Women’s Basketball Announces Lauded 2019 Recruiting Class
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 | Women's Basketball
Brylee Bartram, Lavender Briggs, Faith Dut and Nina Rickards set to Join Gators next season
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida women's basketball head coach Cameron Newbauer announced today the signing of four heralded players to the 2019 recruiting class. The class, which features four 4-star recruits according to Prospects Nation, includes Brylee Bartram (Tampa, Fla.), Lavender Briggs (Provo, Utah), Faith Dut (Vancouver, B.C.) and Nina Rickards (Queens, NY).
All four will enter UF in the fall of 2019 as freshmen and will become members of the 2019-20 women's basketball team.
Coach Cam on the 2019 Recruiting Class
"Gator Nation please join us in welcoming the four newest members of your women's basketball team! Lav, Nina, Brylee and Faith are all dynamic young ladies with a strong desire to be great on and off the court here at Florida. Their passion to be part of something greater than themselves is infectious and this class will provide more depth at a number of positions. They embody all that the University of Florida and our program represents. I am looking forward to watching these young women grow as they write their stories here at Florida."
Bartram is a five-foot-eight guard guard out of Seffner Christian Academy in the Tampa area and was the first commit of the 2019 class when she made the pledge in March. Bartram, who was originally born in West Virginia, moved to Florida in 7th grade and it was during her 7th grade season in which she joined the Seffner Christian varsity team. Regarded as one of the nation's elite shooters, Bartram is ranked as the class's No. 79 overall player by Prospects Nation. So far in five completed seasons, Bartram has averaged 13.3 points per game while shooting 44% from three-point range. Bartram has knocked down at least 100 three-pointers in each of the last three seasons and holds the Florida state record for most made three's in a season. Last season as junior, she averaged 19.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while making 151 three's at a 48% clip. After her breakout season, she garnered 2018 Florida 4A Player of the Year honors. Bartram's father, Greg played basketball at Penn State from 1991-95.
"Brylee has become one of the best three-point shooters in the 2019 class. She has the ability to stretch the floor from beyond the three-point line. Her skillset is a perfect match with our "chuck it from the cheap seats" mentality. I've gotten to know Brylee over the last four years and have enjoyed watching her develop as a person and player."
Briggs stands at 6 feet, 1 inch and stars at Provo High School in Provo, Utah. Briggs, who has started at the varsity level since her freshman season, is an athletic guard with a versatile offensive skillset. She is rated as the No. 48 overall prospect in the class by ESPN, making her the highest-rated recruit to sign with Newbauer at Florida. She is ranked No. 14 at the guard position and earned a 96 overall Scouts Grade from ESPN. Briggs has been recognized by the Deseret News in each of her three completed varsity seasons, once as an Honorable Mention 4A All-State player in 2016, once as a First-Team 4A All-State performer in 2017 and again in 2018, when she registered First-Team 5A All-State honors. As a junior she brought home several accolades including All-Valley Defensive Player of the Year, All-Region MVP Region 8 and USA Today First-Team Utah honors after putting together an impressive season stat line of 25.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game to go with 3.4 steals. Briggs, who was born in New York and moved to Utah when she was eight, participated in the 2018 U17 U.S. National Team trials in Colorado Springs.
"Lavender has great size and skill. She can score in multiple ways and her length and athleticism make her a great rebounder and defender. She has a strong desire to succeed paired with a great work ethic, this combination will help her and our program continue to progress."
Dut is a 6-foot-4 forward who plays for Semiamhoo Secondary School in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Dut was a member of the Canadian National team which participated in the 2018 FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup this past July. At the World Cup in Belarus, she played in five games and contributed 18 points, 20 rebounds and three assists. Dut helped lead her team to a 4th place finish at the British Columbia AAA Championship this past March and was tabbed a Second-Team All-Star. Dut is known to be a force on the defensive side of the court and earned the Defensive Player of the Tournament at the 2018 Surrey Fire Fighters Goodwill Basketball Classic in January.
"Faith plays and carries herself with great energy and enthusiasm in all she does. Her size and ability to score inside and out will add depth to our front court. Her smile and personality light up a room and her passion for being a great teammate is special."
Rickards is a five-foot-nine guard out of Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, New York. Rickards was tabbed a 4-star recruit by ESPN and earned an espnW HoopGurlz top-100 rating. The combo-guard is ranked No. 22 at the guard position and earned an overall Scouts Grade of 94. The New York native is known as a scorer who can shoot it from distance and from midrange. A season ago Rickards played a pivotal role for the Royals who finished 29-1 and claimed their 25th Catholic School state title. Late in the season, the Royals were ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today Sports and ultimately finished seventh in USA Today's Super 25. Christ the King Regional High School has produced a plethora of NBA and WNBA players as well as former Gator men's basketball guard, Irving Walker.
"Nina's competitive nature and love for being in the gym are qualities that separate her from others. Nina possesses several characteristics that we look for on and off the court and she's going to be a great fit in our locker room. Her ability to create for others combined with her high motor will affect the game on both ends of the floor."
Quotes from the Class
Brylee Bartram on her commitment to join the Gators
"I'm really excited to be a Florida Gator. I felt a real family atmosphere with the team and coaches during my recruitment. The recruiting process can sometimes be tricky, but during all my interactions with Florida I felt like they were honest, straight up and genuine - and I really liked that. We are going to come in as a class that wants to make an impact right away and I'm ready to do my part in making the team the best it can be."
Lavender Briggs on her commitment to join the Gators
"It feels great. I'm just really excited for this upcoming season to get to college and start working with the team. I have a great relationship with the coaching staff and have known them for a really long time. We talked a lot about getting the ball rolling with this program and I'm really excited about that. I'm ready to come in and work as hard as I can."
Faith Dut on her commitment to join the Gators
"I'm super thrilled to join the Gator Nation. During my recruiting process I tried to focus more on where I would be happy going to school and playing basketball. I found that during my visit to Florida I had the most joy, so I was really happy about that. One of the biggest things I experienced was just a connection with the coaching staff and everyone else. I felt myself believing in the program's vision and I knew right away that I wanted to be at Florida."
Nina Rickards on her commitment to join the Gators
"I'm really excited and a little overwhelmed honestly. Everywhere I go people do the Gator Chomp! The environment was amazing on my visit, but more importantly the team and coaches felt like family. I knew I would feel comfortable with them during my time and I also knew it would be the perfect place for me to grow and develop as a player and a person."
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All four will enter UF in the fall of 2019 as freshmen and will become members of the 2019-20 women's basketball team.
Coach Cam on the 2019 Recruiting Class
"Gator Nation please join us in welcoming the four newest members of your women's basketball team! Lav, Nina, Brylee and Faith are all dynamic young ladies with a strong desire to be great on and off the court here at Florida. Their passion to be part of something greater than themselves is infectious and this class will provide more depth at a number of positions. They embody all that the University of Florida and our program represents. I am looking forward to watching these young women grow as they write their stories here at Florida."
Bartram is a five-foot-eight guard guard out of Seffner Christian Academy in the Tampa area and was the first commit of the 2019 class when she made the pledge in March. Bartram, who was originally born in West Virginia, moved to Florida in 7th grade and it was during her 7th grade season in which she joined the Seffner Christian varsity team. Regarded as one of the nation's elite shooters, Bartram is ranked as the class's No. 79 overall player by Prospects Nation. So far in five completed seasons, Bartram has averaged 13.3 points per game while shooting 44% from three-point range. Bartram has knocked down at least 100 three-pointers in each of the last three seasons and holds the Florida state record for most made three's in a season. Last season as junior, she averaged 19.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while making 151 three's at a 48% clip. After her breakout season, she garnered 2018 Florida 4A Player of the Year honors. Bartram's father, Greg played basketball at Penn State from 1991-95.
"Brylee has become one of the best three-point shooters in the 2019 class. She has the ability to stretch the floor from beyond the three-point line. Her skillset is a perfect match with our "chuck it from the cheap seats" mentality. I've gotten to know Brylee over the last four years and have enjoyed watching her develop as a person and player."
Briggs stands at 6 feet, 1 inch and stars at Provo High School in Provo, Utah. Briggs, who has started at the varsity level since her freshman season, is an athletic guard with a versatile offensive skillset. She is rated as the No. 48 overall prospect in the class by ESPN, making her the highest-rated recruit to sign with Newbauer at Florida. She is ranked No. 14 at the guard position and earned a 96 overall Scouts Grade from ESPN. Briggs has been recognized by the Deseret News in each of her three completed varsity seasons, once as an Honorable Mention 4A All-State player in 2016, once as a First-Team 4A All-State performer in 2017 and again in 2018, when she registered First-Team 5A All-State honors. As a junior she brought home several accolades including All-Valley Defensive Player of the Year, All-Region MVP Region 8 and USA Today First-Team Utah honors after putting together an impressive season stat line of 25.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game to go with 3.4 steals. Briggs, who was born in New York and moved to Utah when she was eight, participated in the 2018 U17 U.S. National Team trials in Colorado Springs.
"Lavender has great size and skill. She can score in multiple ways and her length and athleticism make her a great rebounder and defender. She has a strong desire to succeed paired with a great work ethic, this combination will help her and our program continue to progress."
Dut is a 6-foot-4 forward who plays for Semiamhoo Secondary School in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Dut was a member of the Canadian National team which participated in the 2018 FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup this past July. At the World Cup in Belarus, she played in five games and contributed 18 points, 20 rebounds and three assists. Dut helped lead her team to a 4th place finish at the British Columbia AAA Championship this past March and was tabbed a Second-Team All-Star. Dut is known to be a force on the defensive side of the court and earned the Defensive Player of the Tournament at the 2018 Surrey Fire Fighters Goodwill Basketball Classic in January.
"Faith plays and carries herself with great energy and enthusiasm in all she does. Her size and ability to score inside and out will add depth to our front court. Her smile and personality light up a room and her passion for being a great teammate is special."
Rickards is a five-foot-nine guard out of Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, New York. Rickards was tabbed a 4-star recruit by ESPN and earned an espnW HoopGurlz top-100 rating. The combo-guard is ranked No. 22 at the guard position and earned an overall Scouts Grade of 94. The New York native is known as a scorer who can shoot it from distance and from midrange. A season ago Rickards played a pivotal role for the Royals who finished 29-1 and claimed their 25th Catholic School state title. Late in the season, the Royals were ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today Sports and ultimately finished seventh in USA Today's Super 25. Christ the King Regional High School has produced a plethora of NBA and WNBA players as well as former Gator men's basketball guard, Irving Walker.
"Nina's competitive nature and love for being in the gym are qualities that separate her from others. Nina possesses several characteristics that we look for on and off the court and she's going to be a great fit in our locker room. Her ability to create for others combined with her high motor will affect the game on both ends of the floor."
Quotes from the Class
Brylee Bartram on her commitment to join the Gators
"I'm really excited to be a Florida Gator. I felt a real family atmosphere with the team and coaches during my recruitment. The recruiting process can sometimes be tricky, but during all my interactions with Florida I felt like they were honest, straight up and genuine - and I really liked that. We are going to come in as a class that wants to make an impact right away and I'm ready to do my part in making the team the best it can be."
Lavender Briggs on her commitment to join the Gators
"It feels great. I'm just really excited for this upcoming season to get to college and start working with the team. I have a great relationship with the coaching staff and have known them for a really long time. We talked a lot about getting the ball rolling with this program and I'm really excited about that. I'm ready to come in and work as hard as I can."
Faith Dut on her commitment to join the Gators
"I'm super thrilled to join the Gator Nation. During my recruiting process I tried to focus more on where I would be happy going to school and playing basketball. I found that during my visit to Florida I had the most joy, so I was really happy about that. One of the biggest things I experienced was just a connection with the coaching staff and everyone else. I felt myself believing in the program's vision and I knew right away that I wanted to be at Florida."
Nina Rickards on her commitment to join the Gators
"I'm really excited and a little overwhelmed honestly. Everywhere I go people do the Gator Chomp! The environment was amazing on my visit, but more importantly the team and coaches felt like family. I knew I would feel comfortable with them during my time and I also knew it would be the perfect place for me to grow and develop as a player and a person."
FOLLOW THE GATORSWelcome to the Florida Family @BryleeBartram ❗ #ChompWithUsXIX 🐊🏀 pic.twitter.com/MrCrVCYng6
— Gators Women's Basketball (@GatorsWBK) November 14, 2018
Welcome to the Florida Family @NinaRickards_15 ❗ #ChompWithUsXIX 🐊🏀 pic.twitter.com/flEh2XXRz5
— Gators Women's Basketball (@GatorsWBK) November 14, 2018
Welcome to the Florida Family @lavbriggs ❗ #ChompWithUsXIX 🐊🏀 pic.twitter.com/sNewoXvkRc
— Gators Women's Basketball (@GatorsWBK) November 14, 2018
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | InstagramPlease join us as we introduce the 4️⃣th member of our 2019 class. Welcome to the Florida Family @faithdut7 ❗️#ChompWithUsXIX 🐊🏀 pic.twitter.com/Q0sSBD1aIO
— Gators Women's Basketball (@GatorsWBK) November 14, 2018
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