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| ISU SportsFriday, November 10, 2006 7:52 PM CST |
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In-state stars commit to play for ISU women
NORMAL -- When it comes to recruiting, Illinois State women’s basketball coach Robin Pingeton has preferred home-grown talent in her three-plus years with the Redbirds. The trend continued Wednesday when Illinois high school standouts Amanda Clifton of Rock Island Alleman, Shala Jackson of Chicago South Shore and Taylor Lawless of Wheeling signed national letters of intent to play for the Redbirds. Sixteen of Pingeton’s 18 recruits have hailed from Illinois. “We feel like they’re kids who can come in and make an impact and take our program to the next level,” Pingeton said. “Our motto has always been to get the best basketball players we can find. With the style we play with our motion offense, we look for players with good versatility. “When you talk about specific positions, we didn’t target any one except for point guard.” The 5-foot-8 Clifton is the heir apparent to current ISU point guard Kristi Cirone, last season’s Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Clifton, a three-time all-Western Big Six Conference performer, led Alleman to the Class A state title in 2005 as a sophomore. “We knew if we could find a high-quality point guard that we felt had a scoring mentality and would fit in our system, that was a position we wanted to pursue knowing that by the time she gets here Kristi will be a junior,” Pingeton said. “She’ll have a chance to work with Kristi for two years.” Clifton is Alleman’s career leader in assists and steals. ISU senior guard Megan McCracken is also an Alleman product. “Amanda comes from a very successful high school program and she’s a winner,” Pingeton said. “She has great speed and a great understanding of the game.” Jackson is a 5-9 wing player who Pingeton projects as a “key addition” to the Redbirds’ up-tempo style of play. “Shala is a gifted athlete who has a great understanding of the game,” Pingeton said. “She is very explosive and she can create off the dribble.” Jackson said she knew she wanted to play for ISU early in the recruiting process. “After my unofficial visit, I knew I wanted to attend ISU,” Jackson said. “The campus was great, and the (coaching) staff made me feel comfortable. They even introduced me to President (Al) Bowman, and he knew all about me as a player. I thought that was pretty cool.” Lawless, a 6-1 forward, led Wheeling to consecutive 25-win campaigns and super-sectional appearances in her sophomore and junior seasons. She tore her left anterior cruciate ligament in the offseason and will be sidelined her senior year. “Taylor is a very well-known basketball player in the Chicago area,” Pingeton said. “She started playing at a very young age and has a great understanding of the game. She is physical in the paint but can also step out and hit the perimeter shot. I believe she will rehab strong and be ready to make an impact at the college level.” Lawless’ high school coach, Shelly Weidel, said the ISU coaching staff made the difference in Lawless’ decision. “Taylor really felt a connection with the coaching staff,” Weidel said. “She felt they were looking out for her not only as a basketball player but as a person. Another big factor was that they never wavered or backed off on their interest when she hurt her knee.” Lawless is a cousin of current Purdue standout Erin Lawless. “My biggest strength is my mental game,” Lawless said. “Any athlete can have talent or physical strength, but if you don’t have the mental capacity to excel as a player your game is incomplete. I’ve been preparing myself for the Division I level, and I know what is going to be expected of me.” Pingeton has one more scholarship available for the 2007-08 season. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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