as we saw last summer and someone we knew would be a perfect fit for the style of basketball we want to play. She brings a dynamic motor and huge heart to the basketball floor – one that can’t be mistaken whenever she competes,” said Hodges. “Her high school credentials speak for themselves and she has played travel team basketball against the best in the country and has more than held her own. Being our first commitment, she got this great class started off on the best possible foot.”
Perry is a 6-1 forward from nearby Olive Hill, Ky.
and West Carter High School. She is the daughter of Dan Perry and former Lady Comets coach Von Perry. In her final two years at WCHS, she averaged a double-double, scoring 15.8 points and grabbing 10.3 rebounds as a senior and netting 17.6 points while pulling down 10.6 rebounds per game as a junior. She was named EKC Offensive Player of the Year as a junior and senior and was the All-Area Player of the Year those two seasons as well. She was named to the 62nd District All-Tournament Team four straight years. She played for the Kentucky Crush and Kentucky Gold AAU programs as well and was a standout golfer.
“Kristin Perry is a young lady we feel very fortunate to have found and someone that we recruited aggressively after we first saw her. The area of Kristin’s game that stuck out the most to me was her ability to pass the basketball and share the ball with her teammates while still being a very efficient and effective scorer,” said Hodges. “Kristin comes from a great basketball background at West Carter and from a basketball family – both make us very excited to add Kristin to our basketball family.”
Ryans, a 6-1 forward, is the daughter of Stacy and Jessica Ryans. She’ll join the MSU family after a successful prep career in East Tennessee at Cherokee High School. She holds the school career rebounding record with 853 and ranks second in scoring in CHS history with 1,592 points. As a senior she was named District 2-AAA Player of the Year and the district Media-Team Player of the Year after averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per game. She also scored 15 points per game and grabbed eight boards as a junior. She was named all-conference all four years. Ryans participated in the TACA/BCAT East-West All-Star Game and the FCA Virginia-Tennessee All-Star Game her senior year. She also played with the Tennessee Flight, joining fellow Eagle signee Whitney Kyle, and was a standout on the volleyball court.
“One of our staff’s main objectives last year and over the course of our first summer at Morehead State was to add the best post players we could find to our roster. Early on in the recruiting process Casey Ryans became a priority for us as we looked to get a little deeper in the post,” said Hodges. “The thing that makes Casey so special is her ability to play inside and out, step out and hit the three-pointer while still being able to finish inside. Casey will become a tough matchup in the OVC with her combined interior presence and perimeter game.”
Henry is a 5-6 guard and the daughter of Terry and Karen Henry. She lettered four seasons at Riverdale High School where she helped coach Hillary Hodges to a state championship. A team-first player, she averaged five assists per game during her career while scoring eight points per game. She was a three-time all-district selection. In addition, she was a key member of the Nike Flight AAU team and was an all-state performer in track and field.
“Ashley Henry is someone that is coming to us from one of the best high school basketball programs in the country today in Riverdale High School in Tennessee. Ashley is someone that I was fortunate enough to watch play and practice for two years while my wife Hillary was her head coach at Riverdale,” said Hodges. “She is the solid, three-point shooting, wing defender that we were looking for in this class that brings off the charts athleticism and integrity. Ashley is the epitome of consistency and a player that brings her best to the floor every day. We are very excited to bring Ashley into our program and the Morehead State community.”
