Women's Basketball Inks Four on Signing Day

The Syracuse University women's basketball team signed four student-athletes as part of the National Letter of Intent Signing Day on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Second-year head coach Felisha Legette-Jack announced the addition of Madeline 'Maddy' Potts, Keira Scott, Olivia Schmitt and Ka'Shya 'Shy' Hawkins for the 2024 recruiting class with enthusiasm.

"We are so exited about this signing class for the next season," Legette-Jack said from her office in the Carmelo K. Anthony Center. "We have worked very hard to get the right C.A.B. kids to our program. To be able to sign two four-stars, a great point guard and another combo guard out of Australia who will potentially have an opportunity to play next semester says a lot about our staff and our focus in bringing in kids that can help us pursue championships in the classroom and on the court."

Madeline 'Maddy' Potts
Potts is a six-foot combo guard from Doncaster, Victoria, Australia. She is set to graduate high school at Templestowe College and join the Orange this winter. She has played for the Nunawading Spectres and Victorian Metro. She averaged 21 points per game in the 2023 VJBL and helped her team to the Grand Final and the VC Reserve Grand Final while being named MVP.

"Maddy is a combo guard that can shoot the three ball and make the assist. She has this moxie about herself that is going to be exciting to see if it remains in the ACC," Legette-Jack said. "We were thrilled to have her under the radar until we signed her and now everyone in Australia is thinking she's an incredible player and we already knew how great she was prior to her increased exposure in Australia."

Keira Scott
Scott is no stranger to the Orange. The four-star forward is the daughter of Syracuse football alum George Scott. Scott is a 6-foot-1 forward who is teammates with fellow Syracuse signee Olivia Schmitt at DME Academy, scored over 1,200 points in her first three seasons of high school basketball at Bishop O'Connell High School in Virginia. She was an All-WCAC selection, earned All-State honors in both 2022 and 2023 and she was named Arlington Player of the Year. Scott transferred to DME prior to her senior year. Scott plays for the Fairfax Stars Nike EYBL and has been playing AAU since third grade, previously playing for Boca Thunder and Vogues.

"Keira is a young lady whose dad played (football) here," Legette-Jack said. "We were told about her the first day we got here and we went after this young lady not knowing what we were looking for. And once we learned how incredibly gifted she was both academically and athletically, and she's also got a connection to being Orange, it was a no brainer that we were going to go after her as if she was the best player in the world. We were so humbled when she said yes to us and we are so excited about what she's going to do in the future for our university, athletic department, and our basketball program."

Olivia Schmitt
Olivia Schmitt is one of two New York natives in the 2024 signing class. Schmitt, a Staten Island, N.Y., native is a 5-foot-5 point guard that is teammates with fellow signee Keira Scott. She spent her first two seasons of high school basketball at Staten Island Academy where she was named MVP of the Staten Island Athletic Association (SIAA) League Championship Team. She transferred to DME Academy in Daytona, Fla., prior to her junior year when DME went 21-8 overall. Schmitt plays AAU for the Miami Suns and has previously played for the Staten Island Diamonds and the Staten Island Bulldogs during her 10 years on the AAU circuit.

"Olivia, our point guard, we really liked Olivia. She was small, and you know what I really don't like small point guards but our best point guards have been 5-7 and under and Liv fit's that category. She has a certain toughness about her. She's a New Yorker, and it's neat that we got two New Yorkers to say 'yes' to us because we are trying to make that our strength. She can pass that ball; she can shoot that ball and one thing I love about her is she has no problem going in with the trees and trying to make things happen. We are excited about Olivia joining our Orange Family."

Ka' Shya Hawkins
Hawkins is the second New York native joining the Orange next season. The four-star recruit out of Long Island Lutheran where she helped LuHi to a 22-3 record as a junior and the state championship. She played at New York City's Christ the King her sophomore season where the team went 19-3 overall and she was named to the CHSAA All-League Team in 2021. As a freshman at William Floyd High School she was named Rookie of the Year in 2020 and was named the team's MVP. Hawkins plays AAU for Exodus NYC and previously played for the New York Renaissance.

"Shy was a young lady that the coaches sent me out to Arizona to see and there was so much talent there but the one kid I came back with was Shy Hawkins," Legette-Jack said. "Shy Hawkins is a kid that ran track and is a star runner but there's something about her always having this winning pedigree on the basketball court. I am so excited that this four-star athlete has chosen us as the school of her choice because she was my first choice when I saw her play way back in Arizona. I am excited that the world is going to be able to see this young lady show her academic and athletic prowess at Syracuse University."

To stay updated on all things Syracuse women's basketball, follow @CuseWBB on social media.

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