Women’s
Basketball Signs Three Players During Early Recruiting Period
Dec. 11, 2000
LIU women’s basketball
coach Tony Bozzella announced the signing of three players during
the early period as part of his first recruiting class. These
players, along with four redshirts, will be eligible starting
with the 2001-02 season.
Michelle Halligan
(Havertown, PA/Archbishop Prendergast) is a product of one
of the nation’s top AAU clubs and will make an immediate
impact next season. The 5-6 point guard competed for the Philadelphia
Belles last summer and made her mark as a smart, aggressive leader.
Halligan displayed her scoring ability last season by averaging
14.0 points per game for Archbishop Prendergast and added 6.0
assists per contest.
"We look for Michelle
to be one of the keys in implementing our system and to help guide
us to the next level,” Bozzella said. “Her success at
the AAU level and the high school level make her a perfect fit
for the Blackbirds.”
Ravin Chase (Catonsville,
MD/Randallstown) gives LIU a strong post player and her ability
to run the floor will be welcomed. Known for being an active and
intense player, the 5-11 forward averaged 15.0 points per game
for Randallstown HS last year and also brings tremendous shot-blocking
ability.
“Ravin has the
perfect body type to be the power forward for us at LIU,”
Bozzella said. “Ravin’s strong work ethic and desire
to win will complement our team and our program.”
Chase’s high school
teammate Teresa Fallin (Randallstown, MD/Randallstown)
also will make the venture to the Big Apple and challenge for
a spot in the paint. Fallin, who at 6-3 would be the Blackbirds’
tallest player, gives LIU versatility as a shooter and a scorer,
and moves well for her size. The forward-center averaged 14.0
points and 10.0 rebounds per contest in high school last season.
“We feel Teresa
has unlimited potential at LIU,” Bozzella said. “She
has a strong work ethic and desire, and we feel she has the possibility
of becoming an impact player in the Northeast Conference.”
Corinne Broadhead,
Tara Hamilton, Shelly Nicholls and Johanna DiChiara are
all redshirting this season. Broadhead, Hamilton and Nicholls
played under Bozzella at Southampton College, which notched its
first 20-win campaign a season ago.
“I am overjoyed
at the success of our first recruiting class with the three early
signees and the four redshirts,” Bozzella said. “I feel
with the addition of these seven players and with the returnees,
this will allow us to compete at the highest level every night
and challenge for a conference title. It is tremendous to see
that these players and their families have the same beliefs about
responsibility and values as we do at LIU.”
“Our tireless
efforts have really paid off in our first recruiting class,”
assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Christi Lagueux said.
“Our goal when we came in was to bring in players who will
raise our program to the next level. With these players, we fell
we can accomplish this.”
Bozzella finished 120-104
in eight seasons at Southampton, turning a dormant team into one
of the area’s top Division II programs. The Colonials captured
the ECAC crown in 1997-98 and 1998-99 and reached the ECAC Final
Four five times.
