Nov. 19, 2008

SAN MARCOS - Texas State head coach Suzanne Fox announced today that four student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent to attend Texas State in the fall of 2009. The class consists of Anna Brzozowski, a 6-foot-2-inch, forward out of Harrah, Okla. (North Oklahoma College-Enid), Diamond Ford, a 5-foot-9-inch, guard out of Missouri City (Hightower HS), Alexa Hugee, a 6-foot-1-inch, forward from Huxley, Iowa (Ballard HS) and Dawnielle Kiel, a 5-foot-8-inch, guard from Houston (Cypress Creek HS).

"This is an exciting day for Texas State basketball. We got all four National Letters of Intents back, so they are all official now, and needless to say, we're all smiles." Fox said. "We feel as though, it's not a just a great recruiting class, but it's an absolute special class. As we have gotten to know them through the recruiting process, we feel we're getting great, ultra-competitive student-athletes who are all excited about wearing the Maroon and Gold next year."

A forward, Brzozowski averaged 9.6 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game last year as a freshman for North Oklahoma College-Enid and Head Coach Scott Morris. A former All-State selection at Harrah High School in Oklahoma, Brzozowski intends to major in elementary education.

"Anna is exciting because she has size and she has the capability to play multiple positions. She can guard different forward spots, is crafty around the basket and has a fairly consistent perimeter face-up game," said Fox. "She's also very savvy defender and is competitive but what she does best, is she has the ability to put the ball in the basket."

Ford, as a junior at Hightower High School in Missouri City, averaged 14.4 points per game to lead the Lady Hurricanes in scoring for Coach Deborah Mize. A first team All-District 23-5A selection as a guard, Ford intends to enroll in the McCoy School of Business while at Texas State.

A standout forward, Alexa Hugee averaged 8.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Bombers and Coach Merle Olberding at Ballard High School in Iowa. Hugee a standout in track, volleyball and basketball helped lead Ballard to a 23-3 record and a state semifinals appearance in class 3A in Iowa. Hugee intends to enroll in Pre-Professional program at Texas State and major in Pre-Dentistry.

"Alexa is going to be just an outstanding forward for us. She can really rebound, particularly out of her area and in traffic, can score both around the basket and some facing up, and can really fly down the floor in transition," Fox commented. "Hugee was limited some last year by injury, so her numbers were a little down, but we really believe in her and think that when healthy, she's going to be special as a player. She's athletic, fundamentally sound and has an incredible desire to succeed and be the best she can be."

As a guard for Betty Massakant at Cypress Creek High School, Dawn Kiel averaged over 16 points per game for the Lady Cougars as a junior in District 17-5A. Kiel, a first team All-District selection in District 17-5A and lead both the district and her team in scoring. While at Texas State, Dawn intends to major in Psychology.

"Dawn is a player who's mentally tough, with natural leadership qualities. She really has the potential to be a great defender because she has such quick hands & feet," Fox said. "She's the type of player who does whatever it takes to help her team have success; whether it be scoring, setting other people up, or defending the other team's best player. She's unselfish and just wants to win."

"Overall, it's an outstanding group of character kids with great work ethic and on the court they will give us a lot of versatility," said Fox. "This recruiting class helped us fill needs in terms of size, speed, skill and savvy and they will be asked to make major contributions since we are going to be losing a lot in this year's outgoing class." Added Fox, "A lot of people are comparing them to the group that came in two years ago and helped win a conference championship, and they are talented; But they'll need to earn those comparisons first. If they play to their potential, they have a chance to be a part of some special teams that will have their own championship moments."

"I want to thank my staff for all their hard work in executing our recruiting plan that is in place. We've had a solid process in our recruiting and we've rolled up our sleeves and worked within that process and the results during the fall signing period were outstanding," said Fox. "In addition to my staff, so much of the credit goes to our current student-athletes, students and faculty for promoting our university and to Athletic Director Dr. Larry Teis and Senior Women's Administrator Tracy Shoemake in providing the resources for our program so that we can pursue student-athletes of this caliber. We're really blessed to be a part of both an athletic department and a university that is so forward thinking in regards to athletics and especially women's basketball."