Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Inks Ojulu, Tibbs, and Butler
11/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2010
MILWAUKEE - The Marquette women's basketball program has added depth to its frontcourt with the signing of three student-athletes who all stand 6-foot-3-or-taller to national letters of intent Wednesday. Apiew Ojulu (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North), Lauren Tibbs (Taylor Mill, Ky./Scott) and Chelsie Butler (Minerva, Ohio/Minerva) will join the Golden Eagles in the summer of 2011 and have four years of eligibility remaining.
"We are extremely excited about the class that is now officially apart of our Marquette family," said head coach Terri Mitchell. First and foremost, they are players of outstanding character. They come from strong families who truly value integrity and hard work. As a group, they are fierce competitors; they understand what it takes to compete at the highest level. They understand the academic opportunity ahead of them as well as the basketball opportunity. With us graduating six players, they know that they will be able to step in and contribute right away."
Apiew Ojulu, a 6-3 center from Lakeville, Minn., is listed as the No. 86 overall prospect by ESPN HoopGurlz, and the eighth best post in the Class of 2011. Ojulu spent three seasons (2006-09) at Rochester John Marshall where she averaged 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. She played the 2010 season at Lakeville North High School and helped it to a perfect 32-0 record and a AAAA State Championship. Ojulu earned First Team AAAA All-State, All-Big Nine and All-Lake Conference honors following the 2010 season where contributed 9.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
"Apiew is that long athlete that can get up and down the court. She is fast, she faces and has a quick first step. She is very athletic and we are excited about the different dynamic she will add to our post game," said Mitchell.
Lauren Tibbs, a 6-4 center from Taylor Mill, Ky., is listed as the 25th best center in the nation, according to Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. She is a four-year letterwinner at Scott High School where she was the named the 2010 Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Player of the Year, the Northern Kentucky Coaches Association Player of the Year and the 10th Region Player of the Year. She was a first-team all-NKAC selection and a second team all-state selection in 2010 while leading Northern Kentucky in scoring and rebounding (25.2 points, 11.0 rebounds per game).
Tibbs also was a stand-out volleyball player at Scott twice earning the Northern Kentucky Coaches Association Player of the Year honor. During her career she became only the second player at Scott to register over 1,000 kills.
"Lauren has a lot of versatility as a post player. She is definitely someone who can score on the block, but at the same time she can face and can go by. She is someone who I was so impressed with during the recruiting process because she knew what she wanted and stuck with it then entire way, and that path led her to Marquette," said Mitchell.
Chelsie Butler, the tallest of MU's signees at 6-5, hails from Minerva, Ohio. ESPN HoopGurlz ranks Butler as the 22nd best post player in the nation. A four-year starter at Minerva, Butler helped it to a school-record 22 wins and an appearance in the Ohio Division II regional title game. Butler was a second team all-state selection and a NBC All-First Team honoree in 2010 after averaging 19.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game.
"Chelsie just dominates the paint with her size and aggressiveness. Off the court, she has an incredible personality, but on the court she is a competitor who will do whatever it takes to win," said Mitchell.
"We have addressed the need for size in our program with Lauren, Apiew and Chelsie. I am excited about them as individuals, about them playing together and their overall ability. They will have an impact in the paint and rebounding. Each has a skill set that we need and to see them feed off each other will be something exciting for our program," added Mitchell.
