Photo by Darian Lindsay / Sidelines Archive
The first day of the NCAA early signing period on Wednesday showed promise for the Middle Tennessee Women’s Basketball team. Four highly touted national recruits signed their letter of intent to play in Murfreesboro: Kara Meadows, LaSonja Edwards, Jadona Davis and Anna Jones. Each with a unique skill set, the signees will soon be on the court together as Lady Raiders.
Here, we give a brief breakdown of each of the players:
Kara Meadows
Center
6-foot-4-inches
Clarkrange HS, Clarkrange, Tenn.
Meadows, a highly skilled post-player, chose Middle Tennessee over offers from Ole Miss, Louisiana Tech and others. Head Coach Rick Insell described Meadows as “one of the best post players to come out the state in terms of fundamentals…” in a press release from MT Athletics.
Meadows shot 66 percent her sophomore year, breaking her own school record set a year prior at 62 percent. That kind of efficiency as well as her height will be a great pair with the talents of sophomore Alex Johnson under the boards.
LaSonja Edwards
Forward
6-foot-1-inch
Gulf Coast State College, Fort Pierce, Fla.
Edwards, a junior college transfer, is coming off of a season where she averaged 20.8 points per game. She also averaged eight rebounds, four assists and a little over three steals per game. Her versatility will help spread the floor and give the Blue Raiders more firepower.
Edwards also played a key role in getting Gulf Coast State College to a No. 1 ranking in the NJCAA Top 25. Coach Insell is excited by about the attitude of Edwards. “She’s about winning championships and that’s what we are about.” Coach Insell said.
Jadona Davis
Forward
6-foot-5-inches
Wayne County HS, Buckatunna, Miss.
The Blue Raiders may have struck gold with Jadona Davis. Davis, another great post player, chose Middle Tennessee over offers from LSU, Southern Miss and others. The forward’s ceiling has been described at “unbelievable” by Coach Insell. He even went as far as to say that he thinks Davis could go on to the WNBA.
Davis’ AAU coach Cara Holder echoed Coach Insell’s comments. “It’s scary because she has nowhere reached her total skill level,” Holder said.
Anna Jones
Guard
6-foot-1-inch
University School of Jackson, Jackson, Tenn.
Anna Jones, a highly-skilled scorer, led all of West Tennessee with a little more than 26 points per game in her junior season. She also averaged 9.8 rebounds and 4.4 steals.
Jones was also a part of Tom Insell’s travel team which she led to the National Championship. Tom Insell is the son of head coach Rick Insell. Jones will try to help fill a vacant gap in the backcourt after senior Ty Petty graduates this year.
Coach Rick Insell is excited about what Anna Jones can bring to this team.
“I saw her do things where she was used out of position and undersized and never quit battling and battling. She made a believer out of me. I had to have her. She’s got great touch. She’s 6-foot, 6-1, very intelligent, high basketball IQ, shoots the 3, and goes off the dribble. We are very excited about what she brings into our program,” Coach Insell said.
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