Dave Campbell's Women's Basketball Signee Report
11/22/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2000
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First-year Baylor Lady Bears basketball coach Kim Mulkey wasted no time in starting to restock the cupboard she found lacking in so many ways when she arrived last spring. She signed five high school stars for future delivery to Lady Bear ranks, and two of them rank among the nation's top 100 prospects.
Signing with Mulkey and her aides were Rowlett High School twins and post/power forwards Steffanie and Tiffanie Blackmon, Celina point guard Jordan Davis, Cypress-Mauriceville post Melanie Hamerly and Norman (Okla.) forward Lauren Selmon.
Said Mulkey: "We are very excited that these young ladies have joined the Baylor family. With their signing, we feel we are heading in the right direction as we take this program to the next level. Each player comes from an outstanding family and a quality basketball program.
"On paper, this class looks very good. Of course, we realize that we must see what they can do when they get to the collegiate level."
Mulkey not only signed excellent talent but also unusual size, a combination the Lady Bears have not had in abundance the past few years.
THE BLACKMON TWINS were two of the most highly recruited athletes in women's basketball in Texas.
Steffanie, a 6-2 post, is the highest-ranked player signed by Mulkey. She is ranked 57th nationally by All-Star Girls Report and No. 4 by Texas Girls Basketball Report. She averaged 19.8 points and 13.7 rebounds last season for Rowlett.
Meanwhile, her sister Tiffanie, a 6-0 post, played at Dallas Lincoln. The two girls made it plain that they wanted to be together in college. Steffanie, the more heavily recruited of the two, said she only considered schools that also recruited Tiffanie.
"We've been together for so long and we've always been there to support each other," Steffanie explained to John Werner (Waco Tribune-Herald). "I really liked Baylor and the energy of coach Mulkey-Robertson and her staff."
According to Mulkey, "This set of tall twins brings us depth and size at the post position. Tiffanie is more of a finesse player who can shoot the high post shot. Steffanie has the ability to play with her back to the basket -- or facing the post. She likes to mix it up down at the low post.
"Both have the ability to pull down rebounds. Having them in our program will pay dividends and I look forward to coaching them."
CELINA POINT GUARD Jordan Davis, 5-9, is rated one of the top recruits in the state, being ranked 90th nationally by All-Star Girls Report and No. 7 by Texas Girls Basketball Report. She transferred to Class 2A Celina this year after leading Valley View to two straight second-place finishes in the Class 1A state tournament. A two-time Class 1A all-state selection, she averaged 23.5 points, 2 rebounds and 9.2 assists for Valley View last year. She also shot 91 percent from the free throw line and has proven herself to be an outstanding three-point shooter.
Her sophomore season Davis averaged 18 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists. And as a freshman, attending Slidell High School, she averaged 20.5 points. She has scored 2,250 points in her three high school seasons.
"Jordan Davis is a left-handed point guard who also can play the off guard because she is a good perimeter shooter," said Mulkey. "She is my type of guard -- she can score, she can handle pressure and she is a coach on the floor. She is the type of person coaches love to coach. She turned down some very established programs to come to Baylor and help us get to the next level.
"Her commitment will have a lasting impact on Lady Bear basketball," she predicted.
MELANIE HAMERLY is a highly-sought 6-5 post from Cypress-Mauriceville (in East Texas). She is an Orange native who averaged 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals last season.
"At 6-5, Melanie will be one of the taller players to wear a Lady Bear uniform. She brings the size we need to rebound and compete in the Big 12," said Mulkey. "I like her competitive nature. She's big and agile. Her best basketball is yet to come, and we look forward to her development."
The Lady Bears' fifth signee, LAUREN SELMON, is a 5-10 forward who has outstanding bloodlines to go with her equally outstanding athletic portfolio. Her father, Dewey, was an All-America defensive lineman in football for Oklahoma, her sister, Shannon, plays basketball at OU, and her sister, Mean, plays basketball for Trinity in San Antonio.
Lauren averaged 20.2 points, 10.6 boards and 3.0 assists last season for Norman High School in Oklahoma, a team she led to the Class 6A state semifinals.
She is a two-time Oklahoma All-Mid-State selection, and was the league's sophomore of the year in 1998-99. She earned AAU All-America honors last summer after leading the Oklahoma Air Sooners to a second-place finish in the national tournament.
"Lauren is a three player (small forward) who just finds a way to win," said Mulkey. "As you watch Lauren play, you are impressed with her ability to get the job done. She can shoot the 12- to 15-foot jumper and then at the other end of the court she can turn into an aggressive defender.
"She is an outstanding student and one of the most articulate student-athletes I've ever recruited. She's a perfect fit for Baylor."
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