Tech women's basketball locks up six high school seniors
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Six outstanding high school seniors four
four different states have signed national letters of intent to
join the Tennessee Tech women's basketball program, third-year head
coach Amy Brown announced this week.
The newest Golden Eagles include Tiara Hopper, Haley Ervin, Katy
Cooke, Kathryn Barker, Kylie Cook and Kellie Cook, who will join
the Tech basketball team in the fall of 2009. They will make their
way to Cookeville from Texas, Alabama and Kentucky, as well as two
from Tennessee.
Hopper, a 5-11 forward, is a long, athletic player with the ability
to score. At Butler Traditional High School in Louisville, Ky., she
earned the teams most improved player award, and MVP of the state
title game, leading her team to the 2008 Kentucky State
Championship.
"We look for Tiara to make an immediate impact with her aggressive
style and her ability to score," Brown said.
Ervin, a six-foot senior from Cleveland, Tenn., has great size at
the guard and forward position. She is a versatile player with the
ability shoot from long range, drive to the basket, and pull up and
hit a jump shot.
In her junior year at Bradley Central High School, Ervin scored
approximately 10 points per game, along with 4.4 rebounds and 1.5
assists.
"Haley has an extremely high basketball IQ, and we're fortunate to
have her as one of our two Tennessee signees," Brown said. "She
brings great size and talent, and she is going to fit in well with
the personality of this team."
Cooke, a 5-7 natural point guard, comes from Marble Falls, Texas.
She led Marble Falls High School to the Texas 4A final four in
2007, and earned the district defensive player of the year
award.
"Katy is a fiery, gutsy floor general," Brown said. "She has an
understanding that a true point guard is not necessarily a scoring
position, but one more focused on getting the ball where it needs
to be."
Barker, a standout at Sequatchie High School in Dunlap, Tenn.,
comes from a family of Tech basketball players. In the 1980's, both
her mother and aunt, Anita and Rebecca Myers, played for the Golden
Eagles.
"Her dream was to play basketball at the next level, and we are
very blessed that she gets to do that," said her mother and coach,
Anita Baker. "I'm glad she has the opportunity to play at such a
great school. I have a special place in my heart for Tennessee
Tech."
The 5-9 guard was an All-District and All-Region selection after
her junior season, and was an all tournament selection.
"We are very happy to have Katherine," Brown said. "She is an all
around team player who will do whatever it takes to win."
Identical twins Kylie and Kellie Cook round out the Golden Eagle
signees. The sisters hail from Madison, Ala., and both stand 5
feet, 11 inches tall.
"With them playing together for so long, they are always able to
find each other on the floor, and get they're teammates involved,"
said Tim Miller, their current high school coach. "They make it
about the team, and not each other."
With her strength and size, Kylie will play the four spot for Tech.
A versatile player, she also has the ability to step out and knock
down the three point shot, and is a shutdown defender on the other
end of the floor. After her junior season, Kylie was an All-Area
selection.
"Kylie is just a gritty player who wants to win," Brown said. "She
is very strong fundamentally, she has a great passion, and she
comes from a championship background."
Her twin sister Kellie was the team's captain and leading scorer at
Bob Jones High School.
"Kellie has great size at the three position, and has a tremendous
passion for the game," Brown said. "She always makes the right
decision with the ball.
"These two have played together throughout their careers and are
very happy in that capacity, which will be a plus for them on the
floor."
Kellie and Kylie led Bob Jones High School to the Alabama 6A state
championship.
"With them playing together for so long, they can always find each
other on the floor," said Tim Miller, the head coach at BJHS.
"They're the type of kids who will run through the wall for you.
They make everything about the team, not each other."
At the end of the 2008 season, the Golden Eagles will lose four
seniors to graduation, so Brown and her staff have put together a
large recruiting class for the second straight year.
"The goal was to improve, and add depth to each position," Brown
said. "We couldn't be happier to get these early commitments, that
is always the goal of the staff."
