MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama women’s basketball head coach Rick Pietri announced Wednesday the addition of three guards – junior college All-American Meghan Dunn (Hoover, Ala.) and prep standouts Diamonisha Sophus (pronounced Dye-moe-knee-sha So-fuss) (Houston, Texas) and Brittany Webb (Whiteland, Ind.) for the upcoming 2012-13 season.  The three signees join Taylor Jenkins (Germantown, Md.), Sharon Sanders (Birmingham, Ala.) and Brianna Wright (Greenville, Miss.) who signed during the fall to this year’s recruiting class, bringing the total number of newcomers to six for next season.

Meghan Dunn
5-6 – Guard – Hoover, Ala. (Shelton State Community College – Hoover High School)

Dunn – the lone junior college transfer to this year’s class – comes to South Alabama after a stellar two-year career at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for head coach Madonna Thompson.  She chose the Lady Jags after being recruited by Georgia State, Akron and Jacksonville.

“Megan Dunn is one of the smartest, most knowledgeable players that I have ever coached.” Thompson said of the Lady Jag signee.  “South Alabama is getting a player that is going to be able to be like a coach on the floor.  She knows the game well and really studies it and pays attention to all the things that go on during a game.  That is just one of the ways that she has helped us be so successful the past couple of years.  She is just a really smart basketball player.”

In her two seasons at Shelton State, Dunn nearly eclipsed the 1,000-point mark, finishing her JUCO career with 938 points (14.0 ppg).  Over the course of her junior college career, Dunn connected on 43.3 percent of (317-of-732) her attempts from the field, while also  showing that she was a solid threat from the outside, knocking down 36.9 percent (135-for-367) of her attempts from the arc. She also pulled down 222 rebounds, dished out 180 assists and registered 134 steals in two seasons.  Following the conclusion of her second season at SSCC, Dunn chosen by the Lady Buc Women's Basketball Hall of Fame committee to have her jersey on display in the Hall's "Ring of Honor" in recognition of her outstanding play for the 2011-2012 season.  

“I guess the theme of this spring’s class is bringing in kids that can score,” Pietri said.  “Meghan (Dunn) is a combo guard who has the ability to shoot the three very accurately.  She also has the ability to put the ball on the floor and get all the way to the rim to make a play, as well as shoot the in-between jump shot.  She brings a nice set of skills with her and is a very good athlete.  She’s an accomplished junior college player, who can help us on the offensive end at the guard spot.”

During her final season at Shelton State, Dunn averaged 14.2 points and 2.1 steals per game, while pulling down 3.7 rebounds per contest en route to picking up first-team NJCAA All-American honors.  She recorded double-digits in 30 of her 37 games, including seven 20-point efforts.  She shot 44.8 percent from the floor and 39.2 percent from the three-point line – which ranked 22nd in the NJCAA – and connected on an amazing 87 treys as a sophomore.  For her play, Dunn also earned all-Alabama Community College Conference Northern first team honors, as well as a selection as the division’s player of the year.  She was named the MVP of the league’s tournament after helping the Lady Bucs capture the tournament title with an 85-60 victory over Wallace St.-Hanceville.  In the regional championship game, she finished with 27 points and six rebounds on 11-of-18 shooting, including five three-pointers.  

Shelton State ended the season with a 33-4 overall record and a sixth-place finish at the national tournament where Dunn was named to the national all-tournament squad.  The Lady Bucs were the fifth-highest scoring team in Division I NJCAA during the 2011-12 campaign, registering 83.7 points per game, while allowing just 55.4 to the opposition.  

As a freshman at Shelton State, Dunn averaged 13.8 points an outing, while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from long range.  She was solid defensively, averaging 1.9 steals a game and earning ACCC first-team all-region honors.  Dunn was also selected to the league’s all-tournament squad and Northern first-team all-conference.

Dunn arrived at SSCC after lettering for head coach Donnie Quinn at Hoover High School in Hoover, Ala.  As a senior, she helped guide the Lady Bucs to a 33-1 record and the 2010 6A Alabama state championship with a 39-19 victory over Bob Jones in the championship game.  Hoover’s only loss that season was a six-point defeat to St. Mary’s out of Stockton, Calif. – then ranked No. 1 in the nation in the Xcellent 25 Girl’s Rankings by Maxpreps.com – in the championship game of the T-Mobile Invitational on Dec. 30, 2009.  Hoover finished ranked 36th in the nation Dunn’s senior season.  That same season, Dunn was named the 6A tournament’s Most Valuable Player and selected to compete in the annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game after also earning second-team all-state accolades.  As a junior, she helped guide the Lady Bucs to a 29-6 record and an appearance in the finals of the 6A state tournament.  Dunn was a high school teammate of Auburn’s Tyrese Tanner.

Diamonisha Sophus
5-5 – Guard – Houston, Texas (Wheatley High School)

Sophus signs with USA after lettering at Wheatley High School in Houston, Texas for head coach Reuben Stiff. Rated as one of the top point guards in the Houston area, Sophus was a prolific scorer over the course of her final three prep seasons, registering over 1,400 points.  

Her best offensive season came during her senior year, where she averaged 30.3 points per game for the Lady Wildcats, while also dishing out 7.2 assists and recording 6.0 steals per game. The 5-4 guard was also strong on the glass, pulling down 5.9 rebounds per game.  This past season, she was named all-Greater Houston and the District 22-4A MVP after guiding Wheatley to 25-9 overall record and a perfect 12-0 mark in league play.  Sophus also earned all-region accolades.

“Diamonisha Sophus is a young lady who understands how to score, as well as how to set others up to score,” Pietri said.  “She has both the ability to create space to get a shot off, as well as get all the way to the basket.  She is capable to making the three-point shot to keep defenses honest and defensively, she is athletic and can guard the ball. She brings with her a combined skill set that we haven’t had in this program in a long time.”

As a senior, she posted a then season-best 44 points against Furr (Texas) on Jan. 31 and then bested that tally later in the season with a 51-point outing against Austin (Texas) on Feb. 13.  Sophus also accomplished a rare quadruple-double-double against Lamar (Texas) with 39 points, 12 assists, 12 steals and 11 rebounds in a 99-58 victory (Nov. 8).  Not only known for her ability to attack the basket, Sophus has also shown range from outside the arc as she drained eight three-pointers versus Scarborough (Texas) on Jan. 17 and shot 44 percent from long range a season ago.

“With Diamonisha, South Alabama is getting a great ball-handler and a great scorer,” Stiff said of his former player.  “She has an uncanny knack for scoring.  She can play either the one or the two guard positions.  She is also quick on defense and she’s going to be able to give you the ability to press guards in the back court.  The main thing with her is that you are going to get a great scorer with a great mid-range game.  She can knock down the outside shot, while also possessing the ability to penetrate past defenders with ease.  I think she will be a great addition for South Alabama.”

As a junior, Sophus averaged 28.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 4.4 steals and 2.0 blocks per contest, while helping lead Wheatley to a 23-6 overall and 11-1 conference record.  She scored 20 or more points in 19 games, including 11 30-point efforts.  One of her best outings during her junior campaign came against Scarborough (Jan. 18) where she recorded a triple-double (37 points – 15 assists – 12 rebounds).

Sophus averaged 15.7 ppg and 4.9 rpg as a sophomore and also tallied 6.0 assists per outing and 5.8 steals that same season, while WHS finished with a 23-4 overall mark and an 11-3 record in the conference.   She has played AAU ball with both the Coast 2 Coast Ballers and Hooping Angels.  She chose to sign with USA after being recruited by Texas-San Antonio, Cleveland State, UTEP and Furman

Brittany Webb
5-2 – Guard – Whiteland, Ind. (Heritage Christian High School)

After being recruited by the Lady Jags during the fall, Webb originally signed with Indiana University, but after a coaching change, she was released from her NLI with the Hoosiers and chose to sign with USA this spring.

“Brittany Webb is a heady, energetic point guard who is an excellent passer with either hand,” Pietri said.  “She is an excellent shooter from the arc and beyond.  She has also played at not only a high level, but a high level with some very good players.  She has a feel and understanding of the game coming out of high school that is very high.”

Webb, a four-year letterwinner and two-year starter at the point guard for Rick Risinger at Heritage Christian High School in Indianapolis, Ind., averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 assists a game as a senior.  She holds both the career (157) and single-game (7) records for three-pointers at HCHS.  The seven three-pointers came this past season versus Lafayette Jeff.  For her play during her final prep season, Webb was named first-team all-city and selected to two different all-state teams – Hoosier Basketball Magazine first-team all-state and Indiana Coaches second-team all-state.  The 5-2 guard also participated at the Indiana North/South All-Star game and in June will compete in the All-Star Classic held in Newcastle, Ind., which will feature some of the top seniors and juniors from Indiana. Entering her senior season, Webb was ranked as the No. 123 point guard in the country according to ESPNHoopGurlz.com.

“Brittany Webb’s a very smart and intelligent player in the sense that she understands the game extremely well and understands the different dynamics of running the offense and showing leadership on the floor,” Risinger said.

She averaged 14.1 points, 3.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game during her junior year season, leading her squad to an 18-5 record. That same season, she shot 53 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc, hitting 54 treys.  Webb also connected on 77 percent of her attempts at the foul line.  As a sophomore, Webb helped the Eagles finish with a 15-10 overall mark and advance to the regional championship game, after averaging 9.9 points and 3.1 assists per game.

Webb is no stranger to being part of a championship program as she has been a part of six Indiana AAU State Championship teams, competing six years for Indiana’s Finest and one year for Indiana’s Gym Rats.  During her freshman season at Heritage Christian, she was part of the 2009 Eagle team which won the IHSAA Class 1A State Championship and finished the year with a 26-1 record.  HCHS also won the sectional championship during her junior season.

Pietri is excited by the addition of the two freshmen point guards as they remind him of a former Lady Jag duo in the back court.

“Both of these freshmen point guards give us assets at that position that are special and we look forward to having them in our program,” Pietri added.  “They are not the same, but they remind me a lot of what we had in the 2003-04 season when we won the league.  We finished the season starting two point guards in Sara Carter and Donyel Wheeler.  They’re not the same as Sara and Donyel, but they provide us similar types of things, so that’s why I feel good about the assets they bring.”

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

2012-13 South Alabama Women's Basketball Signees
Meghan Dunn – 5-6 – Guard – Hoover, Ala. (Shelton State Community College – Hoover High School)
Taylor Jenkins – 6-1 – Forward – Germantown, Md. (Bullis School)
Sharon Sanders – 5-7 – Guard – Birmingham, Ala. (Vestavia Hills High School)
Diamonisha Sophus – 5-5 – Guard – Houston, Texas (Wheatley High School)
Brittany Webb – 5-2 – Guard – Whiteland, Ind. (Heritage Christian High School)
Brianna Wright – 6-2 – F/C – Greenville, Miss. (Greenville-Westin High School)

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