Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Finish Recruiting Class
4/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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49ers Complete Recruiting Class with JC Transfers LONG BEACH, CA-- Long Beach State women's basketball finished its 2007-08 recruiting class with local standouts and junior college transfers, Ana Fakatou (5-11, F, Long Beach/Wilson HS/Cypress JC) and Lynea Williams (5-9, G, Los Angeles/Crenshaw HS/Los Angeles CC) signing national letters of intents. The duo joins Brittany Brumfield (5-8, G, Long Beach/Poly HS), LaTorya Barbee (5-6, G, Moreno Valley/Canyon Springs HS) and Ashley Bookman (6-0, F, Redondo Beach/Redondo HS), who signed early. "I thought it was important to add some experience to our youthful roster," said Head Coach Mary Hegarty, who enters her fifth year in 2007-08. "Lynea and Ana bring skill, athleticism, and maturity to our program. They have the character and work ethic I value and they are also representative of the emphasis I place on recruiting locally. Ana and Lynea are accomplished community college student-athletes who will blend nicely with our returners and the three student-athletes we signed early." A former All-Moore League pick at nearby Wilson High, Fakatou originally signed with Nebraska after being named a two-time Orange Empire Conference MVP in 2004-05 and 2005-06. She is slated to complete her AA at Cypress Junior College this spring, where she played for former LBSU Final Four guard Margaret Mohr. Fakatou finished her career third all-time in scoring (1095 points) and fifth in rebounds (548). She was also a two-time all-state selection, leading the Chargers in scoring behind a 17.6 points per game clip as a sophomore. The 5-11 forward averaged 16.7 points per game as a freshman, ranking sixth in the state in shooting (55 percent). She shot 52 percent and averaged 8.6 rebounds per game over her 64-game career. The well traveled Williams, is a 5-9 guard who was named the Co-MVP of the South Coast Conference in 2006-07. She ranked second in the league in scoring at 17.7 points per game and also notched 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. Williams, who was the Los Angeles Times Regional Player of the Year at Crenshaw High following a 16.6 point and 10.0 rebound per game clip as a senior, originally signed with Vermont and redshirted the 2004-05 season due to a shoulder injury. In the spring of 2006 she attended Weatherford Junior College in Texas. Amongst earlier signees, Barbee averaged 8.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game as a senior at Canyon Springs High earning second team All-CIF honors and second team All-Ivy League accolades. Brumfield, who missed her junior year because of a knee injury, rebounded to lead Poly High in assists (2.6), while averaging 3.9 points per game en route to their second-straight CIF Championship. Bookman, who also competes in the long and high jumps, was named second team All-Bay League at Redondo High. The 2007-08 version of the 49ers are slated to return 14 players from last year's team, including all-conference guard Karina Figueroa, who will be a junior. Valeriya Musina, a 6-0 junior transfer from Louisville, will also be eligible. LBSU, which went 9-23 last year, including a deep run into the Big West Tournament, featured 13 underclassmen. |
