Head coach Quentin Hillsman will look for his No.22-ranked recruiting class to augment what he has already built upon in his third season. Through nine games, the Orange is 7-2.
Quentin Hillsman Inks Top-Notch Recruiting Class
12/8/2008 10:32:47 AM | Women's Basketball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Head Syracuse women’s basketball coach Quentin Hillsman keeps infusing his Orange program with highly-touted talent, signing two top-25 guards and a top-90 player. This year’s class is ranked No. 22 by Collegiate Girl’s Basketball Report.
High school seniors Carmen Tyson-Thomas (Philadelphia, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic High School), Elashier Hall (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt High School) and Kayla Alexander (Milton Ontario, Canada/Barrie Central) have all signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Syracuse University and play women’s basketball, Hillsman announced.
Tyson-Thomas, a 5-foot-9-inch guard from Conwell-Egan Catholic High School (Pa.) averaged 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.4 steals last season while helping to lead the Eagles to their first Catholic League semifinal since 1998. She was a First-team All-Southeastern Pennsylvania selection by The Inquirer. She was also voted the MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League's Northern Division, for the third time, and was selected to the Associated Press' second team all-state squad. Tyson-Thomas is rated as the No. 5 guard in the country by Collegiate Girl’s Basketball Report and has amassed 1,564 points and 925 rebounds in her career.
"Carmen is a very explosive guard with tremendous talent,” Hillsman said. “She is a very good scorer and has a high basketball IQ. She will come and play any of three positions in our system.”
Hall, a 5-foot-11-inch guard from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Md., was named the Gazette-Star Prince George County Player of the Year last season after leading the Raiders to their fourth consecutive Class 4A championship. Hall led the Raiders with 27 points in the region title game victory against Charles H. Flowers. She was Roosevelt’s leading scorer in both of the Raiders’ state Final Four games, scoring 17 points on March 13 against Blake High and 19 points with six rebounds in the title game against Arundel. Hall is rated as the No. 23 guard in the country by Collegiate Girl’s Basketball Report.
“Elashier is the fiercest competitor that I have seen in a long time. She just plays very hard,” Hillsman said. “She is a tenacious defender, who can shoot the ball from behind the 3-point line. I see her playing four positions for us."
Alexander, a 6-foot-4-inch center from Milton Ontario, Canada, played on the Under-18 Canadian National Team last summer. She is rated as the No. 87 prospect in the country by Blue Star Basketball Report.
“Kayla is a big physical player,” Hillsman said. “She played on the Canadian National team and has big-game experience. She can score on the block to about 15 feet.”
Hillsman and the Orange return to action when they host Niagara on Sun., Dec. 14 inside the friendly confines of the Carrier Dome at 1 p.m.
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