December 7, 2012

Lady Eagles sign two players for 2013-14 season

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head women’s basketball coach Mike Mincey has signed two student athletes for the Lady Eagles 2013-14 season. Center Jassmine Franklin (Lexington, Ky.), and guard Katie Stubblefield (Alcoa, Tenn.) have signed national letters of intent to play for the Lady Eagles during the early signing period.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head women's basketball coach Mike Mincey has signed two student athletes for the Lady Eagles 2013-14 season.

Center Jassmine Franklin (Lexington, Ky.), and guard Katie Stubblefield (Alcoa, Tenn.) have signed national letters of intent to play for the Lady Eagles during the early signing period.

"Once again it was nice to find quality players in close proximity to CN's campus," said Mincey, who is now in his second season as the head coach of the Lady Eagles. "It's really important that we find players that will fit in well with our program and university alike and both Katie and Jassmine are just that. Both of these players will fill huge gaps in our roster as they step on campus in the fall of 2013."

Stubblefield is finishing her senior season at Alcoa High School in Alcoa, Tenn., where she plays basketball, volleyball, and softball. She has twice been named to the All-Blount County Team (2011, 2012) as well as an All-District selection in her sophomore and junior seasons.

"Katie is a good size guard that can do a number of things well," said Mincey. "She has the capabilities of playing on the perimeter, but also has the skill set to defend and be effective offensively around the rim. Katie plays hard and has good athleticism, which is what we look for in a player to be successful in our system. Katie has been well coached by Tonya Johnson (former CN player) and will be the second Alcoa signee in as many years. In addition to her basketball ability, Katie is an excellent student and will do well with the rigors of academic life at Carson-Newman."

Franklin will transfer into Carson-Newman from Roane State Community College, where she currently starts as a post player. Standing at 6-1, she will join the Lady Eagles as a junior for the 2013-14 regular season.

"Jassmine has good length and athleticism to go with nice back to basket moves and the ability to step out to 15 feet," said Mincey. "She also defends well and alters shots around the rim. Jassmine is another player that will fit into our scheme and will be counted on immediately with the upcoming loss of 2 post players to graduation. Jassmine visited campus twice and meshed well with our current players and staff as well as the academic side of Carson-Newman. Like Stubblefield, Jassmine is also coached by a former CN player, Monica Boles. Jassmine is also the second Roane St. player to sign with CN the last two years."

Carson-Newman will next play on Thursday Dec. 13 against Hiwassee in Madisonville, Tenn., at 5 p.m. Coverage of the game is available on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network, beginning with the Farm Bureau Countdown to Tipoff at 4:45 p.m. and the broadcast is also available on www.cneagles.com.