UIC head women's basketball coach Regina Miller announced today the full recruiting class for 2017. 

In addition to two recruits, Tia Tedford and Kara Wilson, who committed during the early signing period last fall, Miller and her staff have welcomed three more incoming freshmen: Kiarra Thompson (Merrillville, Ind. - Merrillville HS), Abreanna Lake (Elk Grove, Calif. – Cosumnes Oaks HS), and Jada Nneji (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – The Tech Academy).  The quintet arrived on campus earlier this month for summer conditioning and each is expected to compete for playing time this fall.

"I'm extremely proud of this recruiting class because they all come from winning programs where each was a major contributor," Miller said.  "There's no ceiling to what these players can bring to UIC, and I'm eager to see what they can do."

Tedford and Wilson, both from the Detroit area, became familiar with each other during their high school careers.  Tedford's Martin Luther King, Jr. team ousted Wilson's Ann Arbor Huron squad from the state playoffs in the quarterfinals their junior year.  Both players led their teams back to the state tournament as seniors, where Huron repeated as district champions and King made it to the regional finals.
 

Tedford scored 14 points per game and added five rebounds per contest as a senior.  Her King squad had an overall record of 22-2 and was ranked #1 in the state of Michigan heading into the state tournament.  During Tedford's four year varsity career, King lost only seven games and was the conference champion all four years.




 

Wilson was Huron's top scorer with 15.3 points per game on 47% shooting in 2016-17.  The all-around guard added 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.5 steals on her way to all-conference and BCAM all-state honors.  She was a four-time conference and district champion, and led Huron to the state quarterfinals as regional champions her final two seasons.

"Tia and Kara bring exactly the kind of skills we look for in recruits.  I can't wait to see the energy and synergy they will generate in our backcourt," Miller said.

 

Thompson was a four-year starter at Merrillville and helped lead the Pirates to four sectional titles.  As a sophomore, she advanced to semistate.  Thompson was an all-conference honoree her senior year, when she averaged 16.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.4 steals.  She finished third on Merrillville's all-time rebounding list and fourth in steals.




 

Lake had an outstanding senior season at Cosumnes Oaks, leading not only her team but the league in assists and steals, and finishing second in scoring by just 0.5 points.  She put up 15.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 5 steals per contest.  She is the first basketball player from Cosumnes Oaks on either the men's or women's teams to earn a college scholarship.

"Kiarra and Abreanna have played at a high level throughout their secondary school careers and we'll be looking to them to continue that upward trajectory," Miller added.  "They can put points on the board, for sure, but they're also top-notch defenders as well."

 

Nneji will provide some size to the Flames' lineup as the only true forward in the freshman class.  The 6'1" product of Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada averaged 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks her senior season.  Her team went 26-2 her junior season and was the St. Laurent Express tournament champions.  A versatile athlete, Nneji competed in sprints and jumps on the track team and was a member of the volleyball team as well.

"Coming from teams that dominated, Jada brings a quiet confidence and winning attitude that could make her an outstanding Flame.  I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of double doubles in her future here," Miller said.

Be sure to check uicflames.com frequently, and follow @UIC_WBasketball on Twitter, for updates on the summer training session and news on the 2017-18 schedule.