Mincey signs five future Lady Eagles
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman women’s basketball coach Mike Mincey announced the signings of five players to his recruiting class for the 2018-19 season to add to the depth for the nationally-ranked Lady Eagles.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman women's basketball coach Mike Mincey announced the signings of five players to his recruiting class for the 2018-19 season to add to the depth for the nationally-ranked Lady Eagles.
"Overall, we met every need we set out to get," Mincey assessed. "We needed post players primarily and to play in our system they had to be the right fits. To sign the three we got with the size on top of it was a home run for us and I'm excited to get them to campus next August. Our two guards are gritty players that will fit in perfectly with what we have returning. Their personal skill sets are exactly what we need to continue to play the way we do."
Katie Bean - 6'2, Alcoa
VIDEO: Katie Bean Highlight Reel
Bean is a member of Alcoa's club like current Lady Eagles Kayla Newman and Katie Stubblefield. The post player holds the school's single-game record for shot blocks with 14 as part of a triple-double effort with 17 points and 11 rebounds. As a junior, the post player led the Tornadoes in points and rebounds tallying 101 rejections. The Knoxville, Tenn. native was an all-district performer as a sophomore and junior leading Alcoa to district titles. In the classroom, she is a member of the National Honor Society. Bean's mother, Pat Belitz, played two seasons under C-N hall of fame coach Lewis Bivens in 1980-81 and 1981-82 scoring 18 points per game as a rookie and ranks 18th on the school's scoring list with 1,059.
Mincey on Bean: Katie has good size and mobility to play in our system. She has a good touch shooting the ball and is adept at passing on high-low situations. Katie had several other offers and we are excited she chose to stay close to home and be a part of our program. We've had great success with players from Alcoa and have confidence she will have just as good a career as Stubblefield and Newman. Off the floor and in the classroom she matches exactly what we are looking for in our student athletes.
Taylor Goforth - 5'9, William Blount
VIDEO: Taylor Goforth Highlight Reel
Coming off an all-region selection in 2016-17, Goforth stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal per evening. She has led her team in assists as a rookie and a junior. The Friendsville, Tenn. native was named Tyler's Player of the Week on Feb. 6, 2016.
Mincey on Goforth: Taylor is very much a combination of current players Kayla Newman and Katie Stubblefield. At 5'9 she can play anywhere from the 1-4 positions. She has good ball-handling skills and a quick first step to get by defenders. What we loved about her the most was her ability to rebound and play physical in the paint. In the summers she would guard the opposing team's five-man and run the one offensively. She will win most 50/50 balls overall and is just a fierce competitor. She has capabilities to score in many ways which will fit in well with our current roster and style of play. Taylor fits our program perfectly and will help continue the tradition of high character players calling C-N home.
Caroline Harville - 6'1, Morristown West
Harville has been named to the all-conference and all-region teams as a sophomore and a junior. The post player picked up a regional MVP award as a sophomore. For the Trojans, she has been to the state tournament each of her first three seasons winning the conference every year. Harville also played volleyball at Morristown West.
Mincey on Harville: Caroline can also move well for a post and has that 15-foot and beyond shooting ability. She is a physical player just like our current West player Jecca Simerly. Caroline uses her body well to rebound and has all the proper footwork to play with her back to the basket. Caroline can also handle the ball and take defenders off the dribble. She is used to pressing at West and in AAU which is important to us. Caroline and Sydney have played lots of AAU together and already have a good synergy on the floor. Like all our players, Caroline gets it done in the classroom and that's a staple of our program.
Sydney Pearce - 6'3, Daniel Boone
VIDEO: Sydney Pearce Highlight Reel
The Johnson City, Tenn. native crossed over the 1,000-point mark as a junior as she has led her team to a pair of conference titles. As a post player, she has been a three-time all-conference selection winning Northeast Tennessee's Defensive Player of the Year award. Pearce's mother, Tammy Larkey, played two years at the University of Tennessee under Pat Summit before finishing her career at East Tennessee State.
Mincey on Pearce: We are very fortunate to land Sydney, got into the fray with her late in July with some Division I schools and she ultimately ended up liking our nursing department, closeness to home and the make-up of our roster. She will fit in well at C-N and standing at 6'3, will be the tallest player I've had at C-N. Sydney is a rim protector on the defensive end and can post on just about anyone offensively. When she seals a defender it's easy to throw her the ball near the rim. Her high school coach Travis Mains likes to press just like us so Sydney will have several years of high school and AAU under her belt of pressing. Sydney's academics are off the chart which will serve her well with the academic rigors of our nationally-known nursing department.
Abby Wilson - 5'4, Kingston
Wilson averaged 14 points and seven rebounds as a junior earning a handful of plaudits. The Kingston, Tenn. native is a two-time all-district performer earning the MVP of the area in 2017 while picking up a Player of the Week honor from WATE. She led the Yellow Jackets to a district title as a junior.
Mincey on Wilson: Abby is the only small guard we have in this class but don't let her size fool you. She has unreal athleticism which will be fun to watch on the front of our press. She can shoot the ball well at both the three and shooting true jumpers from within the arc. Abby and Taylor played together for the East Tennessee Air and it was fun watching them play together for two summers. The first time I saw them play, I knew I would eventually like to sign both. Abby is a great competitor and will fight you till the end. I feel like a broken record by saying this, but Abby is a phenomenal student and a great person but it's true with our entire class.
- CN -
