First-year University of Evansville women’s basketball head coach Misty Murphy announced her first recruiting class on Thursday, signing four talented individuals to fit in her up-tempo, transition attack.

Ohio sharpshooter Chelsea Hawkins (Bucyrus, Ohio/Bucyrus), Missouri forward Samantha Heck (Auxvasse, Mo./North Callaway), Texas point guard Kaylan Martin (Pflugerville, Texas/Pflugerville) and Ohio wing player Taylor Ware (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) become the first players to sign with UE under Murphy’s guidance.  Murphy was named the ninth women’s basketball in school history this past May, and she will enter her seventh year overall as a head coach and 15th season overall on the sidelines this Saturday, when the Purple Aces battle 2008 NCAA Tournament participant East Tennessee State at 4:00 p.m. at Roberts Stadium in the regular-season opener for both teams.

“In general, we are extremely excited about our first recruiting class here at Evansville,” said Murphy.  “We believe that we have gotten the quality individuals and talented players of high moral character that have been staples of the UE program in the past.  With the graduation of five seniors this year, we will have some immediate voids that need to be filled next year, and we feel like this class does exactly that.

“Each of the players we have signed are good in the transition style of offense that we like to run, and all are accustomed to playing pressure defense.  With the timing of our hire this summer, my staff has worked extremely hard and did a tremendous job of targeting outstanding individuals who will continue the strong tradition of Purple Aces’ women’s basketball over the next four years.”

Hawkins has received mention on the Ohio all-state team for Division II in each of the past two years.  A three-time all-conference, all-county, and all-district pick, Hawkins owns seven school records so far at Bucyrus High School in northern Ohio entering her senior year, and is on pace to be the school’s all-time leading scorer.  She helped turn an 0-20 team the year prior to her arrival into a 16-6 squad last year as a junior, and also helped the Ohio Glory A.A.U. team win the Michael T. White Tournament of Champions signature division in Atlanta, Georgia this past summer.

“Chelsea is a great backcourt player who is capable of playing both the point and the two-guard position in college,” said Murphy.  “She is a tremendous shooter and an extremely competitive individual.  We are expecting great things from her over the next four years at UE.”

Heck will come to UE from North Callaway High School in central Missouri, where she is on pace to record over 2,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds, and over 400 career assists as a 6’2 post player.  Heck earned second team all-state honors as a freshman, and has been a first team all-state pick each of the past two years for the Thunderbirds.  She has also earned all-conference and all-district honors in both track and cross country, while earning all-state honors in cross country each of the past three years.

“Sam is someone that we feel has a tremendous future at the college level, thanks to her physical nature inside and her ability to step out on the perimeter,” said Murphy.  “She handles the ball extremely well for a post player, and is a tremendous passer.  She was recruited by a majority of the teams in the Valley, and she is another player that we expect big things from in the future.”

Martin is one of the top playmakers in the state of Texas, and is ranked 23rd in the nation among point guards in the latest ESPNU HoopGurlz recruiting rankings.  She earned first team all-state honors last year as a junior, after earning District 14-5A MVP and team defensive MVP honors.  Martin also was named the team MVP of the Austin Elite A.A.U. Club Team and was selected to the Nike Regional Skills Academy and Girls Top Ten All-American Camp.

“Kaylan is a pure point guard who is a great distributor of the basketball,” said Murphy.  “She handles the ball extremely well and is also a tremendous on-ball defender.  Her offensive game has improved immensely over the last year, and she should fit in extremely well in our transition-style attack.”

Ware excels in both basketball and track at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.  A two-time all-conference pick and an honorable mention Cincinnati Enquirer selection, Ware averaged nearly a double-double last season as a junior as she averaged 9.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for the 21-3 Eagles of Walnut Hills.  Ware’s 9.8 rebounds per game ranked second in the Fort Ancient Valley Conference, despite her 5’9 frame.  An outstanding athlete, Ware will bring speed to the UE perimeter next year, as she placed first in the Nike Outdoor Nationals in track in the 800-meter sprint medley, while also owning two top six finishes in the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay events in the state of Ohio.

“Taylor is still young to the game as a perimeter player, but has a tremendous upside,” said Murphy.  “She is an amazing athlete who is physically very strong, and she will add a lot to our transition game with her speed.”