Nov. 13, 2008
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The University of San Diego head women's basketball coach Cindy Fisher announced Wednesday that four players have signed National Letters of Intent to play at USD beginning in the 2009-10 season. Signing NLI's are Danesia Williamson (San Diego, CA - Mt. Miguel HS), Jacquelyn Marshall (San Clemente, CA - San Clemente HS), Brittany Conger (Fountain Hills, AZ - Mountain View HS) and Felicia Wijenberg (Mapple Ridge, B.C. - Saint Mary Secondary Hamilton, Canada).
Williamson, a 5-6 point guard, comes to the Toreros after a stand-out high school career at near-by Mt. Miguel High School where she led her team to a league and CIF championship as a junior, while averaging 20 points per game, 4.7 steals per game and dished out an average of five assist per game. As a junior she was named East County Sports and the Union Tribune Player of the Year. She is a two-time first-team All-League performer and as a sophomore she averaged 15 ppg, four steals per game and six assists per game. A heavily recruited guard, she chose to attend USD over schools such as Pepperdine University, Providence, Albany and Saint Mary's College.
"Danesia is an exceptional athlete who will give us great speed and athleticism in the back court. We are thrilled to have such a great local talent committed to our USD family," stated Fisher. "Danesia comes from a very well established and well coached team and I expect her to make an impact immediately."
Marshall, a 6-2 forward, will join the Toreros after an outstanding high school career in which she helped lead her team to an undefeated 10-0 record as a junior in league play to win the league championship. She has been ranked the 29th best player in her position by ESPN Hoopgurlz and is a two-time first-team All-league performer. As a junior she averaged 11 ppg, 8.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 64 percent from beyond the arc. She was a two-time All-League performer and a two-time All-CIF honoree a well. She helped lead her team to the state playoffs all three years as well as winning in the 2007 CIF Division IA Championship. She was chosen the last three years for Kiwanis -Plyo City Roundball Extravaganza, which is for the top players in Orange County. She was heavily recruited by several Division I universities, but committed to USD in the spring.
"Jacqui is an amazing athlete with great size and versatility in the post. Jacqui's ability to shoot the three and also be a strong post presence gives us many options for her in our offense. Jacqui's athleticism on the defensive end is going to allow us to extend our defense and do some different things in the post," stated Fisher. "Jacqui has played under a very well coached high school and club program and is going to be able to step in early and contribute."
Conger, a 6-0 guard, comes to the Toreros after a stand-out career at Mountain View High School in Foothills, Ariz. She helped lead her team to a combined record of 56-9 over her sophomore and junior years, while averaging 13.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg and shooting 44.9 percent from the field. In her junior season, she helped lead her team into the second round of the Arizona State 5A Division I Tournament an into the state championship game of her sophomore year. She was named the East Valley Region Co-Player of the Year as a junior as well as first-team All-East Valley. Conger also helped lead her team to back-to-back regional championships as a sophomore and junior. She chose to attend USD over offers from UC Santa Barbara, Denver and UC Irvine.
"Brittany is a very versatile big guard who will provide great depth for us in the wing. Brittany has a beautiful stroke from the outside but is also a great slasher," said Fisher. "Brittany's greatest asset is her incredible work ethic. She will leave it all on the floor every game. Brittany comes from a very successful high school and Coach B will have her ready to come in and make a difference right away."
Wijenberg, a 6-2 post player, comes to the Toreros from British Columbia. She made the 2008 Canadian U-18 Junior National team that competed in the FIBA Americas in Argentina-- as a 16 year old, she started every game and helped the team get the silver medal, losing only to the United States. She was selected to the Nike Center of Performance for BC grades 8, 9 and 10 before moving to Ontario to attend NEDA (National Elite Development Academy for Canada) for grades 11 and 12. As a sophomore, Wijenberg was named MVP of the 2007 Senior Girls High School AAA provincials and helped lead Maple Ridge Secondary to their first B.C. Championship, while averaging 24 points and eight rebounds per game. She chose to attend USD over Utah, Hartford, Vermont, Denver, and Santa Clara.
"Felicia is going to add to our strength and size in the post. Felicia does so many great things away from the basket but can also get in and bang on the block," said Fisher. "Felicia has great upside and will continue to mature into an amazing post player in this conference. Felicia is training in the NEDA program in Toronto Canada and playing at a very high level. This experience and individual focus is going to help her immediately in our program."
