Carey Signs Five to 2012-13 Roster
November 09, 2011 12:20 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University women’s basketball coach Mike Carey announced today the signing of five players to the 2012-13 Mountaineer roster.
Bria Holmes (Hamden, Conn./James Hillhouse), Lanay Montgomery (Germantown, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross), Darius Faulk (New York, N.Y./Nazareth Regional), Jennie Simms (Accokeek, Md./Riverdale Baptist) and Makenzie White (Danville, W.Va./Scott) make up West Virginia’s 2012 signing class.
“This is a great class that we are bringing in. It is probably, as a collective group, the best class we have ever brought in during my time here,” Carey says. “We are very excited for the future of West Virginia women’s basketball because it is very bright. All these players are great people, who come from great families and we are really proud to have them here at West Virginia University.”
Holmes, a 6-foot-1 guard, out of James Hillhouse High, holds the highest ranking in the recruiting class as ESPNU HoopGurlz has her at No. 28. According to The JumpOffPlus report, Holmes is the 16th-best player in the country and second-best small forward. She was also ranked No. 23 by Dan Olson’s Collegiate Basketball Report and No. 24 by Blue Star rankings.
“Bria is a great sized guard that can play several positions,” Carey says. “She is one of those players that with her size, at 6-foot-1, can go inside out, shoot the three and also take it off the dribble on the fast break. The flexibility of someone like her also gives us a lot of things we can do on both sides of the court. She is highly recruited and we are very excited to have her. She gives us a type of player that we haven’t had here in a very long time.”
Holmes is a three-time Southern Connecticut All-Conference player who was named two-time New Haven Tap all-County, two-time CHSCA all-State, three-time all-State New Haven Register, three-time all-Area New Haven Register, two-time MSG Player of the Week and Southern Connecticut Conference Championship MVP.
“Bria has been one of the key pieces to the puzzle of success that Hillhouse has attained over the last three years,” James Hillhouse head coach and AAU Connecticut Lady Blazers coach Catrina Hawley-Stewart says. “Bria did not attain this success by simply doing what was required of her; it is the dedication and amount of excellence of going above and beyond what was expected of her that determines her greatness.”
Now entering her senior season, Holmes has helped James Hillhouse to a 72-9 record over the last three years and three straight state championships, while compiling 1,459 points, 486 rebounds, 324 assists, 405 steals and 162 blocks.
Montgomery joins the Mountaineers from Academy of the Holy Cross, coached by Ed Simpson, the same high school current WVU freshman Akilah Bethel hails from. A 6-foot-5 center, Montgomery is a three-star prospect that was named to the WCAC All-Conference first team her junior season.
“Lanay is one of the best high school post players in the country,” Carey says. “We’re excited to get her here. She’ll be able to contribute as a freshman and be able to come in with her size and skills and be a great player for us.”
“West Virginia University is getting a great young lady in Lanay Montgomery,” Milton Kimbrough, Montgomery’s AAU coach for the Maryland Lady Panthers, says. “With her desire and work ethic she will be a great contribution to that program, not only athletically but academically as well. It is a win-win for both parties. I’m very proud of her effort; her hard work has paid off. I know she will do well at WVU.”
Blue Star rankings has Montgomery as the 59th-best player in the nation, while The JumpOffPlus has her listed at No. 60. In addition to her first team all-conference honor, Montgomery was also named second team all-Metro, MVP of the holiday tournament and most improved player at Academy of the Holy Cross. She averaged 14.5 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game and 2.8 blocks per game, totaling 463 points, 278 rebounds and 88 blocks her junior season.
Faulk, a 5-foot-10 guard out of Nazareth Regional is ranked No. 60 in the class of 2012 and the No. 24 point guard by ESPNUHoopGurlz. She helped lead Nazareth Regional to its first New York State Federation Class AA Championship in 2011 and was also a freshman on the St. Michael’s Academy team that won the Federation title in 2009.
“Darius gives us speed on the perimeter,” Carey explains. “She is a very active point guard, very aggressive, defensively and offensively, gives us that extra burst of speed and plays extremely hard. She is one of the hardest working point guards I’ve seen in the country over the last couple years. We think she’ll be able to contribute immediately to the program.”
In addition to Nazareth Regional, Faulk plays for head coach Apache Paschall with AAU team Exodus NYC.
“Darius is the heart of my team,” Paschall says. “If I’m going to war, I want her by my side.”
At the close of the 2010-11 season, Faulk was a first team and all-state selection by the New York Sportswriters and Coaches Organization, averaging 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game.
Simms, a 6-foot forward out of Riverdale Baptist High, is ranked No. 87 overall and No. 20 in her position by ESPNUHoopGurlz. Her highest national ranking is No. 51 by both The JumpOffPlus and Blue Star, while All-Star Girl’s Report listed her as No. 62.
“Jennie Simms is very physical and one of those players who can play inside out. She can shoot the three, but can also take you inside and post you. She gives us a lot of flexibility within our defense and offense as that type of player.”
Simms joins former Boo Williams teammates and current Mountaineer players Linda Stepney and Crystal Leary.
“I am very pleased senior guard Jennie Simms has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend West Virginia University,” Riverdale Baptist head coach Diane Richardson says. “Jennie has been a starter since she came to Riverdale Baptist as a sophomore. In her junior season, Jennie averaged 14 points, 12 rebounds and two steals per game. Jennie has been an asset to her team with her tenacity and ability to always get her teammates involved in the game. She is one of the most competitive student athletes that I have ever coached and it shows every time she walks on to the court.”
White, a 5-foot-9 guard out of Scott High, is no stranger to the Mountaineer program as the Danville, W.Va., native was raised around WVU camps and games. As a junior, White helped the Skyhawks to the semifinals of the Class AA state tournament in 2011, tying a state record with 37 points in the 63-61 opening-round victory over Pikeview. White is ranked No. 67 in Blue Star’s national rankings.
“Makenzie White is a player from the state that we are excited to have here at West Virginia University,” Carey says. “She is an extremely hard worker, can score the basketball and is a very physical player. She will fit in great in our program.”
“Makenzie is the most competitive and hardest-playing athlete we've had in our program,” Scott head coach John Porter says. “Her ball handling skills, court vision, and physical strength make her a tough guard for opponents. Her defensive intensity and aggressiveness are unmatched. Her leadership abilities on a freshman and sophomore dominated squad are vital to our success. She is an ideal role model for our younger players. I feel with her skills and dedication she will be successful at the next level.”
White is a three-time Boone County Player of the Year, a three-time AA All-State selection, twice named to the first team, and a two-time Class AA State Runner-Up with each time named to the all-tournament team. She broke the all-time scoring record for both boys and girls basketball at Scott High as she has amassed 1,567 points, 676 rebounds 449 assists, 255 steals and 104 blocks in her three-year career. In her junior season, White averaged 21.7 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game and 6.1 assists per game. In addition to Scott, White also played for Tom Jenkins with OH Sports City U.
“We are very excited to mesh this group of talented players in with the players that we have returning for the next two and three years,” Carey says. “They have been highly ranked on the national recruiting scale and rightfully so. I can see all of them contributing immediately to our program. We were able to go out and attract some of the most talented players in the country.”
Bria Holmes (Hamden, Conn./James Hillhouse), Lanay Montgomery (Germantown, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross), Darius Faulk (New York, N.Y./Nazareth Regional), Jennie Simms (Accokeek, Md./Riverdale Baptist) and Makenzie White (Danville, W.Va./Scott) make up West Virginia’s 2012 signing class.
“This is a great class that we are bringing in. It is probably, as a collective group, the best class we have ever brought in during my time here,” Carey says. “We are very excited for the future of West Virginia women’s basketball because it is very bright. All these players are great people, who come from great families and we are really proud to have them here at West Virginia University.”
 | |
Bria Holmes |
Holmes, a 6-foot-1 guard, out of James Hillhouse High, holds the highest ranking in the recruiting class as ESPNU HoopGurlz has her at No. 28. According to The JumpOffPlus report, Holmes is the 16th-best player in the country and second-best small forward. She was also ranked No. 23 by Dan Olson’s Collegiate Basketball Report and No. 24 by Blue Star rankings.
“Bria is a great sized guard that can play several positions,” Carey says. “She is one of those players that with her size, at 6-foot-1, can go inside out, shoot the three and also take it off the dribble on the fast break. The flexibility of someone like her also gives us a lot of things we can do on both sides of the court. She is highly recruited and we are very excited to have her. She gives us a type of player that we haven’t had here in a very long time.”
Holmes is a three-time Southern Connecticut All-Conference player who was named two-time New Haven Tap all-County, two-time CHSCA all-State, three-time all-State New Haven Register, three-time all-Area New Haven Register, two-time MSG Player of the Week and Southern Connecticut Conference Championship MVP.
“Bria has been one of the key pieces to the puzzle of success that Hillhouse has attained over the last three years,” James Hillhouse head coach and AAU Connecticut Lady Blazers coach Catrina Hawley-Stewart says. “Bria did not attain this success by simply doing what was required of her; it is the dedication and amount of excellence of going above and beyond what was expected of her that determines her greatness.”
Now entering her senior season, Holmes has helped James Hillhouse to a 72-9 record over the last three years and three straight state championships, while compiling 1,459 points, 486 rebounds, 324 assists, 405 steals and 162 blocks.
 | |
Lanay Montgomery |
Montgomery joins the Mountaineers from Academy of the Holy Cross, coached by Ed Simpson, the same high school current WVU freshman Akilah Bethel hails from. A 6-foot-5 center, Montgomery is a three-star prospect that was named to the WCAC All-Conference first team her junior season.
“Lanay is one of the best high school post players in the country,” Carey says. “We’re excited to get her here. She’ll be able to contribute as a freshman and be able to come in with her size and skills and be a great player for us.”
“West Virginia University is getting a great young lady in Lanay Montgomery,” Milton Kimbrough, Montgomery’s AAU coach for the Maryland Lady Panthers, says. “With her desire and work ethic she will be a great contribution to that program, not only athletically but academically as well. It is a win-win for both parties. I’m very proud of her effort; her hard work has paid off. I know she will do well at WVU.”
Blue Star rankings has Montgomery as the 59th-best player in the nation, while The JumpOffPlus has her listed at No. 60. In addition to her first team all-conference honor, Montgomery was also named second team all-Metro, MVP of the holiday tournament and most improved player at Academy of the Holy Cross. She averaged 14.5 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game and 2.8 blocks per game, totaling 463 points, 278 rebounds and 88 blocks her junior season.
 | |
Darius Faulk |
Faulk, a 5-foot-10 guard out of Nazareth Regional is ranked No. 60 in the class of 2012 and the No. 24 point guard by ESPNUHoopGurlz. She helped lead Nazareth Regional to its first New York State Federation Class AA Championship in 2011 and was also a freshman on the St. Michael’s Academy team that won the Federation title in 2009.
“Darius gives us speed on the perimeter,” Carey explains. “She is a very active point guard, very aggressive, defensively and offensively, gives us that extra burst of speed and plays extremely hard. She is one of the hardest working point guards I’ve seen in the country over the last couple years. We think she’ll be able to contribute immediately to the program.”
In addition to Nazareth Regional, Faulk plays for head coach Apache Paschall with AAU team Exodus NYC.
“Darius is the heart of my team,” Paschall says. “If I’m going to war, I want her by my side.”
At the close of the 2010-11 season, Faulk was a first team and all-state selection by the New York Sportswriters and Coaches Organization, averaging 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game.
 | |
Jennie Simms |
Simms, a 6-foot forward out of Riverdale Baptist High, is ranked No. 87 overall and No. 20 in her position by ESPNUHoopGurlz. Her highest national ranking is No. 51 by both The JumpOffPlus and Blue Star, while All-Star Girl’s Report listed her as No. 62.
“Jennie Simms is very physical and one of those players who can play inside out. She can shoot the three, but can also take you inside and post you. She gives us a lot of flexibility within our defense and offense as that type of player.”
Simms joins former Boo Williams teammates and current Mountaineer players Linda Stepney and Crystal Leary.
“I am very pleased senior guard Jennie Simms has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend West Virginia University,” Riverdale Baptist head coach Diane Richardson says. “Jennie has been a starter since she came to Riverdale Baptist as a sophomore. In her junior season, Jennie averaged 14 points, 12 rebounds and two steals per game. Jennie has been an asset to her team with her tenacity and ability to always get her teammates involved in the game. She is one of the most competitive student athletes that I have ever coached and it shows every time she walks on to the court.”
 | |
Makenzie White |
White, a 5-foot-9 guard out of Scott High, is no stranger to the Mountaineer program as the Danville, W.Va., native was raised around WVU camps and games. As a junior, White helped the Skyhawks to the semifinals of the Class AA state tournament in 2011, tying a state record with 37 points in the 63-61 opening-round victory over Pikeview. White is ranked No. 67 in Blue Star’s national rankings.
“Makenzie White is a player from the state that we are excited to have here at West Virginia University,” Carey says. “She is an extremely hard worker, can score the basketball and is a very physical player. She will fit in great in our program.”
“Makenzie is the most competitive and hardest-playing athlete we've had in our program,” Scott head coach John Porter says. “Her ball handling skills, court vision, and physical strength make her a tough guard for opponents. Her defensive intensity and aggressiveness are unmatched. Her leadership abilities on a freshman and sophomore dominated squad are vital to our success. She is an ideal role model for our younger players. I feel with her skills and dedication she will be successful at the next level.”
White is a three-time Boone County Player of the Year, a three-time AA All-State selection, twice named to the first team, and a two-time Class AA State Runner-Up with each time named to the all-tournament team. She broke the all-time scoring record for both boys and girls basketball at Scott High as she has amassed 1,567 points, 676 rebounds 449 assists, 255 steals and 104 blocks in her three-year career. In her junior season, White averaged 21.7 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game and 6.1 assists per game. In addition to Scott, White also played for Tom Jenkins with OH Sports City U.
“We are very excited to mesh this group of talented players in with the players that we have returning for the next two and three years,” Carey says. “They have been highly ranked on the national recruiting scale and rightfully so. I can see all of them contributing immediately to our program. We were able to go out and attract some of the most talented players in the country.”
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