May 21, 2009

LAS VEGAS - Markiell Styles has signed a national letter of intent to play for the UNLV women's basketball team starting in the fall of 2009-10, head coach Kathy Olivier announced on Thursday.

A 6-3 center from Oakland, Calif., Styles will have three years of eligibility at UNLV after playing this past season at Ohlone JC in Fremont, Calif., where she earned honorable mention All-Coast Conference honors. She averaged 10 points and eight rebounds a game for the Renegades while helping them to a 19-12 mark, a perfect 12-0 conference record, and to the Sweet 16 of the California junior college playoffs.

Styles lettered three years at Skyline High in Oakland, Calif., and was a two-time all-conference selection. She lead Skyline to the NorCal playoffs her senior season, and ranked in the top 10 in the state for blocks per game as well.

"With the graduation of an all-conference center (Shamela Hampton), one of our goals for this recruiting class was to bring in a post player and so we're very excited to have Markiell join the Lady Rebels," said Olivier. "She is a strong defensive player and is very good at using her size to become an intimating presence in the post on defense."

Styles is the fifth player to sign with the Lady Rebels this year. She joins three from the fall signing period, guard Kelly Thompson (Long Beach, Calif.), forward Amanda Anderson (The Woodlands, Texas) and point guard Mia Bell (Las Vegas, Nev.), while forward Ashley Kroneberger (Springville, Utah) signed in the spring. The fall signing class was ranked 56th in the nation by ESPN/Hoopgurlz, and was the second-highest rated class in the Mountain West Conference.