Lady Bears Sign Five to National Letters of Intent
11/8/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2000
WACO, Texas - First-year Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson signed five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, including two ranked in the nation's top 100. Signing on the dotted line to attend Baylor were Steffanie and Tiffanie Blackmon, Jordan Davis, Melanie Hamerly and Lauren Selmon. Steffanie Blackmon and Davis are both among the nation's top recruits.
"We are very excited 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, however, we realize that we must see what they can do when they get to the collegiate level," Mulkey-Robertson said.
Rowlett High School twins Steffanie and Tiffanie Blackmon were two of the most highly recruited athletes in the state. Steffanie, a 6-2 post, is the highest ranked player signed by Mulkey-Robertson, ranking 57th nationally by All Star Girls Report and No. 4 by Texas Girls Basketball Report. Steffanie averaged 19.8 points and 13.7 rebounds last season at Rowlett HS while Tiffanie, a 6-0 post, played at Dallas Lincoln last year.
According to Mulkey-Robertson, "This set of tall twins bring 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 goal. 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, rated one of the top recruits in the state, has made a commitment with the Baylor women's basketball team. Davis is ranked 90th nationally by the All Star Girls Report and No. 7 by the Texas Girls Basketball Report.
Davis, 5-9, 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 pick, Davis averaged 23.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 9.2 assists for Valley View last year. She also shot 91 percent from the free-throw line and is an outstanding three-point shooter.
Her sophomore season, Davis averaged 18 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists. She attended Slidell (Texas) High School s a freshman and averaged 20.5 points. Davis has scored 2,250 points in her three high school seasons.
"Jordan Davis is a left-handed point guard who can play the off guard because she is a good perimeter shooter. She is my type of guard -- she can score, she can handle pressure and she is a coach on the floor," Mulkey-Robertson said. "She is the type of person coaches love to coach. Jordan 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."
Melanie Hamerly is a 6-5 post from Cypress-Mauriceville High School. The Orange, Texas native averaged 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals last season. She was named the most valuable player of the Beaumont Enterprise's super gold team.
"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," Mulkey-Robertson commented. "I like her competitive nature. She's big and agile. Her best basketball is yet to come and we look forward to her development."
Lauren Selmon, an all-state forward from Norman, Okla., averaged 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season for Norman High School. The 5-10 forward, led the Lady Tigers to the Class 6A state semifinals last season.
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-American honors last summer after leading the Oklahoma Air Sooners to a second-place finish in the national tournament.
Selmon comes from an extremely athletic family. Her father, Dewey, was an all-American defensive lineman for Oklahoma (1974-75), her sister, Shannon, plays basketball at Oklahoma and sister, Megan, plays basketball for Trinity University in San Antonio.
"She is a three player (forward) who just finds a way to win!", Mulkey-Robertson said. "As you watch Lauren play, one is 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, turn into an aggressive defender. Lauren is an outstanding student and is one of the most articulate student-athletes I've ever recruited. She's a perfect fit for Baylor."
2000-2001 Early Signees
Steffanie Blackmon 6-2 Post Dallas, Texas (Rowlett HS)Tiffanie Blackmon 6-0 Post Dallas, Texas (Rowlett HS)Jordan Davis 5-9 Guard Celina, Texas (Celina HS)Melanie Hamerly 6-5 Post Orange, Texas (Cypress-Mauriceville HS)Lauren Selmon 5-10 Forward Norman, Okla.
