MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—Barry University's women’s basketball program has four new guards joining the team for 2012-13 as they try to re-build a backcourt that lost all three starters from a year ago.
“We are very excited about our incoming guards in our class of 2012,” head coach Bill Sullivan said. “By adding two freshman and two transfers we have a good mixture of youth and experience. In these players, we have added scoring, defense and speed to our roster and we expect all of our newcomers to contribute this coming season. When we add these newcomers to our returning guards, we believe our depth at the perimeter positions will be one of the strengths of our team.”
The two transfers are Dominique Dixon from Detroit-Mercy and Tyler Hardy from Wayne State University in Michigan, while the two freshmen are both Florida products in Stephanie Ball from Fort Pierce and Champ Horice from Apopka.
Dixon, a 5-8 senior from Detroit, Mich., has just one year remaining. She led the Titans in scoring at 12.2 points per game as a junior in 2010-11, but did not play last year. A member of the Horizon League’s All-Newcomer team, she scored in double figures 17 times, including four 20+ point games and a pair of 30-point outings. She was also second on the team in rebounding and shot 31.0 percent from three-point range and 68.2 percent from the line.
“Dominique is a skilled guard who can score in bunches,” according to Sullivan. “Her experience and leadership will be a huge asset to our young team.”
Hardy, a 5-8 junior from Ann Arbor, Mich., was also the top scorer for her previous team, leading the Warriors at 14.6 points per game. An outstanding shooter from long-range (50 percent) and from the free throw line (81.1 percent), she is adept at getting to the line after leading the Warriors in trips to the stripe in both of her seasons, despite missing games.
“We are thrilled that Tyler is a Barry Buccaneer,” Sullivan said. “She is an excellent player, an outstanding student and a wonderful person. We believe she will make an immediate impact for us on both ends of the court.”
Ball, a 5-5 freshman from Lincoln Park Academy, is a quick combo guard who should contribute on both ends of the floor. She led the Greyhounds to a record of 106-18 and to four straight district championships, scoring over 1,400 points for her career and earning LPA Defensive Player-of-the-Year four times.
“We love Stephanie’s competitive nature,” Sullivan said, “her work ethic and her unselfish style of play. We expect her to contribute as a freshman and we believe she will prove to be an excellent player for the next four years.”
Horice, a 5-7 freshman from Apopka High, is a versatile and athletic perimeter player. She averaged 9.1 points and 9.0 rebounds, three assists and three steals per game as a senior with the Blue Darters. Playing much bigger than her listed size, she holds school records with 18 rebounds and nine blocked shots in a game.
“Champ is an incredible athlete with a great work ethic,” Sullivan said. “A skilled offensive player, her strength and versatility gives her the ability to also be a ‘shut-down’ defender.”
The women’s team opens the season at the West Florida Tip-off Tournament Nov. 9-10, taking on the Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes and the host Argonauts.