AMERICUS, Ga. -- Georgia Southwestern State University head women's basketball coach Kelly Britsky welcomes six freshmen to the Lady Hurricanes roster for the 2018-19 season. Lexii Chatman, Jamesha Samuel, Tamia Sapp, Shaunteria Taylor, Kierra York and Lele Young join the program this fall.
With accolades ranging from player of the year to All-State, Britsky will look to these young ladies for immediate contributions to help improve upon last season's 8-18 overall record and 5-17 mark in the Peach Belt Conference.
Details on each of the incoming freshman players are listed below.
Alexia "Lex" Chatman
Position: Shooting guard
High school: Newton (Covington, Ga.)
Accolades: 2018 Rockdale Citizen and Newton Citizen Player of the Year, 2018 Georgia High School Association (GHSA) All-State Class 7A First Team, 2018 Georgia Athletic Coaches Association (GACA) 7A-North Player of the Year, 2018 GHSA Region 8 Player of the Year, 2017 Atlanta Journal-Constitution All-State Honorable Mention, 2017 Covington News Player of the Year, 2017 GHSA First Team All-Region
Additional info: Averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and three steals per game her senior season. Led Newton in scoring all four years and helped the Rams to an appearance in the 2018 state championship.
Britsky breakdown: "Lexii is an athletic shooting guard with a scorer's mentality that handles and passes with purpose. She can create in the mid-range court and has range to the arc. Lexii is known for being the energy and spark for her teams. She can score the basketball, but is willing to do what her team needs at that point in the game to get a win whether it be a steal or a rebound. She can score the ball that is a given, but I love the fact that she does it all."
Jamesha Samuel
Position: Shooting guard
High school: Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.)
Accolades: 2018 GHSA Class 7A Region 1 Offensive Player of the Year, 2018 GACA All-State 7A-South, 2018 All-Region Team
Additional Info: Averaged 17.2 points, three rebounds and three steals per game her senior season. Shot 48 percent overall from the floor and 30 percent from behind the arc during the 2017-18 campaign, connecting on 53 3-pointers.
Britsky breakdown: "Jamesha is an All-State guard who can do it all, she handles the ball well, attacks the basket hard and can drain the 3-ball. She is a tough on ball defender and quick in transition. She is made of that 'something special' and we are thrilled to have her in the family."
Tamia Sapp
Position: Forward
High school: Northside (Warner Robins, Ga.)
Accolades: 2018 GACA All-State 6A-South, 2018 All-Region Team
Additional info: Averaged 14 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks last season.
Britsky breakdown: "Tamia is a forward with guard like perimeter skills. She has great jumping ability and is quick, agile and active on the glass. She has some range to the arc and attacks the basket well. We are so happy to have Tamia in the Hurricane family and we are excited to see the player she will become in this conference."
Shaunteria Taylor
Position: Shooting guard/forward
High school: Tiftarea Academy (Chula, Ga.)
Accolades: Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) Region 3-AAA Player of the Year, three-time All-Region selection (2016-18)
Additional info: Averaged 17.9 points, 5.5 steals and 7.9 rebounds for her 2018 region championship team.
Britsky breakdown: "Shaunteria brings great size, with the ability to score and handle the ball. I love 'T's passion for the game. She is a determined young lady who puts her eye on a goal and goes after it. I am excited to see how that determination plays out for her at the next level."
Kierra York
Position: Power forward
High school: Hillgrove (Powder Springs, Ga.)
Accolades: GHSA Class 7A Region 2 All-Region First Team, ranks fourth in career rebounds at Hillgrove
Additional info: 2018 Beta Club National semifinalist, 2018 Who's Who Among Students academic recipient, 2017-2018 Posse Foundation semi-finalist, 2017 Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation Girls Who Rule The Rule World leadership recipient
Britsky breakdown: "Kierra plays so hard all the time, she has perimeter skills, rebounds well, and gets out in transition. She has the ability to elevate on her jump shot and makes athletic shots. She is a great student athlete and will bring toughness and determination to the team."
Lele Young
Position: Point guard
High school: Gainesville (Gainesville, Fla.)
Accolades: 2018 Gainesville Sun Player of the Year, 2018 Gainesville Sun All-Area Big School First Team
Additional info: Averaged 19.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 steals, 2.4 assists per game for the 22-8 Hurricanes, who won District 4-7A and advanced to the regional semifinals last season.
Britsky Breakdown: "Lele is tough. She is so quick and causes so much disruption on defense. She has quick hands and steals the ball before the opponent knows what happened. She can get to the rim, pass on a dime, and has 3-point range. We are thrilled to have Lele on the team this year, her energy, passion and competitiveness will add fuel to the team."