May 15, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina women’s basketball 2009 recruiting class has been ranked the fourth-best in the nation by All-Star Girls Report. Head coach Dawn Staley added four players for the 2009-10 season, including Kelsey Bone (Sugar Land, Texas/Dulles) and Ieasia Walker (Copiague, N.Y./Copiague) who were named ESPNrise.com All-Americans this week. Only Baylor, North Carolina and California signed better classes than the Gamecocks, according to the organization’s rankings.

Currently participating in trials for the USA Basketball Women’s U19 World Championship Team, Bone grabbed a spot on the ESPNrise.com All-America First Team, matching her selections from McDonald’s, the WBCA, Parade Magazine and USA Today. The 6-foot-5 center was widely regarded as the No. 2 recruit in the nation, including by All-Star Girls Report and ESPN, after averaging 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots in leading Dulles to a 36-3 record and the Texas Class 5A Region III semifinals in 2008-09.

Walker earned a spot on the ESPNrise.com All-America Second Team, adding to her third-team selection by Parade Magazine. Ranked among the country’s top-20 recruits by various sources, Walker guided her Copiague team to the Section XI, Long Island and New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class AA titles.

The Gamecocks’ 2009 class also includes 6-foot forward Ashley Bruner (Norman, Okla./Norman), who is a two-time Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State selection, and Monique Willis (Savannah, Ga./A.E. Beach), who is rated No. 24 by All-Star Girls Report. South Carolina signed Walker and Willis in the fall, prompting The Collegiate Girls Basketball Report to slot Staley’s class the ninth-best in the nation. USA Today tabbed the class No. 20 in the nation, prior to the addition of Bone and Bruner.