SPORTS
Stone announces 4 additions from ‘06 recruiting class
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by Michael Poppy
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Wisconsin women's basketball head coach Lisa Stone announced her 2006 recruiting class Wednesday.
For the fall of 2006 class, Stone made sure to establish her third recruiting class by finding players who fit into her new swing offense as well as filling every position from point guard to center.
Among those who signed their national letter of intent to attend UW next year are Mariah Dunham, a 6-foot-1 guard from Watertown, Wis.; Teah Gant, a 5-foot-10 guard from Oswego, Ill.; Sarah Ingison, a 5-foot-7 guard from Roseville, Min.; and Brittany Heins, a 6-foot-2 post player from Postville, Iowa.
Sarah Ingison is the true point guard of the class. She has started since her freshman season at Concordia Academy High School and earned all-conference honors each year.
"What I like about Sarah Ingison is her feistiness," Stone said. "She can shoot the three, she can handle the ball, she leads the team like a true point guard, has my kind of energy which I'm excited about, a very poised, just tremendous person that I look forward to being a quarterback of our program in the very near future."
Mariah Dunham is an athletic wing player who can run the floor and play both inside and outside, a key component for Stone's swing offense. Her athleticism is evident as she led Watertown High School to a second place finish at the 2005 WIAA State volleyball championship.
"(Dunham) can defend, she can play inside or out, she can play a lot of different positions," Stone said. "Defensively, Mariah has played inside and outside in high school. She can play the off-guard or she can post up. I'm excited about all that Mariah can do for us."
Brittany Heins will add another dimension to the Badgers' post game as they will need to replace senior Annie Nelson after this season. Through three years at Postville High School, Heins has averaged 22 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 3.26 steals per game.
"Brittany Heins gives us that dimension inside that we're looking for," Stone said. "I have often used with her the name Mike Wilkinson. That's a characteristic of Brittany is her ability to outwork people; she can play inside, she can run the floor, she can step out and hit the 12 to 15-foot jump shot."
Arguably the most heralded of the Badger recruits is Teah Gant. The 2006 McDonald's All-American nominee averaged 19.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game her junior year at Oswego High School as she earned "Street and Smith" honorable mention and Illinois Basketball Coaches third team all-state honors.
"Teah Gant (is) a tremendous athlete," Stone said. "A young woman that can play any position on the perimeter — Teah's able to play the one, two or three position. She's great getting to the rim, tremendous off the dribble. She's a player that is very difficult to guard, she gets to the free throw line a lot."
While these four new recruits may not make the same splash that Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks made as freshmen a year ago, Stone will be looking for them to make an impact when they step on campus next fall.
"We certainly expect all of our players to come in and make an impact right away," Stone said. "All four will make an immediate impact. When and how often they play, that I don't know — I just know that they will work their tail off to help our basketball team be better. They're all very unselfish players, have abilities to take their games to the highest levels which hopefully will take our team to the highest level."
