May 15, 2003
LAS VEGAS - Five recruits have signed their national letter of intent to play for the UNLV women's basketball team for the upcoming 2003-04 season as announced by UNLV coach Regina Miller Thursday.
Latosha Pace, a 5-foot-10 guard out of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Mich., was the first recruit to commit to UNLV back in the fall signing period. Her high school team, which is also the alma mater of current Lady Rebel Nejlah Clark, finished second at the state championships this season. A Nike High School All-American and top 100 recruit in the nation, Pace chose UNLV over Old Dominion, Wright State and Syracuse.
"Latosha is a tremendous three-point threat," Miller said. "She comes from a strong high school program and is a consistent shooter. If I had to compare her long range to a player in our conference (Mountain West), it would be BYU's Erin Thorn."
Tiffani Burries, a 6-foot-4 center out of Lynwood High School in Lynwood, Calif., hails from one of the nation's top high school girls basketball programs. Her team won back-to-back state championships in her junior and senior seasons and were ranked as high as second nationally in 2002-03. An Honor Roll student and a member of the National Honor Society, Burries looks to major in psychology at UNLV. Chose UNLV over Cincinnati, Tulane and Kansas.
"Tiffani has an aggressive inside presence with the ability to score with her back to the basket," Miller said. "She has an understanding of what it takes to be a true champion from her high school winning background. She will add depth in our post game."
Kameca Simmons, a 5-foot-9 guard out of Lynwood High School in Lynwood, Calif., will join her high school teammate Tiffani Burries next season at UNLV. She was named first team All-CIF and second team all-state as the Knights won their second state championship in 2002-03. Most recently, she was crowned MVP of the city vs. CIF All-Star Game. A Street & Smith's All-American, Simmons chose UNLV over USC and Cal.
"Kameca comes from a strong athletic family background bringing a competitive edge to our team," Miller said. "She is an unselfish player who will be able to distribute the ball, yet be a threat offensively to key the defense."
Shana Coleman, a 5-foot-9 guard out of Widefield High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., is an incoming junior transfer from Western Nebraska Community College. A JUCO First Team All-American in 2002-03, Coleman led the nation in steals per game as her team finished second in the national championship game. During her prep career, she was named State 4A Player of the Year and 4A Division Ms. Basketball averaging 21.0 ppg, 4.0 spg and 4.0 apg as a senior. Chose UNLV over Southeast Missouri State, Nebraska and Alabama-Birmingham.
"Shana brings the most experience out of this year's recruiting class," Miller said. "She can play at either the one-or-two guard spots and will make an immediate impact."
Kisha Lee, a 5-foot-11 forward out of Carver High School in Chicago, Ill., rounds out this year's recruiting class. She holds the sixth all-time best record in Illinois girls basketball history, scoring 65 points in a single game and was named an all-city selection in 2002-03. Lee recently participated in the Chicagoland High School All-Star Jamboree, where she earned MVP honors. Chose UNLV over Kent State.
"Kisha is a bit of a sleeper with a lot of up potential," Miller said. "She is our diamond in the rough in the late signing period. She will bring instant offense and we will be able to use a big front line next season with her addition."
Pace, Burries, Simmons, Coleman and Lee will join newcomers RanDee Henry (F, Jr., Detroit, Mich., Detroit Mercy), Amy Loftus (C, Jr., Maryville, Ill., Missouri) and Nikki Hitchens (F, So., Las Vegas, Texas-Pan American), who sat out the 2002-03 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
"We have a great young class of student-athletes who come from winning programs and will enhance the winning attitude in our program," Miller said. "Overall, they (recruits and transfers) will increase our opportunities to compete for a Mountain West Conference Championship."
