Skilled quartet inks with Lady Eagles recruiting class
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey announced Sunday a four-player recruiting class for the 2022-23 women's basketball season bringing Tennessee natives Ashlan Crittenden, Emily Gonzalez, Kali McMahan and Keeleigh Rogers to Mossy Creek.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey announced Sunday a four-player recruiting class for the 2022-23 women's basketball season bringing Tennessee natives Ashlan Crittenden, Emily Gonzalez, Kali McMahan and Keeleigh Rogers to Mossy Creek.
"These four signees answer our needs for the 2022-23 season based off what we lose and what we have returning," Mincey said. "All four can excel in an up-tempo pressing style and I think with these additions they will definitely make our team stronger."
Carson-Newman, the reigning South Atlantic Conference regular-season champions, have won 20 games in each of the last four non-Covid seasons reaching the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championships four years running. The Lady Eagles have led the South Atlantic Conference in scoring in six straight seasons and are doing so once again in 2021-22 ranking in the top 10 in the country.
Ashlan Crittenden – Guard – 5-9 – Cleveland, Tenn. – Bradley Central
Helping guide Bradley Central to a state championship in 2019, Crittenden has been an all-district, all-region and all-tournament selection during her time. Other than her time on the hardwood, she excels on the volleyball court for the Bearettes.
Mincey on Crittenden: "Ashlan Crittenden is just a great athlete. She can run and jump as well as any player we have recruited. She can get down and guard people which is something we need. Like Emily, Ashlan's set of skills are unique especially how she finishes at the rim. She is naturally a right-handed player and plays basketball right-handed but she kills a volleyball left-handed. Sometimes in basketball she prefers to go left instead of right. I just love the uniqueness she will bring to our team. For a team that likes to press and run and gun, this style of play should fit her well. Playing for Bradley Central, Ashlan has been to the state tournament every year and they are currently on a 90-plus game winning streak in district games and won the 2019 state championship. During the AAU season she plays for the TN Flight Select and during those games you could see just how beneficial she can be to our team playing against other very athletic teams on both ends of the floor."
Emily Gonzalez – Guard – 5-7 – Knoxville, Tenn. – Bearden
Playing for Justin Underwood, Gonzalez was a double-digit scorer as a junior while being one of the best defenders in the region. The guard led the team in steals and deflections racking up 80 and 95 respectively. In early December 2021, the guard joined Bearden's 1,000-point club. In the classroom, she has been a member of the honor roll all four years.
Mincey on Gonzalez: "Emily is just a unique type player in all the things she does well. She is a crafty scorer at all three levels and also gets it done on the defensive end. She is sneaky fast and quick and has good reaction time to pick off passes or pick players pockets. Like Keeleigh, Emily played for the same AAU team (TN Lady Trotters). It was fun watching Keeleigh and Emily play together this summer knowing they could potentially be teammates in college and how well they worked together. Her high school team Bearden, has college level talent at all five positions and are expected to make a run at a state title. Emily has been a key scorer for that team and seeing how she thrives off playing with other talented college level players makes us excited to know she will fit right in with who she will be playing with at C-N. One area we need help is three-point shooting and we feel confident in Emily's ability to give us a boost in that area."
Kali McMahan – Forward – 6-1 – Dandridge, Tenn. – Jefferson County
Coming off of a junior year where McMahan was named to the IMAC's all-conference roster, all-district and all-tournament, the forward cleaned up the hardware with all-region and All-Lakeway Area nods a year after producing all-district and all-tournament laurels. She guided Jefferson County to a regional semifinals appearance in 2020-21 after helping the unit win the IMAC with a 12-0 record capping the 2019-20 season with a District II Championship. In the classroom, the Volunteer State native is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Society of High School Scholars.
Mincey on McMahan: "Kali McMahan is the stretch four we were looking for. At six-foot-one, she has all the guard skills we need on the perimeter and has the ability to play on the block as well. She shoots the ball well and can handle it in transition. With her being a local player at Jefferson County High, I've seen a tremendous amount of growth out of her since first seeing her play in elementary and middle school ball. Of all the signees I've definitely seen her play the most and she just keeps getting better and better. This past summer getting to see her play for the TN Lady Trotters and compete against some talented players on the exposure circuit, I came away very impressed and it became clear we needed to add her to our team if possible. Like the other three signees, Kali has experienced lots of success in high school staring for Jefferson County and also played with current Lady Eagle Makayla Alvey when they won the district title her sophomore season. She will fit into our system perfectly."
Keeleigh Rogers – Guard – 5-10 – Knoxville, Tenn. – Farragut
Over her first three years in school, Rogers has posted 10 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals per game culminating in an all-district selection as a junior. The guard has led the Admirals to a Thanksgiving Tournament title in four straight seasons and a district runner-up finish as a rookie. She has been on the honor roll all four years.
The Tennessee native comes from a family of athletes highlighted by her aunt, Kelli Casteel Cook, playing for the legendary Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols from 1988-92 winning two national championships. Her father, Jimmy, played baseball at Walters State. Four uncles had dazzling athletic careers. Stan Cook played at Walters State before being selected in the 10th round by the Atlanta Braves in 1985. Mike Casteel and Greg Casteel played football at Tennessee and Middle Tennessee State respectively and Parker Overman played basketball at Maryville. Two cousins played football for power five programs. Cole Cook suited up for NC State as a tight end from 2014-17 and Case Cook started 20 straight games at right guard to round out his career at Missouri in 2021.
Mincey on Rogers: "Keeleigh is a very strong and physical type of player. She does a lot of things well but two things we really like is her ability to pass especially getting others easy buckets in transition and her ability to drive and get to the free-throw line. This summer I feel like Keeleigh drove around most anyone that was guarding her and lived at the free-throw line. It's harder to draw fouls in summer exposure tournaments but she still managed to get there a lot. She was fouled so much and so hard, many players wouldn't drive back in there to take that punishment, but Keeleigh's tough and just kept on getting the ball into the paint. The way the women's college game is called, I would expect her to make a living at the line much more than in AAU. In addition to all of that, I believe she can become a very consistent three-point threat for us as well. Keeleigh plays for a very successful high school program (Farragut) who is expected to have a great year and AAU program (TN Lady Trotters) that only knows winning and that carries over. We look forward to her arrival in August."
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