Sept. 5, 2007
EASTON, Pa. -
Lafayette women's basketball head coach Tammy Smith has announced three players will join the program as members of the class of 2011. The three players hail from Texas, California and Maryland.
"We are absolutely thrilled to have a freshman class of such a high caliber join our basketball program," Smith said. "They are outstanding students, have high basketball IQ's, are extremely hard workers and very athletic. All three have the potential to impact our program immediately."
The first member of the class is Lauren Jackson (Argyle, Texas/Liberty Christian School), who comes to College Hill after playing four years of varsity basketball at Liberty Christian, mainly as a point guard and shooting guard. As a senior, she averaged 17.2 points per game and shot 47 percent from the field to earn first team All-State honors. That season, she helped guide her team to its first-ever state championship title.
For her career, she tallied 1,793 points. Jackson also displayed tremendous leadership, earning the title of captain for three seasons at Liberty Christian. In addition, Jackson spent time on the softball and track and field teams at Liberty Christian. She was also active in extracurricular activities as the vice president of the National Honor Society and class treasurer and also as a member of the Key Club.
The second player to join the Leopards is Elizabeth Virgin (Novato, Calif./Marin Catholic). Virgin comes to Lafayette from Marin Catholic High School in California where she earned three varsity letters and was named First Team All-MCAL as well as an East Bay honorable mention. In addition, she earned the Coach's Award during her time at Marin Catholic.
Virgin was a three-sport athlete at Marin Catholic as a member of the volleyball and track and field teams and earned a fourth-place finish in the 400 meters at the North Coast Sections. She was also active within the community as a member of Habitat for Humanity, where she had the opportunity to build houses in New Orleans for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The third and final player,
LaKeisha Wright (Upper Marlboro, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt), hails from Upper Marlboro, Md. where she played three seasons of basketball at Eleanor Roosevelt High School following a freshman season spent at Queen Anne School. Wright was a versatile player at Eleanor Roosevelt, seeing playing time at multiple positions and averaging 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists during her career. She amassed 1,000 points in her high school career and was a member of three state championship teams. She was also a leader of the team as she served as captain for her final two seasons.
In addition, Wright was a member of the track and field team, competing in multiple events including the 100 and 200 meter as well as the long jump and shot put. She broke the long jump and shot put records during her time on the team.
The 2006-07 Lafayette squad finished sixth in the Patriot League standings and earned a No. 6 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, the team's highest seeding under Smith. The team also placed six student-athletes on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. The 2007-08 Leopards will welcome back 10 of its 11 letterwinners in 2007-08 in addition to this talented freshman class.
Coaches
Roster
Schedule
