Former all-state hoopsters Patterson and Ford highlight EMCC's talent-laden women's basketball in-state signee class

SCOOBA – Headlined by the re-emergence of former all-state performers Kiki Patterson and Quinn Ford, East Mississippi Community College women's basketball coach Sharon Thompson has announced the Lady Lions' 10-player, in-state signee class for the upcoming hoops season.

A former Mississippi State signee, Patterson was a 2012-13 Parade All-American for head coach Yvonne Hairston at Columbus High School after averaging 32.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.6 blocks per game.  She twice topped the 40-point mark as a senior with a career-high 46 points against Greenville-Weston and 44 versus Starkville.  Patterson averaged 20.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks as a junior in pacing the Lady Falcons to a berth in the Class 6A North State semifinals.

Back on the court following a two-year layoff from competition, Ford previously signed with Ole Miss en route to being named the 2011-12 Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Player of the Year.  As a senior, she averaged 22.6 points an outing in leading head coach Bill Russell's 34-0 Pontotoc High School club to the Class 4A state championship.  Ford transferred to Pontotoc prior to her senior year after starring at Class 1A Okolona High School through her junior season.

"We are extremely excited about this year's recruiting class, as it is probably the most talented all-around group of in-state players we've had here at EMCC in my 10 seasons as head coach," Thompson noted.  "Every player brings a different style of play to the floor and that will give us plenty of versatility this coming season."

Thompson and EMCC assistant coach Michael Morgan also reeled in a trio of Jackson-area guards in Brandon's Cam Campbell, Tajee Harper of Germantown High School in Madison, and Raymond's Annessia "Tay" Durham.

A two-year starter at point guard for head coach Stephanie Murphy at Brandon High School, Campbell averaged 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 steals per contest last season in helping lead the Lady Bulldogs to the Class 6A South State semifinals.

Harper, a three-year starter for head coach Jamie Glasgow at Germantown High School, averaged a team-leading 15.7 points an outing as a senior for the Lady Mavericks, along with 5.1 rebounds and 3.6 steals, to earn all-district honors.

Durham collected Jackson Clarion-Ledger All-Metro honorable mention laurels this past year after averaging a team-best 16.4 points as well as 2.1 assists and 3.2 steals a game for head coach Mike Coleman's Class 4A State semifinalists and Class 4A South State runners-up.

The Lady Lions picked up another point guard in Tupelo High School's Bre Jernigan, who starred for head coach Matt Justice's Lady Golden Wave.  Jernigan averaged 11.0 points, 2.9 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 3.4 steals per contest as a senior in directing Tupelo to the Class 6A North State quarterfinals.

Additional experienced backcourt depth comes on board with the transfer of twins Angeline and Angelique Earl from Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Fla.  Previously as prep seniors for head coach Angela Johnson at McComb High School, they averaged 17.0 and 10.5 points per game, respectively, for the 21-9 Lady Tigers in 2012-13.  

EMCC also picked up frontcourt help with the addition of transfers Robniecha Rush, of Kemper County High School, and Alecha Gibbs, a product of Richland High School who spent last season at NCAA Division II member Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida.

After helping lead former head coach Johnny Rush's KCHS Lady Wildcats to a Class 3A South State Tournament appearance two years ago, Rush averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds this past season at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Andalusia, Ala.

Gibbs averaged 4.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last year as a collegiate freshman at Palm Beach Atlantic.  She was a 14-game starter for the Sailfish a season ago with season-high efforts of 10 points against Ave Maria University and 11 rebounds versus Lynn University.