McConnell-Serio Signs Another Top Recruiting Class at Pitt
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH - Pitt basketball head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio has signed her second straight nationally ranked recruiting class.
Rated the No. 31 signing class by espnW HoopGurlz and the No. 22 signing class by Prospectsnation.com, the Pitt recruiting class of 2015 includes Kauai Bradley (Chicago, Ill./Marian Catholic), Tania Lamb (Los Angeles, Calif./Long Beach Poly), Cassidy Walsh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-LaSalle), Kalista Walters (Reading, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) and Brenna Wise (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy).
"We are very excited about signing this group of talented players who will impact our program in so many ways," McConnell-Serio said. "Each one has been extremely successful in high school and brings a winning mentality, having competed in conference titles and state championships. Brenna, Kalista, Cassidy, Tania and Kauai will bring athleticism, scoring, leadership and a fierce competitiveness to our team. We are impressed with the way they strive for excellence on and off the court."
KAUAI BRADLEY: a 5-foot-11 small forward out of Chicago, Bradley is rated the 16th best player at her position according to ESPN and she received a four-star rating by Prospectsnation.com. Bradley helped lead Marian Catholic to the 2013 Illinois 4A state title and to a third place finish in 2014. She is a two-time Northwest Indiana Times All-Area Second Team selection and was a finalist for the USA Basketball U17 national team. Bradley averaged 5.7 points and 5.5 rebounds as a junior and has tallied 660 career points and 792 career rebounds. Bradley played her AAU ball with Mac Irvin Fire (IL). She intends to major in pre-med/biology.
TANIA LAMB: Hailing from Los Angeles, Lamb is ranked the No. 93 overall player by Prospectnation.com and is 19th among shooting guards in the class of 2015. Standing at 5-foot-7, Lamb has led Long Beach Poly to two consecutive California state titles. Lamb played her AAU ball for the national power house Cal Sparks. This past summer, her team was one of 16 teams selected nationwide to participate in the prestigious Nike EYBL tournament in Augusta, Ga. She has 603 career points entering her senior campaign. She intends to major in pre-med.
CASSIDY WALSH: A local product from Seton-LaSalle, Walsh is a three-time PIAA Class AA First Team All-State selection (2012-14). Walsh will be reunited with current Pitt freshman Yacine Diop as both were member of Seton-LaSalle's 2014 Class AA state title team. A 5-foot-7 point guard, Walsh averaged 10.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, four assists and two steals per game during her championship run as junior. Entering her senior season, Walsh has netted 790 career points. She played AAU for Drill 4 Skill. Walsh plans to major in nursing.
KALISTA WALTERS: The two-time reigning Allentown/Lehigh Valley Player of the Year, Walters is coming off her junior campaign in which she averaged 21 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 3.3 blocks per game. A 6-foot-1 power forward, Walters is rated in the top 75 of all the major recruiting sites, including being ranked No. 71 by jumpoffplus.com, No. 72 overall player by Prospectnation.com, and No. 73 by All Star Girls Report. ESPN ranked her the 19th best power forward in the country. She is a two-time PIAA Class AAA First Team All-State performer and was a 2014 Pennsylvania Sports Writers First Team All-State selection. She received her region's Individual Performance Award for scoring 42 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in a regular season game against Central Catholic. Entering her senior season, Walters has scored 1,623 career points. She played her AAU basketball for Philly Triple Threat. Walters plans to major in pre-med.
BRENNA WISE: Another local product out of Pittsburgh's Vincentian Academy, Wise is a 6-foot small forward who is rated the 13th best player at her position by ESPN for the class of 2015. Wise is the reigning PIAA State Player of the Year after averaging 19.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while leading Vincentian to the PIAA Class A state title. The two-time First Team All-State selection has guided her team to three straight WPIAL titles. She was named to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Fabulous 5" and Tribune Review "Terrific Ten." Entering her senior year, Wise has 1,685 career points. Like Walsh, Wise played AAU for Drill 4 Skill. Wise plans to major in business.
Coming off the heels of signing the No. 18 recruiting class a year ago, this is Pitt's second consecutive nationally-ranked recruiting class for second year head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio.
The Panthers will open the 2014-15 season this Friday, November 14, against Princeton at the Petersen Events Center. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m.
