April 14, 2010
LAS VEGAS - Lenita Sanford, a former national top-10 high school recruit, has signed a national letter of intent to play for the UNLV women's basketball team starting in the fall of 2010-11, head coach Kathy Olivier announced on Wednesday.
"Lenita will be a very good compliment to our inside game, and we're very happy to have her join our Lady Rebel family," said Olivier. "Her inside presence on both sides of the floor will be a huge addition to our team. She loves to compete, is very aggressive on the court and has the potential to make an immediate impact."
A 6-3 forward and native of Lynwood, Calif., her high school senior year (2006-07) Sanford was ranked No. 9 nationally by All-Star Girls Report, No. 18 by Blue Star Index and No. 24 by HoopGurlz.com. A four-time ALL-CIF Division I selection as well as a McDonalds, Parade, adidas and Street and Smith All-American her senior season, she led Lynwood High to two CIF Section titles (2004 and 2006). She averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks a game her senior season for Lynwood, and was also the Cal High All-State Freshman of the Year in 2004 as well as an All-Star Girls Report Freshman All-American. Other high school accomplishments included eight triple-doubles during her sophomore year and being named Long Beach Press Telegram Dream Player of the Year in 2006.
Sanford originally attended Trinity Valley CC in Texas but suffered a knee injury and sat out the 2007-08 season. She then transferred to Chipola JC in Marianna, Florida, where she averaged 7.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 53% from the floor on the way to earning 2009 All-Panhandle Conference Second Team honors. Sanford helped the Lady Indians to their best finish in school history, a third-place showing in the 2009 NJCAA Tournament, a 30-6 overall record and the FCCAA state championship. She attended El Camino College in California during the 2009-10 school year but did not play basketball for the school.
Sanford becomes the fourth member of the 2009-10 recruiting class, joining fall signees Ta'Nitra Byrd of Long Beach, Calif., Rmanni Haynes of Redesa, Calif., and LaTia Morrison of Phoenix, Ariz. They will be joining a UNLV team that finished 13-18 in 2009-10, but returns all five starters as well as its top eight scorers.
