Ladyjack Basketball Adds Three New Signees to the Fold for 2019-20 Season
11/15/2018 9:18:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The SFA women's basketball team announced on Wednesday the addition of three new signees to the roster for the 2018-19 season. The three-member class for SFA includes Zya Nugent (Denison, Texas/Denison HS), Mikayla Hutchinson (Mansfield, Texas/Mansfield Timberview) and Noelle Yancy (Richardson, Texas/Richardson HS), a trio of in-state guards. All three are ranked within the top 30 players in the state of Texas, with Nugent coming in at #30, Yancy ranked 27th and Hutchinson tabbed as the 18th-ranked recruit in the Lone Star State.
ZYA NUGENT
Leading off the class is Nugent, a 5'7" guard from Denison who has also played for AAU club Texas Elite Premier. An accomplished scorer thus far in her prep career, Nugent is already over 2000 career points as she heads into her senior campaign. Nugent's junior season saw her post 25.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 3.8 assists per game, leading to 2017-18 TABC All-State, TGCA All-State and TABC All-Region honors. Her strong season helped lead her team to a 31-5 mark and the regional quarterfinals for the first time in school history. She had previously led Denison to the playoffs in her junior season on the heels of a 22-point-per-game campaign that saw her be named to the TGCA All-State and TABC All-Region Teams, in addition to being chosen as the District 5A Offensive Player of the Year.
What her coaches say:
"Zya has been the heart and soul of Lady Jacket Basketball since her arrival in 2015. Her growth mindset has been the key to her success...she's a special player and a wonderful person!"
• Rod Been Denison High School head girls varsity coach
"Zya is a strong and aggressive guard that we have been recruiting for a couple of years and she will fit perfectly into our program. She has a natural scoring ability and she scores the ball in multiple ways. She can attack the rim, score at mid-range and shoot the three. She can see the floor extremely well and she rebounds at a high level for a guard."
• SFA head coach Mark Kellogg
NOELLE YANCY
Yancy, a strong and versatile player, will join the Ladyjacks after finishing her prep career at Richardson High School. The 5'9" guard also plays for AAU club NTX Lights Out. She was named to the TABC All-Region Team and All-State Team in 2017-18, while also being selected as the District 9-6A MVP. She averaged 16.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and two steals per contest as a junior. Her sophomore campaign saw her selected to be the District 9-6A Offensive MVP and Academic All-District Team, an honor she was earned in each of her three prep seasons. Additionally, she won the Richardson High School Award for Sportsmanship and Leadership, demonstrating high character on and off the court.
What her coaches say:
"Noelle is strong and aggressive guard that will fit perfectly into our program. She has the ability to attack the rim, score at mid-range and shoot the three. Defensively, she has a chance to be a premier defender with her size to guard multiple positions. She can see the floor extremely well and rebounds at a high level for a guard. Noelle has a tremendous basketball IQ and excels in the classroom as well."
• SFA head coach Mark Kellogg
"The one thing I can say about Noelle is that she is a COMPETITOR. Noelle really loves basketball, so her passion for the game is real. She's a player that studies, watches, and dreams about basketball. She is coachable, she takes a lot of pride in her game, and she is a leader on and off the court. With her guard versatility, she can score at will. It's been a pleasure to coach such a well-rounded player these last few years. I can't wait to see her excel at the next level, and I'm very confident she'll do great things."
• Coach Kelly Dansby Richardson High School head girls basketball coach
MIKAYLA HUTCHINSON
SFA's final signee of the class is 5'9" guard Mikayla Hutchinson, the 18th-ranked recruit in Texas and a standout player at Mansfield Timberview High School and with AAU squad Texas Elite Premier. The 5A All-District First Team selection helped her team to a 40-3 record in her junior campaign, part of a 110-7 record for her and her school squad over the past three seasons. Mansfield Timberview also finished as the state runner-up for the second straight season in 2017-18, giving Hutchinson ample experience playing in big games. A New Orleans native, Hutchinson currently resides in Grand Prairie, Texas.
What her coaches say:
"Mikayla is a great guard with a skill set that should translate really well here at SFA. She is an exceptional defender, has a tremendous ability to get to the rim, her mid-range pull up is really hard to guard and she is a terrific passer. She can also catch and shoot the ball from deep which allows her to score at all three levels. Mikayla has great character off the court, has a good basketball IQ and plays on elite high school and club teams. Mikayla checks all the boxes that we are looking for in a potential student athlete!"
• SFA head coach Mark Kellogg
"Mikayla is an explosive athletic player who's ability to score in a variety of ways and to be a lockdown defender makes her one of the most formidable players in Texas this year."
• Mansfield Timberview head girls basketball coach head coach Kit Martin
"When I think of the type of player that demonstrates tough defense and competitive offense, I think of "Hutch."
• Texas Elite Premier AAU Coach Cary Noble
"Mikayla is one of the most explosive and versatile players I've coached. I know she will be successful at the next level because of her skill set, ability and confidence, but more so because of her circle of supporters praying for her."
• Lady Warriors AAU coach William Mays
-SFA-
ZYA NUGENT
Leading off the class is Nugent, a 5'7" guard from Denison who has also played for AAU club Texas Elite Premier. An accomplished scorer thus far in her prep career, Nugent is already over 2000 career points as she heads into her senior campaign. Nugent's junior season saw her post 25.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 3.8 assists per game, leading to 2017-18 TABC All-State, TGCA All-State and TABC All-Region honors. Her strong season helped lead her team to a 31-5 mark and the regional quarterfinals for the first time in school history. She had previously led Denison to the playoffs in her junior season on the heels of a 22-point-per-game campaign that saw her be named to the TGCA All-State and TABC All-Region Teams, in addition to being chosen as the District 5A Offensive Player of the Year.
What her coaches say:
"Zya has been the heart and soul of Lady Jacket Basketball since her arrival in 2015. Her growth mindset has been the key to her success...she's a special player and a wonderful person!"
• Rod Been Denison High School head girls varsity coach
"Zya is a strong and aggressive guard that we have been recruiting for a couple of years and she will fit perfectly into our program. She has a natural scoring ability and she scores the ball in multiple ways. She can attack the rim, score at mid-range and shoot the three. She can see the floor extremely well and she rebounds at a high level for a guard."
• SFA head coach Mark Kellogg
NOELLE YANCY
Yancy, a strong and versatile player, will join the Ladyjacks after finishing her prep career at Richardson High School. The 5'9" guard also plays for AAU club NTX Lights Out. She was named to the TABC All-Region Team and All-State Team in 2017-18, while also being selected as the District 9-6A MVP. She averaged 16.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and two steals per contest as a junior. Her sophomore campaign saw her selected to be the District 9-6A Offensive MVP and Academic All-District Team, an honor she was earned in each of her three prep seasons. Additionally, she won the Richardson High School Award for Sportsmanship and Leadership, demonstrating high character on and off the court.
What her coaches say:
"Noelle is strong and aggressive guard that will fit perfectly into our program. She has the ability to attack the rim, score at mid-range and shoot the three. Defensively, she has a chance to be a premier defender with her size to guard multiple positions. She can see the floor extremely well and rebounds at a high level for a guard. Noelle has a tremendous basketball IQ and excels in the classroom as well."
• SFA head coach Mark Kellogg
"The one thing I can say about Noelle is that she is a COMPETITOR. Noelle really loves basketball, so her passion for the game is real. She's a player that studies, watches, and dreams about basketball. She is coachable, she takes a lot of pride in her game, and she is a leader on and off the court. With her guard versatility, she can score at will. It's been a pleasure to coach such a well-rounded player these last few years. I can't wait to see her excel at the next level, and I'm very confident she'll do great things."
• Coach Kelly Dansby Richardson High School head girls basketball coach
MIKAYLA HUTCHINSON
SFA's final signee of the class is 5'9" guard Mikayla Hutchinson, the 18th-ranked recruit in Texas and a standout player at Mansfield Timberview High School and with AAU squad Texas Elite Premier. The 5A All-District First Team selection helped her team to a 40-3 record in her junior campaign, part of a 110-7 record for her and her school squad over the past three seasons. Mansfield Timberview also finished as the state runner-up for the second straight season in 2017-18, giving Hutchinson ample experience playing in big games. A New Orleans native, Hutchinson currently resides in Grand Prairie, Texas.
What her coaches say:
"Mikayla is a great guard with a skill set that should translate really well here at SFA. She is an exceptional defender, has a tremendous ability to get to the rim, her mid-range pull up is really hard to guard and she is a terrific passer. She can also catch and shoot the ball from deep which allows her to score at all three levels. Mikayla has great character off the court, has a good basketball IQ and plays on elite high school and club teams. Mikayla checks all the boxes that we are looking for in a potential student athlete!"
• SFA head coach Mark Kellogg
"Mikayla is an explosive athletic player who's ability to score in a variety of ways and to be a lockdown defender makes her one of the most formidable players in Texas this year."
• Mansfield Timberview head girls basketball coach head coach Kit Martin
"When I think of the type of player that demonstrates tough defense and competitive offense, I think of "Hutch."
• Texas Elite Premier AAU Coach Cary Noble
"Mikayla is one of the most explosive and versatile players I've coached. I know she will be successful at the next level because of her skill set, ability and confidence, but more so because of her circle of supporters praying for her."
• Lady Warriors AAU coach William Mays
-SFA-
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