North Carolina State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Inks Four in Signing Period
11/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. – Women’s basketball coach Kellie Harper announced her second recruiting class at NC State Wednesday during the first day of the November early signing period.
Harper received signed National Letters of Intent from Krystal Barrett (Dallas, Texas/Skyline HS), Erica Donovan (Northside, Texas/John Jay HS), Therany Dunnigan (South Euclid, Ohio/Midpark HS) and Kiana Evans (McKinney, Texas/Boyd HS).
“Collectively, this recruiting class is a group of winners,” said Harper. “The four of them signed with NC State to be a part of something special here. They have high expectations for the next few years. They are all quite talented and come from very successful high school and summer basketball programs.
“These young ladies are the type of players I want to coach because I know they’ll give effort. They are blue-collar, fiercely competitive and unselfish players committed to building NC State into a championship program. As we look at this year’s senior class, as well as what we lost last year, we believe that these four young women will not only help us fill those gaps, but also help us take another step forward towards the top of the ACC.”
Barrett is an ESPNU HoopGurlz Top 100 Player, ranking No. 75 overall in the nation, and the No. 22 guard in this class. Peachstatehoops.com has her No. 53 overall, and the No. 26 guard.
Additionally, Premier Basketball Report ranks Barrett the third best guard in the state of Texas.
The 5-8 guard led Skyline to a 31-3 record and a spot in the Class 5A Region II semifinals last season, where they lost to the eventual state champions.
She averaged 16.3 points and 3.8 assists during the regular season, and was named District 9-5A co-offensive player of the year.
Barrett was named first team all-district, TABC all-region and all-state, and was named the MVP of the prestigious Nike National Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz.
“Krystal Barrett is a dynamic and extremely athletic combo guard,” Harper said. “Krystal has the ability to score off the dribble, shoot behind the arc, and create for her teammates. She is a tremendous full-court defender with the ability to disrupt the opponent both on and off the ball. Her versatility on both sides of the ball in the open court will help us get to the up tempo brand of basketball we’re trying to implement here at NC State.”
“I believe that NC State is getting an impact player that will and can make a difference,” said Skyline coach Cassandra McCurdy. “She is a player that has a passion for the game and a will to win. She’ll do just about everything to make sure she is involved with a win. She loves to play the game.
“She has the ability to shoot the three, is good off the bounce and can take you off the dribble. She is a good defender. She is committed to getting better. She is never satisfied. She is going to be exciting to watch.”
Donovan, a 5-11 guard, is an all-state player who averaged 19.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals per game as a junior. She led her team to the state final four.
ESPNU HoopGurlz ranks Donovan the No. 26 wing player in this class.
As a sophomore, she was District 28-5A co-MVP after averaging 18 points and 13 rebounds per game.
“Erica Donovan is an exceptional athlete with a very strong frame that stands nearly six feet tall,” added Harper. “She has the ability to play all the perimeter positions.
“Erica is a good three-point shooter, can attack the rim, distribute the ball well, and has the ability to post up smaller guards.”
Donovan scored a game-high 26 points last night in a matchup of the top two teams in San Antonio. Donovan scored 10 straight points down the stretch to ensure the win for the top-rated team by the San Antonio Express-News.
John Jay head coach Mike Floyd explains, “She’s a tremendous talent on the basketball court. She’s as strong academically as she is athletically. She comes from a good family, and they have strong morals. The one thing that sets aside Erica from everyone else is her strong work ethic.”
Dunnigan, the tallest of the quartet at 6-2, ranked as high as No. 62 and 63 by Blue Star Report and Peachstatehoops.com, respectively in this class. ESPNU HoopGurlz has the Ohio native as the 35th-best at her forward position.
She averaged 7.9 points and 7.7 rebounds and one block shot per game at Cleveland Regina High School last season. She has transferred to Cleveland Midpark High after her former school closed down.
She led Regina to the Division III state title as a sophomore, and lost in the semifinals her freshman year.
“Therany Dunnigan brings a strong physical presence to our post game,” said Harper. “She has a very solid frame and uses it well on the block and on the boards.
“She has solid low post moves and finishes well. Therany has a very good work ethic and will continue to improve because of it.”
"Thereny is a strong, physical presence in the post that plays left handed," said Tom Jenkins, Executive Director of Ohio Girl's Basketball Report.
"She's an extremely competitive player that can score, but is more interested in winning and seeing her team do well. Kellie Harper and staff will embrace her well."
Evans, a 6-1 power forward, is ranked No. 31 at her position by ESPNU HoopGurlz.
Evans averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game last year to earn honorable mention all-conference plaudits.
She had six double-doubles last year, and is the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,186 points.
“Kiana Evans is a powerful post player who thrives on playing a physical game,” Harper said. “She is extremely competitive and loves rebounding the ball. Kiana moves well for a big-bodied post player and has a nice mid-range shot. Kiana will be a great asset to us in the paint and will excel in our defensive scheme.”
