C-N Women’s Basketball Inks Two In Early Signing Period
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman College Women’s Basketball Team has already received two commitments for the 2010-11 season, Head Coach Dean Walsh announced today. The Lady Eagles will welcome Shannon Depew and Chante Markus to Mossy Creek next fall.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman
College Women’s Basketball Team has already received two
commitments for the 2010-11 season, Head Coach Dean
Walsh announced today. The Lady Eagles will welcome
Shannon Depew and Chante Markus
to Mossy Creek next fall.
Depew (Newport, Tenn.), a 6-0 post/guard combo from Cocke County
High School, is listed as a Tennessee Top 25 player by Basketball
Time in Tennessee magazine and turned down several NCAA Division I
offers to come to Carson-Newman.
As a junior last season, she put up 14 points and 11 rebounds per
game, shooting 50 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three
while making 81 percent of her free throws for the Lady Red. Depew
is also a two-time member of the All-Northeast Tennessee Team.
“We are very excited to have a player of Shannon’s
caliber end up with our program,” said Walsh.
“She is a three-tool athlete with the ability to shoot
out to three, defend, and pass the ball. She will bring added size
to the post position but also play the three for us. Shannon is a
perfect fit for our style of play.”
“I wanted to stay close to home so that my family and
friends could see me continue to play basketball at the next
level,” said Depew, who has averaged 13.2 points and 8.7
rebounds per game for her career thus far. “I really like
the coaching staff at Carson-Newman; they care about their players.
I also like that it is a small school and I feel that will help
with my education.”
“Carson-Newman is a great fit for Shannon,”
said Cocke County head coach Wade Wester. “It is a huge
weight off her shoulders to have made this decision. Shannon has
the passion and work ethic to be a great player at the next level;
she is the first person in the gym and the last to leave and has a
‘refuse to lose’ attitude. This is a terrific reward
for her hard work thus far.”
Markus (Hummelstown, Pa.) is a 5-6 guard, who has played three
seasons at Lower Dauphin High School and led the Falcons to three
conference championships, and was named the league player of the
year as a junior last year. She averaged 15 points, seven assists
and three steals last season and was selected as a member of the
“Big 15” as one of the top 15 players in central
Pennsylvania. Markus is also a two-time MVP of the Penn/Maryland
Shootout.
“Chante gives us a physical point guard who can and will
play the off-guard because of her ability to shoot the three with
range,” said Walsh of Markus. “She has a high
basketball IQ and has been well coached. We look forward to having
her wear the Orange and Blue next season.”
“I felt like the coaching staff, the girls on the team and
the overall style of play fit perfectly for what I was looking for
in a college program,” commented Markus. “When
I came on my recruiting visit, the players made me feel welcome and
almost like I was already a part of the team.”
Carson-Newman finished last year with a 19-11 record and its third
trip to the NCAA Tournament in five years. The Lady Eagles played
three exhibition games against Top 25-ranked NCAA Division I teams
to start this season.
Carson-Newman will continue its four-game home stretch to open the
2009-10 season Wednesday evening when its hosts Augusta State
University at 6:00 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse.
