November 17, 1998

FURMAN BASKETBALL SIGNS THREE

GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Furmanıs Lady Paladin basketball team has signed three student-athletes, two of which are Street and Smith Honorable Mention All-Americans, to NCAA National Letters of Intent, head coach Sherry Carter announced today.

Ashley Shipp, a 5-11 wing player from Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., will join the Lady Paladins after two years at Okaloosa-Walton Community College. While there, Shipp earned Street and Smith Honorable Mention All-America while averaging 18.9 points and seven rebounds per game. Shipp was also a three-time all-state selection at Page High School.

³I look for Ashley to step in and help us immediately,² said Carter. ³She is a strong slasher to the basket and also knows how to finish.²

Joining Shipp is 6-2 center Orion Wake. A product of Woodbridge High School in Woodbridge, Va., Wake earned all-district and all-region while averaging 13.2 points and 10.4 rebounds as a junior. In addition, she is a Street and Smith Honorable Mention All-America and listed as one of the top 150 players in the country.

³Orion has the size and strength we need inside to compliment the finesse players we have,² said Carter. ³I also expect her to be an impact player her first season.²

Dutch Fork High Schoolıs Wendy Jones rounds out the Furman signees. A 5-6 point guard from Irmo, S.C., Jones averaged 21 points and 7.0 assists per game as a junior and is listed as a top 50 player in Hoops of the South.

³Wendyıs strength lies in her delivery,² said Carter. ³She can make the inside passes with crispness and is a real defensive stopper.²

³I do think this is the strongest recruiting class we have had in four years,² Carter continued, ³I look foward to an immediate and positive impact on our program.²