Women's Basketball Signs Five Standouts to National Letters of Intent
Monday, November 20, 2006 | Women's Basketball
University of Florida head coach Carolyn Peck announced that five basketball standouts have officially signed a National Letter of Intent to attend UF and join the team beginning in the 2007-08 season.
The Gators more than met their needs with the signing of the five players, who aside from their individual quickness, will boast height to UF's frontcourt.
The five players are:
Ebonie Crawford, a 6-foot-3 center from Decatur, Ga., attends Paideia High School located in Atlanta;
Aneika (uh-KNEE-ka) Henry, a 6-foot-3 center from Coral Gables, currently attending Seminole Community College;
Antoinette Howard, a 5-foot-11 guard/forward from Loganville, Ga., attends South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, Ga.;
Ndidi Madu (DeDe muh-DUE), a 6-foot-2 center from Nashville, Tenn., attends McGavock High School in Antioch, Tenn.; and
Kerri Simpson, a 5-foot-9 guard from Charleston, Tenn., currently attending Cleveland High School.
Collectively, the class is rated as the 11th-best in the country by All-Star Girls Report.
Ebonie Crawford, a 6-foot-3 center from Paideia High School in Decatur, Ga., has led the Pythons to three consecutive appearances in the Georgia Class AA State Tournament. The four-year varsity player holds the school record for most rebounds in a game, pulling down 18 boards. Other basketball accomplishments include being named Rookie of the Year, Rebounder Award, and the Defender Award. She is a two time Street and Smith All American Honorable Mention. During the 2005-06 season, she averaged 9 points and 10 rebounds per game. Crawford chose UF after being offered scholarships from schools such as LSU, GT, and Miami. She also participated in Adidas Top Ten All-American Camp Summer 2006 and is nationally ranked 19th at her position by All-Girls Report-summer 2006.
"I really like the height this class brings because it's something we short on this season. Ebonie is one of the player who will help us next year because of her height. She has a really strong body and she uses it effectively. She's a good rebounder," Peck said.
Aneika Henry, a transfer from Seminole Community College, is a 6-foot-3 center who is ranked 9th overall and 2nd for her position in the Junior College All Star Report. The Coral Gables native averaged nine points per game with 10 rebounds and four blocks in 2005. She scored a career high 19 points against Baltimore CC; recorded 20 rebounds, a SCC record for most rebounds in one game, against Miami-Dade College; and had nine blocks versus Okaloosa-Walton CC in 2005. She was named to the Mid-Florida Second Team All-Conference and ranked number two in the state for blocks with 18 in 2005.
"Aneika is a strong post who also can run the floor very well," Peck said. "She has a long wing span and is an athletic post player and a shot blocker."
Antoinette Howard is 5-foot-11 guard/forward from South Gwinnett High School in Loganville, Ga. She was had offers from more than 30 major Division I schools, including UCLA, Purdue, Michigan State, Florida State, and Miami, before deciding on UF. Howard averaged 10.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists her junior year for the Comets who were runner-ups in the Class AAAAA state finals where she averaged more than 17 points per game. The All Star Girls Report ranks her 41st overall from the 2007 National Top 250 and is ranked ninth for her position. She was an Adidas Top Ten Camp Upperclass All Star and Class AAAAA All-State Honorable Mention in 2006.
"Antoinette has great knowledge of the game and great versatility," Peck said. "She can play a number of positions. I've seen her play everything from a '1' to a '4.' She can bring the ball up the court and can shoot from the perimeter. She sees things on the court before they happen and creates shots for herself off the dribble. With her size, she also has the ability to post-up."
Ndidi Madu is a 6-foot-2 center who plays for McGavock High School in Antioch, Tenn. She averaged a double-double last season with 14 points and 10 rebounds per game. With fellow Florida signee Kerri Simpson, Madu also plays with the Tennessee Flight Silver, which was recognized as being one of the top 3 travel teams in the country by Hoopgurlz.com. Madu verbally committed to Florida over other colleges such as Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi and Vanderbilt.
"Ndidi can run the floor extremely well," Peck said. "She'll bring a rebounding presence inside for us."
Kerri Simpson is a 5-foot-9 guard from Charleston, Tenn., and played for Cleveland High School. Averaging 16 points per game along with 8 rebounds, Simpson was named to the TSWA AAA All-State Team in 2005, was a Street and Smith All-American Honorable Mention in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and made All Region Team in 2005. She plays with the Tennessee Flight Silver, with fellow Florida newcomer Ndidi Mudu, which was recognized as being one of the top 3 travel teams in the country by Hoopgurlz.com.
"Kerri is a 2-guard who has a feistiness about her. She is a very tough defensive player. She has good quickness; and she's a slasher. She's also a good rebounding guard," Peck said.
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