HPU Women’s Basketball Inks Three for 2013-24

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Kaylah Keys, DeAnneisha Jackson and Latrice Phelps have signed National Letters of Intent to join the High Point University women’s basketball team, head coach DeUnna Hendrix announced on Friday. They will join three other newcomers and seven returners for next season.

“I am very excited to put the finishing touches on this recruiting class,” Hendrix said. “Every one of these girls will bring a winning attitude to High Point University both on and off the court. These three, along with the others we have signed make us a much deeper and more talented team.”

Keys is the all-time scoring leader at the Harding Academy with 2.538 career points. The Southaven, Miss. native, also holds the school records for most career three-pointers and free throws made. Keys led Harding to four district championships, two region championships and a state championship in 2010. As a freshman on the 2010 state championship, Keys was named the MVP and later went on to be named a Miss Basketball finalist for three years and a Best of the Preps finalist for three years. She was also a three-time district player of the year and three-time all-state honoree.

“Kaylah has the ability to play the point or shooting guard positions.” Hendrix said. “But we will look for her to be our floor general. She is a tireless worker with a great basketball IQ. She is also a proven winner and that is a great quality in a player. We look forward to Kaylah being our coach on the floor for years to come.”

Jackson joins HPU from Angier, N.C. where she was a standout at Harnett Central High School. A three-time Greater Neuse 4A All-Conference selection and the conference MVP this year, Jackson averaged 15 during her junior year and 18 during her senior campaign. She also averaged nine rebounds per game as a senior. Along with being voted MVP of her squad, Jackson is a three-time all-district performer and led the Trojans to a district runner-up finish last season. This summer Jackson will play in the North Carolina East-West Game.

“DeAnneisha brings length, speed, athleticism, and a true defensive post presence to our inside game,” Hendrix said. “She is already very skilled both from the perimeter and on the block and she will only get better.”

The final member of the recruiting class is Phelps, a Virginia Beach, Va. native who played the last two seasons at Louisburg College. Phelps helped Louisburg win the 2013 NJCAA National Championship in March. She averaged 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season, helping the Hurricanes go 32-3. In the National Championship game she posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and was given the CAT Power Player Award.

“Latrice is the epitome of what we want this entire class to represent,” Hendrix said. “She will bring versatility, athleticism, work ethic and leadership to our team. Her experience and skill will greatly add to our post game. The lessons Latrice learned on a national title run will be invaluable as we work toward a Big South Championship next season.”

Keys, Jackson and Phelps will join Maja Michalska, Ashley Fields and Teddy Vincent in the 2012-13 recruiting class. Michalska is a shooting guard from Piastow, Poland who has been on top-ten teams throughout her career. Fields is a 5-foot-10 guard from Goose Creek, S.C. She was named one of the Top 5 seniors in South Carolina by the South Carolina High School Basketball Coaches Association. Vincent is a 5-foot-10 who earned All-District and All-Region accolades and named second-team All-West Tennessee last year.