Ohio State 2007 Signees Honored by Women’s Basketball Coaches Association – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2007
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A pair of 2007 Ohio State women’s basketball signees were recognized by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Friday. Jantel Lavender, of Cleveland Central Catholic High School, was named as one of 20 players to participate in the 2007 WBCA High School All-America Game – presented by Nike. The game starts at 4:30 p.m. on March 31 at Cleveland State University’s Woodling Gym.
Brittany Johnson, a 5-11 guard from East Richland High School in Olney, Ill., was named to the WBCA’s honorable mention squad. Both Johnson and Lavender, a 6-4 center/forward, signed National Letters of Intent with Ohio State in November.
Top 20 High School Seniors Selected for 2007 WBCA’s High School All-America Game presented by Nike
ATLANTA, Ga. – The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today the nation’s top 20 girls’ basketball players selected to participate in the 16th annual WBCA’s High School All-America Game presented by Nike.
The players who have been chosen will be divided into two teams of ten players. The college-style regulation game is scheduled for Saturday, March 31, at Cleveland State University’s Woodling Gym in Cleveland, Ohio. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 4:30 p.m. (ET). This highly-anticipated event is part of the WBCA National Convention, which takes place at the site of the NCAA® Women’s Final Four®.
“As in the case of the last 16 years, the WBCA High School All-America Team Selection Committee has done a great job assembling twenty of the best high school players in the country for this season’s roster,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “The WBCA is honored to play host to the High School All-America Game presented by Nike, continuing to showcase the future stars of our game.”
Below is the list of players selected to participate in the 2007 WBCA High School All-America Game presented by Nike:
| NAME | HIGH SCHOOL | HS CITY/STATE | SIGNED |
| Victoria Baugh | Sacramento H.S. | Sacramento, Calif. | Tennessee |
| Angie Bjorklund | University H.S. | Spokane, Wash. | Tennessee |
| Kelsey Bolte | Battle Creek-Ida Grove H.S. | Ida Grove, Iowa | Iowa State |
| Kelley Cain | St. Pius X Catholic H.S. | Atlanta, Ga. | Tennessee |
| Karima Christmas | Dobie H.S. | Houston, Texas | Duke |
| Cetera DeGraffenreid | Smoky Mountain H.S. | Sylva, N.C. | North Carolina |
| Lorin Dixon | Christ the King Regional H.S. | Middle Village, N.Y. | Connecticut |
| Stefanie Gilbreath | Cinco Ranch H.S. | Katy, Texas | Southern Cal |
| Iasia Hemingway | Malcolm X Shabazz H.S. | Newark, N.J. | Georgia Tech |
| Jantel Lavender | Cleveland Catholic Central H.S. | Cleveland, Ohio | Ohio State |
| Italee Lucas | Centennial H.S. | Las Vegas, Nev. | North Carolina |
| Drey Mingo | Marist H.S. | Atlanta, Ga. | Maryland |
| Maya Moore | Collins Hill H.S. | Suwanee, Ga. | Connecticut |
| Erica Morrow | Murry Bergtraum H.S. | New York, N.Y. | Syracuse |
| Ta’Shia Phillips | Brebeuf Jesuit H.S. | Indianapolis, Ind. | Undecided |
| Jeanette Pohlen | Brea-Olinda H.S. | Brea, Calif. | Stanford |
| Khadijah Rushdan | St. Elizabeth’s H.S. | Wilmington, Del. | Rutgers |
| Marah Strickland | Towson Catholic H.S. | Towson, Md. | Maryland |
| Jasmine Thomas | Oakton H.S. | Vienna, Va. | Duke |
| Krystal Thomas | The First Academy H.S. | Orlando, Fla. | Duke |
“The nine person WBCA All-American Selection Committee has the arduous task of selecting the top twenty high school players in the country. The committee spent several weeks prior to the selection collecting data, e-mailing and calling coaches throughout the USA,” said Committee Chair Gary Glasscock. “The process is very tedious, but once again the committee did an outstanding job in selecting the top players from across the country.”
A committee of WBCA-member high school coaches who represent nine geographical districts from across the nation selected the All-America squad. The 2007 WBCA High School All-America Game Selection Committee is comprised of: Gary Glasscock (Chair – St. Louis Metro Academic and Classical High School), Stacy Bilodeau (District 1 – Walpole High School), Bob Mackey (District 2 – Christ the King High School), Barbara Nelson (District 3 – Providence Day School), Reggie Lee (District 4 -Brookhaven High School), Kelly Flynn (District 5 – South Sioux City High School), Samantha Morrow (District 6 – Mansfield Summit High School), Gail Hook (District 7 – Monarch High School), James Anderson (District 8 – Narbonne High School), Rachel Powell-Moore (District 9 – Cleveland High School), Brad Smith (Past Chair – Oregon City High School) and Stephanie Baron (WBCA Staff Liaison).
This marks the 16th year that the WBCA has sanctioned a girls’ high school all-America team. The inaugural WBCA’s High School All-America Game presented by Nike was held April 17, 1992 at Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn. The second and third annual games were also played at Oman Arena. The 1995 game, which marked the beginning of Nike’s title sponsorship, was played in Altoona, Penn. The event moved east to Philadelphia in 1996 and south to Nashville in 1997. The game was then held in Hartford, Conn. from 1998 until 2002. The game made its debut as part of the “WBCA Night of All-Stars” in 2003 and now stands on its own at the sight of the WBCA National Convention each year.
“Nike is honored to be involved with the WBCA High School All-America Game. This game recognizes the top high school players in the country and gives them a chance to come together and compete the weekend of the NCAA Women’s Final Four,” said Mary Thompson, Nike’s Girls High School and Elite Youth Basketball Manager. “We recognize the importance of women in sports and would like to congratulate all the participants!”
The 2007 class of WBCA All-Americans joins the list of well-known past participants such as: Tamika Catchings, Chamique Holdsclaw, Katie Smith, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Alana Beard.
The following 20 players have received Honorable Mention for the 2007 WBCA’s High School All-America Game presented by Nike:
| NAME | HIGH SCHOOL | HS CITY/STATE | SIGNED |
| Danielle Adams | Lee’s Summit North H.S. | Lee’s Summit, Mo. | Missouri |
| Brittany Carter | Newton H.S. | Covington, Ga. | Georgia |
| Ashley Cimino | Catherine McAuley H.S. | Portland, Maine | Stanford |
| Sydney Colson | Westside H.S. | Houston, Texas | Texas A&M |
| Keshia Hines | Auburn Hills Avondale H.S. | Auburn Hills, Mich. | Louisville |
| Amy Jaeschke | New Trier Township H.S. | Winnetka, Ill. | Northwestern |
| Lykendra Johnson | Trinity H.S. | River Forest, Ill. | Michigan St. |
| Brittany Johnson | East Richland H.S. | Olney, Ill. | Ohio State |
| Melissa Jones | Legacy H.S. | Broomfield, Colo. | Baylor |
| Dominique Kelly | Lincoln Northeast H.S. | Lincoln, Neb. | Nebraska |
| Sky Lindsay | Christ the King Regional H.S. | Middle Village, N.Y. | St. John’s |
| Kayla Pedersen | Red Mountain H.S. | Mesa, Ariz. | Stanford |
| Danielle Robinson | Archbishop Mitty H.S. | San Jose, Calif. | Oklahoma |
| Kimberly Rodgers | Princess Anne H.S. | Virginia Beach, Va. | Maryland |
| Lenita Sanford | Lynwood H.S. | Lynwood, Calif. | California |
| Brittany Strachan | Carver H.S. | Winston Salem, N.C. | N.C. State |
| Jaclyn Thoman | Highlands Ranch H.S. | Highlands Ranch, Colo. | Boston College |
| Hannah Tuomi | Horizon H.S. | Thornton, Colo. | Vanderbilt |
| Tyra White | Hickman Mills Senior H.S. | Kansas City, Mo. | LSU |
| Tanaeya Worden | Sioux City North H.S. | Sioux City, Iowa | Southern Illinois |
The Nike Co-Captains are the WNBA Detroit Shock’s Katie Smith and Chicago Sky’s Candice Dupree. Smith is a Kodak/WBCA All-American (1996) and played on the very first High School All-America Team in 1992. Dupree played in last year’s WBCA All-Star Challenge game. Smith and Dupree will be available for an autograph session at 4:00 p.m. (ET).
Fans can order tickets by visiting Ticketmaster. Tickets for the WBCA’s High School All-America Game presented by Nike start are $15.00 for general admission.
