Cowgirls basketball gets six to commit
Published 12:34 pm Wednesday, September 11, 2013
McNeese women’s basketball coach Brooks Donald Williams has been hitting the recruiting trail and it’s paying off. Donald Williams has pulled in a slew of recruits in recent weeks, receiving verbal commitments from six players from across the South, including three on Sunday alone.
Three of the recent commitments came from in-state recruits. Ledetriha “DeDe” Sheppard, a five-foot-six senior guard/forward from North Caddo High School, gave Williams her word in late August after a visit.
“I love the organization,” she said. “Everybody is like family. They love each other. It was awesome.”
Sheppard said she also had interest from Louisiana-Lafayette, but said McNeese pursued her harder.
Anna Shaw, a 5-foot-4 junior point guard from Lake Arthur High School, also recently gave a verbal commitment to the Cowgirls.
“It’s really close to home and (the coaching staff is) all very nice,” Shaw said. “I’ve been going to their camps for years now and they’re very friendly and fun to be around. It’s still kind of hard for me to believe. It’s very exciting.”
Shaw already has experience playing with a future fellow McNeese women’s basketball player, as 5-9 sophomore guard Mady Brasseaux from Lacassine gave a verbal commitment to the Cowgirls recently.
“Mady Brasseaux played with me on an AAU team this summer and we’re pretty good friends,” Shaw said. “It’s very helpful because I’m going to know someone already and it’s not just going to be a bunch of new people (at McNeese).”
On Sunday, three more players gave verbal pledges to McNeese. Fredericka Haywood, a 6-1 senior forward from John F. Kennedy High School in Mound Bayou, Miss., Ann Nwosah, a 6-foot senior forward from Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg, Texas, and Keara Hudnall, a 5-10 senior guard from Pearland High School in Texas all joined the class.
Hudnall said Williams and her staff are doing a good job of making recruits feel at home.
“They make you feel like you’re welcomed and you’re already part of the family,” she said. “(Williams) is being herself and being consistent with showing that she wants you there and she’s going to try her best to get you there. She’s showing that she really cares about you and not just about sports, but also about you, your personal life, and your education.”
(American Press Archives)
