More of the Class of 2008

 Sharneé Zoll

SIG Adds Three More to the Roster

 April 25, 2008

Sharneé Zoll, Izabela Piekarska, and Chioma Nnamaka will be making their professional debuts this year. 

Sharneé Zoll, a 5’7 guard from the University of Virgina (by way of Philadelphia) is coming off of a stellar senior season, breaking UVA’s all-time assist record, a title that was before held by the legendary Dawn Staley.  Sharneé averaged 8.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game as a Cavalier and will now continue her success as a member of the most anticipated WNBA team to watch this season, the Los Angeles Sparks.  With ten double digit assist games, five double-doubles in her college career, and as the ACC’s leader in assist to turnover ratio, Zoll has proven she is a point guard who can score, distribute and take care of the ball.   

Izabela Piekarska, a 6’5 center from Warszawa, Poland, has been a playing on an international stage for many years.  As member of the Polish national team (Cadette, Junior, and U20) from 2001-2005, Izabela has the advantage of playing with some of the best players in the world.  In 2004, she came to the United States to play for the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP), a team that made its first NCAA appearance this past season.  As a senior, Pirkarska averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.  She also ranked first on the team in blocked shots, third in scoring, and second in three point FG percentage.  Izabela led UTEP in scoring in nine games her final season, including a 17 point performance in their final game versus NCAA runner-up Stanford.  She was drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2008 WNBA draft. 

Chioma Nnamaka is a 6’0 guard from Uppsala, Sweden.  Chioma also has international experience competing with the Swedish national team in the European Championships and is a three-time Swedish Champion.  A four year starter for the Georgia Tech Lady Jackets, Nnamaka was named to the ACC All-Freshman team in 2005.  As a senior averaging 14.8 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game, 1.3 assists per game, she was named Honorable Mention All-ACC and was invited to participate in the 2008 ESPN College Slam Dunk and Three-Point Shooting Contest.  Chioma finished her career with 269 three pointers, ranking in the top five in Georgia Tech history.   Nnamaka won’t have to go too far from Tech, as she will begin her professional career with the new WNBA franchise, the Atlanta Dream.

Quianna Chaney (R) on Draft day 2008

(Ray Amati/NBAE/Getty Images)

Final Four Veteran and Sun-Belt Sensation sign on with SIG

April 24, 2008

Quianna Chaney of LSU and Amber Holt of Middle Tennessee State have both joined the SIG family. 

Chaney, a 5’11 guard from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was the fifth selection in the second round of the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky.  As a high school senior, Chaney was selected as a McDonald’s All-American.  She set the standard for her LSU career as a freshman in 2004-05, as she was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.  Cheney, a model student-athlete, has been honored for her success on the court (First-team All-Louisiana 2007, 2008 and First-team All-SEC, 2008) as well as her success in the classroom (Academic All-SEC 2006, 2007).

Averaging 7.5 points and 1.5 assists per game before her final season, Quianna elevated her game as a senior, averaging 14.9 points and 3.2 assists per game, shooting 38% from three point range.  Cheney is known for her ability to heighten her team’s game in post-season play as she was instrumental in leading the Lady Tigers to four straight Final Four appearances.

Amber Holt, a 6’0 Forward from Duluth, Georgia was selected ninth overall by the Connecticut Sun on draft day.  She is the first player in Middle Tennessee State’s history to be drafted.  Holt hails from Middle Tennessee State University, where she spent two seasons, after transferring from Southeastern Illinois College.  As a senior, Holt averaged a whopping 27.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game and led the nation in scoring for over half of her final season.  She was also ranked nationally in rebounding (sixth) and steals (ninth).  While at Middle Tennessee Holt tallied almost 1, 500 points, an accomplishment that players generally reach in four years. 

Holt is one of only two players in the nation to boast two forty point games in a season, one of them against Quianna Cheney and LSU (December 2007).  Amber also has an impressive list of honors, some of which include All-Sun Belt First Team (2007, 2008) Kodak All-American (2006), and CBSSports.com First Team All-American.

(USA TODAY)

Crystal Langhorne (L) and Laura Harper (R) are the highest drafted players in UMD's history

SIG Signs Star Duo from University of Maryland

April 20, 2008

The pair of seniors from Maryland have been standouts in the ACC and on a national and international level for several years. Crystal Langhorne, a 6’2 Forward/Center from New York and Laura Harper, a 6’4 Forward/Center from Pennsylvania, were both first round draft picks in the 2008 WNBA draft, Langhorne was the sixth selection by the Washington Mystics and Harper was the tenth selection by the Sacramento Monarchs. Langhorne and Harper are Maryland’s second and third Terp players to be drafted under coach Brenda Freese, following 2006 SIG signee, Shay Doron. Both players are highly coveted and expected to have tremendous WNBA and overseas careers.

Crystal Langhorne, Maryland’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, was recently honored on senior day as the first ever active Terp to have her jersey lifted into the rafters.  Langhorne has a lengthy resume filled with accolades which include WBCA All-American (2007, 2008), AP All-American (2006, 2007) Wade Trophy Finalist (2007, 2008), John R. Wooden Award Finalist (2006, 2007), ACC Rookie of the Year (2005), ACC Player of the Year (2008), and ACC Scholar Athlete (2008).  Langhorne has also played on various USA Basketball teams, including the 2007 U21 team that won the gold medal in Russia. 

Langhorne is the only player in ACC history to have four 500 point seasons, averaging 16.6 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game in 135 games for the Terps, which included a historic NCAA Championship in the 2005-2006 season. 

Laura Harper has also accompanied the Terps to four NCAA tournaments and was an integral partof Maryland’s NCAA Championship team in 2006 (Final Four Most Outstanding Player, 2006), is highly noted for her defensive presence.  In her senior season, Harper broke Maryland's record for career blocks with 198 over 116 games.  Averaging 12.1 points and 7 rebounds per game over the years, Harper has also gathered an impressive list of honors including a nomination as a Finalist for the Naismith Award (2007).  Harper has earned two gold medals with USA Basketball’s U21 team (2007) as well as the 2004 Junior World Championship Qualifying team.