USCA Announces Signing of Five to National Letters of Intent

AIKEN, S.C. – USC Aiken head women’s basketball coach Mike Brandt announced the signing of five student-athletes to a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, May 20.

Coach Brandt’s incoming class will feature three high school signings and two transfers.

Brandt is excited about the entire class and the competition that it will bring within the program as it continues to strive to remain atop the Peach Belt Conference landscape.

“When you bring transfers in you expect them to play right away,” remarked Brandt. “The two that we have brought in should do just that. I really think that overall with the five we are bringing in that you could use this class as a starting line-up and be competitive in the Peach Belt Conference next year. With what we have coming back and this strong incoming class we should have some healthy competition for playing time and starting positions.”

Hannah Degraffinreed joins the USC Aiken women’s basketball program from Merrimack College, which is a member of the NCAA Division II Northeast-10 Conference. Degraffinreed has three years of eligibility remaining.

Degraffinreed finished second in the Northeast-10 Conference in rebounding as a freshman, bringing down 10.0 rebounds per game. She was also seventh in the league in field goal percentage at 50 percent (100-for-200). An imposing presence underneath who can log minutes, Degraffinreed blocked an average of .89 shots per game and finished eighth in the conference in minutes played.

A native of Raleigh, N.C., Degraffinreed played her high school basketball at Millbrook High School. A first team all-conference selection in both basketball and track, Degraffinreed was also an Academic All-Conference selection at Millbrook. A member of the school’s 1,000-point club she guided her high school team as the team’s co-captain and co-MVP in 2007-08 to the North Carolina 4A East Sectional Championship. Her efforts led to her being named Millbrook’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2008.

“Signing the number two rebounder from an extremely tough Division II league is a real steal for us,” noted Brandt. “We must replace all of Morgan Johnson’s boards, and to get someone that comes in with a double-figure rebounding average is fantastic. Hannah is very aggressive and will fill a huge void for us.”

Catherine Cain will play her final season in a Pacer uniform. A transfer from NCAA Division I Ohio University, Cain finished the 2007-08 season shooting 44.8 percent from the floor and 77 percent from the free throw line. She played in 30 games overall, starting seven. She was chosen to the all-tournament team at the Air Force Classic.

In 2008-09, Cain averaged 1.7 points per game in 7.9 minutes on the floor.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Cain played high school basketball at the Stivers School for the Arts where she was a second team all-state, second team all-district and first team all-league selection. A guard/forward, Cain averaged 18.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game to go along with three steals per game as a senior in high school.

“Cat is a player that got caught in a coaching change and did not have great numbers last year,” said Brandt. “She is a true Division I student-athlete that will be a productive player for us. She is very versatile and she will fit in well inside and out for us in our system.”

Brandt’s incoming freshman class covers the better part of the nation with Mia Antoine joining the USC Aiken women’s basketball program out of Dominion Christian High School in Marietta, Ga. and Brittany Bowen making her way to Aiken out of Mount Hebron High School in Ellicot City, Md. Daniela Tarailo will join Brandt’s program out of Crown Point High School in Crown Point, Ind.

“All three of our high school signings have everything that we look for in a student-athlete at USC Aiken,” mused Brandt. “They are all honor roll students, quality people and very good basketball players. They obviously have some big shoes to fill at the guard positions, but each of them in their own right has some highly exceptional qualities. This freshman class excites me just as much as our strong freshman class that just departed did four years ago.”

Antoine was named to the Georgia Independent School Association all-state team. A first team all-region pick as well, Antoine was named All-Cobb County Honorable Mention and as the Cobb County Player of the Month for December of 2008.

A member of the Cobb County All-Star team, Antoine averaged 14.1 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game in the 2008-09 season. The 14.1 points per game were good for seventh in the state of Georgia among point guards, while her rebounding numbers left her third in the state among point guards.

Antoine dished out an average of 5.3 assists per game (seventh in Georgia) last year. She also swiped an average of 8.2 steals per game, which was the tops among all Georgia women’s basketball players.

“Mia will be a great addition to our team as a strong point guard,” said Brandt. “She plays exceptional defense and anticipates well. She is a great student and a smart player on the floor as well.”

Bowen was a four-year varsity player at Mount Hebron High School. After receiving Most Improved plaudits after her sophomore season, Bowen helped lead her team to a perfect 28-0 record during her junior season in 2007-08. Mount Hebron en route to the perfect record obtained the county, region and state championship. For her efforts she was chosen first team All-Howard County.

During her senior season in 2008-09, Bowen, who averaged 13.7 points per game, was once again named first team All-Howard County. Her 84.5 percent free throw shooting led her conference along with her 4.4 steals per game. Bowen also knocked down a conference-best 54 three-pointers.

“Brittany comes from a tremendous basketball program,” indicated Brandt. “She played on a team that went undefeated with a state championship her junior season. She is very good all-around player that can shoot and defend well.”

A member of the varsity team at Crown Point all four years, Tarailo was a team captain during her junior and senior seasons. A IBCA/IHSAA Top 60 senior and a Hoosier Basketball Magazine Top 60 Workout Invitee, Tarailo was also the president of Crown Point’s Student Athletic Council.

An All-Indiana Honorable Mention selection, Tarailo averaged 17.6 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game as a senior. A strong shooter, Tarailo shot 48 percent from the field in total. She connected on 40 percent of her shots from beyond the arc during her senior season. Her efforts during her senior season led to her being named Crown Point’s Female Athlete of the Year. She was also named all-area and all-conference after her senior campaign.

“I am very excited to have Daniela join our team,” said Brandt. “She has similar qualities of our two departing senior guards in Meredith Legg and Megan Starnes. She can knock down the shots along with being very athletic and playing smart at the same time.”