University of Houston Athletics
Women's Basketball Inks Three in Spring Signing Period
4/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 19, 2011
HOUSTON - University of Houston women's basketball head coach Todd Buchanan has announced the signing of three prospects to National Letters of Intent to play for the 2011-12 season. The trio joins five student-athletes that signed during the fall period for a total of eight incoming players for next season.
The three-player spring signing class consists of Mileka Loydrake (5-6, G, League City, Texas, Clear Springs HS), Amanda Lawson (5-10, F, Bryan, Texas, Bryan HS) and Jamie Drummer (5-7, G, Muncie, Ind., Muncie Central HS).
"We've always said that we want to recruit kids who are versatile," said Buchanan. "We want to get kids who are multi-sport athletes, but also very versatile on the basketball floor. I feel confident saying that I don't think we signed a player who can't play at least two positions. That's big for my philosophy of wanting to play up tempo, and having at least three players on the floor at the same time who can bring the ball up the court."
Loydrake is a speedy point guard that was a part of the first varsity basketball team at Clear Springs High, helping the Chargers to a three-year overall record of 78-24-2, including a league mark of 35-5-2.
"Mileka meets a great need for us as another point guard," said Buchanan. "She's incredibly athletic and a great decision maker on the floor. The two things I love most about Mileka are that she plays so hard and intense, and she can defend like nobody's business."
As a sophomore, Loydrake averaged a team-leading 11.9 points per game to go with 3.2 rebounds per contest en route to receiving 24-5A Newcomer of the Year honors, as well as first team all-district 24-5A accolades. Loydrake suffered a knee injury and missed the entire 2009-10 campaign, while averaging 4.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game as a senior.
"I envision Mileka to grow and become what Porsche (Landry) is, and I don't know that I can give her a bigger compliment than that," continued Buchanan. "It's going to be special that Porsche will be entering her senior year and Mileka will be a freshman, and she can learn from the best. With Coach (Ravon) Justice's experience from that position, she's going to mentor those kids and I think we'll have something really special for years to come."
Lawson is a 5-10 forward who started all four years at Bryan High. Lawson had a monster senior season, earning 5A All-State honors, as well as being named a Texas Girls Coaches Association All-Star, after averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds per game. Lawson was also named first team all-district 12-5A each of the last two seasons.
"Amanda really reminds me of a young Brittany Mason from an athletic standpoint," explained Buchanan. "I think she's an incredible athlete, again very versatile. She can flat out score. She plays extremely hard and can step out and shoot the three. I think she can create a lot of mismatch situations for us in the future. Her skill set is so broad and versatile, and I'm extremely excited about what she can bring to the table."
Drummer, a 5-7 guard, comes to Houston from Muncie Central High School in Muncie, Ind., where she belongs in the school's 1,000-career points club. Drummer averaged 19 points and eight rebounds per game as a senior, while registering nine double-doubles. Drummer was one assist shy of a quadruple-double against cross-town rival Delta High, pouring in 26 points, 15 boards, 10 steals and nine assists.
Drummer was also a standout volleyball player for Muncie Central, recording 20 double-doubles during the 2010 season.
"Jamie is another incredibly talented kid," said Buchanan. "She's another coach on the floor for us. She sees things and anticipates things well and can really shoot the basketball. She comes from a great family and inherited a lot of her father's talents, who was a phenomenal player at Ball State. Her basketball IQ is really one of her other biggest assets, and I look for big things from her in the future."
The three student-athletes will join the fall signing period's five-player class of Voche' Martin (6-2, C, Duncanville, Texas, Duncanville HS), Danielle Parks (5-10, G, Houston, Texas, St. Pius X HS), Tahlia Pope (6-0, G, Wichita, Kan., Heights HS), Towanda Sutton (5-11, F, Philadelphia, Pa., Odessa JC) and LaTasha Tubbs (5-8, G, Amarillo, Texas, Howard College) for the 2011-12 season.
