University of Houston Athletics
Women's Basketball Hauls in Talented Five-Player Class
11/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2011
HOUSTON - University of Houston head women's basketball coach Todd Buchanan announced the signing of five talented prospects to National Letters of Intent Wednesday afternoon.The five-player class is loaded with talent and athleticism, and fills needs with size in the frontcourt and serious talent at the guard position. All five players hail from Texas and four are ranked among the top 40 prospects in the Lone Star State by Premier Basketball Report.
The signees include forwards Marche Amerson (6-1, Rudder HS, No. 37 ranked prospect in Texas), Taylor Gilbert (6-2, Hightower HS, No. 30 in Texas) and twin sister Tyler Gilbert (6-2, Hightower HS, No. 29 in Texas), and guards Alecia Smith (5-7, PG, Cedar Hill HS, No. 15 in Texas) and Bianca Winslow (5-7, G, Bellaire HS).
"I'm incredibly excited about this class," Buchanan said. "We've continued to add athleticism and we hit on our needs of talent and size in the post and quick athletes with high basketball IQ's in the backcourt. Not only are these ladies incredible basketball players, but they're also high quality individuals that come from wonderful families.
"We also stayed true to our priority of recruiting Houston, Greater Houston, the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and Texas as a whole, and that will never change. I'd like to thank my staff, and especially assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Ravon Justice, for all of their hard work and I welcome these ladies to the University of Houston basketball family."
All five players will join the Cougars for the 2012-13 season and have four years of eligibility.
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SIGNEES
Player Pos. Ht. Class-Exp. Hometown-High SchoolMarche Amerson F 6-1 Fr.-HS Bryan, Texas-Rudder HSTaylor Gilbert F 6-2 Fr.-HS Missouri City, Texas-Hightower HSTyler Gilbert F 6-2 Fr.-HS Missouri City, Texas-Hightower HSAlecia Smith PG 5-7 Fr.-HS Cedar Hill, Texas-Cedar Hill HSBianca Winslow G 5-7 Fr.-HS Bellaire, Texas-Bellaire HS
MARCHE AMERSON
Amerson joins the Cougars as a 6-1 forward from Rudder High School in Bryan, Texas. Amerson enters her senior season ranked as the No. 37 overall prospect in the state of Texas by Premier Basketball Report and the No. 82 forward nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz.
As a sophomore, Amerson averaged 11.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.7 blocks per game to help lead Rudder High to a 30-7 record. The versatile forward also scored in 21 contests and shot 55 percent from the field during the 2009-10 campaign.
"Marche is a very intelligent player on the floor and a great student on top of that," Buchanan said. "She has a chance to come in and be a difference maker. She's very gifted with athleticism and very versatile. She can put the ball on the floor. She can play the three position and step out and shoot the three, and she's also big and athletic enough to also play at the four position."
Amerson chose Houston over Memphis, North Texas, Rice and Tulane.
TAYLOR GILBERT
A 6-2 forward out of nearby Hightower High School, Gilbert brings much needed size to the post position for the Cougars. Gilbert, who joins her twin sister, Tyler, in signing with the Cougars, is ranked as the No. 30 overall prospect in the state of Texas by Premier Basketball Report and the No. 43 forward nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz.
Gilbert, a two-time District 23-5A Second Team selection, helped lead Hightower to a 34-5 season a year ago by averaging 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per contest. Gilbert also scored in double figures in 12 games and shot nearly 50 percent from the field.
"Taylor has tremendous upside," Buchanan said. "Her best basketball is in front of her. Unfortunately, she tore her ACL in practice two weeks ago. I know she'll be in great hands with such a great family and Coach Mize. We're just looking forward to her getting healthy, and once she gets here, everything will fall into place. I think she'll be a tremendous asset to our basketball program over the next four years. Her size and her athleticism are two things that you can't coach."
Gilbert chose Houston over TCU, Georgetown, Arizona, Georgia Tech and New Mexico.
TYLER GILBERT
Gilbert, a 6-2 post player that joins her twin sister, Taylor, in signing with the Cougars, provides Houston with a dominating presence in the frontcourt. Gilbert is currently tabbed as the No. 29 overall prospect in Texas by Premier Basketball Report and the No. 31 post player nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz.
As a junior, Gilbert was named the District 23-5A Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 9.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game to help lead Hightower to a 34-5 record. Gilbert posted 18 double-digit scoring and 18 double-digit rebounding games during the 2010-11 season and shot nearly 50 percent from the field.
"Right now, Tyler is ahead of the game from a basketball perspective," Buchanan said. "Like Taylor, obviously, she's very long and athletic. Tyler's skill set is more polished at this point. She has a great chance to come in and be that true difference maker. We're certainly looking forward to her coming in and being an impact player for us from the beginning."
Gilbert chose Houston over TCU, Georgetown, Arizona, Georgia Tech and New Mexico.
ALECIA SMITH
Smith, a 5-7 point guard, joins the Cougars from Cedar Hill High School in Cedar Hill, Texas. Smith enters her senior season ranked as the No. 15 overall prospect in the state of Texas by Premier Basketball Report.
As a junior, Smith was named the District 5-5A Co-Offensive Player of the Year after averaging 13.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
"Alecia could be the heart and soul of our basketball team being the point guard," Buchanan said. "She's had an incredible high school career. I know her goal is to go out a state champion, and we certainly wish her the best. She's going to be my coaching extension out on the floor. You watch Alecia play, and a lot of times I think her and Porsche (Landry) are very similar. She just has a different gear where she can go by you. She has the knack of making everyone around her better. She has the confidence and swagger that I look for. I think it's almost a must to have that as a point guard."
Chose Houston over New Mexico and North Texas.
BIANCA WINSLOW
Winslow, an athletic 5-7 guard, signs with Houston from nearby Bellaire High in Bellaire, Texas. Winslow, whose father, Rickie, ranks in the top 10 in scoring in Houston history, is currently tabbed as the No. 120 guard nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz.
The two-time District 20-5A First Team selection helped lead Bellaire High to a 20-9 record last season by averaging 10.4 points, 3.5 steals, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
"Both of her parents are alumni here, which is special for us to tap into the UH family," Buchanan said. "Her dad was a phenomenal player here. Bianca just plays so hard. Her skill set certainly meets our style of play. She's long and very athletic and makes good decisions with the basketball. She's going to come in and work extremely hard. She has to get stronger and she'll reap the benefits of that."
