The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Women's Hoops Announces Seven Early-Period Signings
11/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB women's basketball program signed seven high school standouts, including a pair of Birmingham-area products, in the early signing period that ended last week.
Kayla Anderson (Hoover, Ala./Hoover HS) and Chelsee Black (Bessemer, Ala./Bessemer City HS) will join Audra Smith's Blazers next year along with Schenia Battle (Calumet City, Ill./Thornton Fractional North HS), Essence Baucom (Charlotte, N.C./Phillip O'Berry Academy), Annaya Moore (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook HS), Dy'man Webb (Flint, Mich./Flint Hamady HS) and Brittany Winborne (Baltimore, Md./Catholic HS).
UAB's signing class is receiving national attention, ranked No. 13 among non-BCS programs by ESPN HoopGurlz.
"We're excited about this class," UAB head coach Audra Smith said. "It's a large group, but the common thread among them is they have played for very successful high school and AAU programs. They have played against some of the top players in the country, and we believe they can come in and compete right away."
Anderson, a 6-foot-1 forward, averaged 8.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game last year for coach Donnie Quinn's Hoover High School team that finished as the state runner-up. Hoover has one state title and two runner-up finishes in her three years. Four Hoover players have already signed Division I scholarships, but Anderson is the only one of the group that has played on the varsity team since her freshman year.
Anderson is rated as the No. 10 player in Alabama in this year's class by bamaprepgirls.com and the No. 44 forward in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz. A member of the 2011 All-Over The Mountain Team, Anderson plays her AAU basketball for the Alabama Twisters.
"Kayla is a player we have had our eye on throughout her high school career at Hoover," Smith said. "She has really progressed and still has the potential to get even better. She is a hard worker who will provide us with a good defensive presence."
Black helped Bessemer City High School to an area championship in 2011, winning tournament MVP honors in the process. A 5-foot-6 guard, she averaged 16.1 points and 4.1 assists per game as a junior while hitting nearly 40 percent of her 3-point attempts for coach Benita Gordon. Black averaged 16.0 points per game as a freshman and 14.5 as a sophomore, a year when Bessemer City was ranked fifth in the state of Alabama and won an area title.
Black was an honorable mention all-state selection in 2011 by the Alabama Sports Writers Association and a second-team all-metro choice by The Birmingham News. She is ranked as the seventh-best player in this year's Alabama class by bamaprepgirls.com and, like Anderson, plays her AAU basketball for the Alabama Twisters.
"Chelsee is a quick and athletic combo guard," Smith said. "She can play the one, two and three positions on the floor. She is a good outside shooter who also has a nice mid-range game. She can really get out and go in transition, and she is a strong defender."
Battle, a 5-foot-8 guard, averaged 10.1 points per game as a junior, helping Thornton Fractional North High School in Illinois to a 20-10 record and its fourth consecutive regional championship. She also logged 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game her junior year while playing on a senior-heavy team.
Entering her third year as a starter, Battle is a team captain and begins her senior season as a preseason first-team all-area selection by The Northwest Indiana Times. Battle plays for coach Tim Zasada at the same high school that produced current UAB sophomore Karisma Chapman.
"Schenia will play the three position and can also play at the four," Smith said. "She is extremely athletic and very strong. She's a true slasher and a good defender. She has a high basketball IQ and will be able to help us right away."
Baucom was a first-team all-state pick in North Carolina and a first-team all-conference selection as a junior for coach Robert Hollis at Phillip O'Berry Academy. A 5-foot-5 guard, she is rated as the nation's No. 62 point guard in this year's signing class by ESPN HoopGurlz. Baucom also plays for the Carolina Elite club team.
"Essence reminds us of LaShaunda Pratt with the way she plays," Smith said. "She is a competitor and a worker. She can play both the point guard and two-guard positions and really knows how to score the basketball."
Moore comes from one of the top programs in the country at Bolingbrook High School, which won its third straight Illinois Class 4A state title in 2010-11 and was ranked No. 7 in the country. She played her first two years at Morgan Park High School in Illinois before transferring to Bolingbrook.
A 6-foot-2 forward, Moore is one of eight players from coach Anthony Smith's Bolingbrook team who have already signed Division I scholarships. One of those eight is Moore's twin sister Nia, who will play for Illinois.
"Annaya comes from a school that produces unbelievable talent," Smith said. "She is a finesse post player who can knock down the high post jumper, can shoot the 3 and can put it on the deck and get to the basket. She's a great leaper with a winning attitude."
Webb also comes from a successful program at Flint Hamady High School, where she helped her team to back-to-back Michigan Class C state titles in 2009 and 2010, followed by a state semifinal appearance in 2011. A 6-foot-1 forward, Webb was an all-conference honorable mention choice as a junior after averaging 7.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
Originally from Montgomery, Ala., Webb moved to Flint, Mich., at age 9. She enters her fourth varsity season this winter for coach Keith Smith and is rated as the No. 44 wing in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz. Webb plays AAU basketball for Michigan Crossover.
"Dy'man is a strong kid who was a little under the radar," Smith said. "She has the ability to play on the perimeter and the size and strength to play inside. She has good post moves and is a gritty, hustle player who can defend in the post or on the perimeter."
Winborne guided coach Mulligan Burns' team at The Catholic High School of Baltimore to a 20-4 record as a junior in 2010-11. A 6-foot forward, she averaged a double-double in that junior campaign with 16.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. She also contributed 3.3 steals a 3.0 blocks per contest.
Winborne was named an all-star in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland C Division as both a sophomore and junior. She was named MVP of last season's Annapolis Area Christian Holiday Tournament. Winborne also plays for the Maryland Shooting Stars club team.
"Brittany will give us a low post, back-to-the-basket, inside presence," Smith said. "She finishes well, can run in transition and can control the glass on both the offensive and defensive ends. She is a student of the game."
The seven UAB signees will complete their high school careers this year and compete for the Blazers beginning with the 2012-13 season.
