After losing only one member of last year’s SEC tournament championship team, Holly Warlick signed three highly touted players who look to have an immediate impact on this year’s Lady Vols’ basketball team.
Jaime Nared, Alexa Middleton and Kourtney Dunbar make up Tennessee’s 2014 signing class, which was ranked by ESPN as the sixth-best class in the country, and second in the SEC.
“The freshmen are fitting in really well,” Warlick said at Lady Vols’ media day. “They need to work on some things, but I think it’s a really fun group to be around, and I think it’s gonna be a fun to group to watch.”
Nared came to Tennessee as the No. 6 ranked player in the 2014 class, and was selected as a McDonald’s All-American her senior year. The native of Portland, Ore. averaged just over 28 points and 14 rebounds per game in her senior season.
Moving across the country to go to school would be tough for most players, but Nared has a Tennessee connection. Nared is the third player on the Lady Vols’ roster from Oregon, joining former teammates Mercedes Russell and Jordan Reynolds.
“I’ve played with Jordan since the third grade, and Mercedes since my sophomore year,” Nared said. “So they’ve both been very helpful as far the adjustment to being so far away from home, and missing family. I know I can talk to them about anything.”
Nared brings an all-around game to Tennessee according to Warlick. She’s somebody who can shoot the three, but can also put the ball on the floor and get to the basket when she needs to.
Middleton is the lone Tennessee native in the signing class, hailing from Murfreesboro. She was ranked the No. 28 player in the country, joining Nared as a McDonald’s All-American during her senior season.
She comes from one of the most dominant programs in the country, playing for coach Cory Barrett at Riverdale High School, where she averaged just over 17 points per game as a senior. Playing at such a high level in high school has helped prepare Middleton for the high level of play she will face at UT.
“I really think it’s helped a lot,” Middleton said. “Coach Barrett did a great job of making sure we played the best teams on the biggest stages, and I really think that has helped prepare for playing on such a big level like this.”
Middleton made a name for herself early on, winning the 3-point contest at Tennessee’s Big Orange Madness, and giving the fans a preview of what’s to come.
“It was a fun night,” Middleton said. “We were just trying to make it fun for the fans, and I love to compete so I wanted to hit all the shots. It was just a fun night.”
Dunbar comes to Tennessee with a reputation as a spot-up 3-point shooter. The Edwardsvill, Ill. product averaged over 16 points per game as a senior, while hitting 57 threes.
That knack for hitting deep threes is something Dunbar has always had, and the Tennessee coaching staff is hoping that will translate to the college game.
“Ever since middle school I’ve pretty much been able to knock it down from anywhere,” Dunbar said. “Once I started getting recruited by schools as a three point shooter I just got in the gym even more.”
