Marquette University Athletics
Griffin, Thomas, Minix and Young Commit to Marquette
11/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2009
MILWAUKEE - The Marquette women's basketball program announced Thursday the signing of four National Letters of Intent by players in the Class of 2010. Mercedes Griffin, Courtney Thomas, Gabrielle (Gabi) Minix, and Katie Young will join the Golden Eagles in the fall of 2010.
"We are very excited about class we have signed," said head coach Terri Mitchell. "First and foremost they are all young women of character as well as being high-quality, skilled and talented players. They all are coming from highly successful programs, and their skill and athleticism will make an immediate impact to our program."
Griffin, 5'9" guard, will join the Golden Eagles from Bolingbrook High School. She led the Raiders to the Illinois 4A title in her junior year while helping the team to a No. 3 ranking in the ESPN Rise Fab 50 standings. As a junior, she received All-Area Greater Chicago Team honorable mention accolades. A former starter at Joliet High School, the forward averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds per game before transferring to Bolingbrook. Her high school performance has characterized her as an all-around contributor and solid defensive player.
"Mercedes is a fast, athletic, lockdown defender from one of the top high school programs in the nation. She has played a key role in defender opponents top players. We look for her to do the same at Marquette and have an immediate impact on our program," said Mitchell.
Thomas, a 6'0" forward from Montini Catholic High School in Lombard, Ill., has been ranked as high as No. 29 in the ESPN HoopGurlz for the Class of 2010. As a sophomore, Thomas was named to the All-Area Greater Chicago Third Team, playing alongside University of Connecticut commit Michala Johnson. She played club basketball with Full Package.
"Courtney brings versatility to our team as she can play inside and out. She is extremely athletic and is a great defender. She comes from excellent AAU and high school programs will translate well to our program," said Mitchell.
"Marquette is getting an exceptional athlete that is a good basketball player with a tremendous upside," said her high school coach Jason Nichols. "She is a young lady, who at the end of the day, does consistently well in every statistical category."
Indiana native Gabrielle (Gabi) Minix will be the second member of her family to play Division I basketball, with her sister currently a freshman guard at Murray State University. Minix, a 5'9" point guard, averaged 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds, leading Oregon-Davis High School (Hamlet, Ind.) to a 22-3 campaign her junior year. A 2008 and 2009 AP Indiana All-State Girls Basketball Team selection, Minix is a 2010 Indiana All-Star Candidate. Her freshman season, she helped her team to the 2007 Class 1-A state championship.
"Gabi is a combination guard that will get time at both the one and the two for us. She is an excellent ball handler and shooter that will give us much needed depth in that area with the graduation of our two seniors. She has great knowledge of the game, which translates on to the court in the way she plays.," said Mitchell.
"Gabi sees the floor incredibly well and is a very unselfish player," said Minix high school coach Terry Minix. "Her knowledge of the game, will to win, and her competitiveness are her strongest qualities. She is strong willed and doesn't like to lose. Marquette is getting an incredibly smart player who will look to contribute as soon as she steps foot on campus."
Young, a 5-11 guard from Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wis., was an All-Southeast Conference First Team honoree following a junior campaign in which she averaged 14.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.6 steals per campaign. In the final six games of her junior season, she averaged 17.2 points per game, earning her an honorable mention for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's All-Area Girl's Basketball team. The guard tallied 24 treys as a junior while leading Bradford in points, assists and blocks.
"Katie gives us lots of versatility. She adds to our size and strength on the perimeter. She can score outside and inside and has great explosiveness to the basket. She will also be able to rebound and defend bigger guards," said Mitchell.
"Katie is talented and will be able to contribute immediately," said Jeff Smith, Young's AAU coach. "She is offensively skilled and able to score from multiple areas on the floor. She has great court vision and probably one of the most polished players in the state."
