Women's Basketball Bolsters Signing Class

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.- Coming off its third straight ASUN Semifinal appearance, North Florida women's basketball is excited to announce the addition of four players for the 2020-21 season.

Transfers Tatiana Thompson, Erin Jones and Marissa Mackins come to Jacksonville along with freshman Summah Evans from Australia.

The four additions join incoming freshmen Elise Harden, Peryonna Sylvester, Nubia Imani Benedith and Ally Knights who signed in November

"My staff has done a tremendous job bringing in the largest and most talented class we have ever signed here at North Florida," said head coach Darrick Gibbs. "They all fit seamlessly into the culture we are cultivating and will have an opportunity to have an immediate impact on and off the court. They're tremendous basketball players and even better people surrounded by unbelievable support systems. I'm excited to bring this group into our Osprey family."

Summah Evans
Hometown:. Cairns, Australia
High School: Cairns
Position: Forward
Club: Cairns Dolphins
Notes: Received the 2017 Coaches award from her club team, was the 2017 MVP Women's Super League in high school… was a three-time Queensland State Representative and was selected to the 2019 NBA NCAA Women's Global Camp… helped her high school to a state runner-up… in the 2019 U20 nationals, she averaged 10.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and shot 38 percent from the floor.

Gibbs: "Summah brings the type of versatility that we love. She can play inside and out and make plays on both ends of the court. Summah is coming in as a freshman, but played at a very high level in Australia. She's had tremendous success scoring and rebounding against high level competition and has only scratched the surface of how good she can be. We are always excited about adding great people and unbelievable teammates to our program and Summah brings both."

Erin Jones
Hometown: High Bridge, N.J.
High School: Vorhees
Previous School: Rhode Island
Position: Guard
Notes: Will have one year of eligibility as a graduate transfer… spent one year at Hartford before transferring to Rhode Island… played in 53 games, starting all as a senior … averaged 10.4 points in her final season, shooting 44.8 percent from the floor as well as 34 percent from long range… pulled down 5.0 rebounds per contest… in high school was a three-time All-County first team selection and received Skyland Conference first team honors in two seasons.

Gibbs: "We wanted to add a player that would bring experience and a versatile skill set. Erin checks off both of those boxes and even more! We've had a tremendous amount of success with players who have her type of versatility. She is a 6'1 perimeter player who is excited about developing and expanding her game. She efficiently scored 301 points last season including 39 three pointers at 34%. Erin adds length, scoring, rebounding and experience to our group. She is also the type of person that flourishes and grows in our culture. She is there perfect fit on so many levels and I'm excited about such a great addition to the family."

Marissa Mackins
Hometown: Durham, N.C.
High School: Southern Durham
Previous School: Temple
Position: Guard

Notes: Named to the All-Big 5 second team as a sophomore… was named the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week twice and Player of the week once… earned Big 5 Rookie of the Year… while at Temple, averaged 10.5 points and 2.6 rebounds, while shooting 34.8 percent from the field … she is a 32 percent career shooter from beyond the arc and averaged 66 three-pointers a season… played in 59 games, making 43 starts … last season, was third on the team averaging 12.3 points and led the team with 29 steals… had a career game against LaSalle, scoring 28 points with seven three-pointers made.

Gibbs: "Marissa is a big-time player who has had a lot of success playing in The American Conference. As soon as she steps on campus she immediately becomes one of the best shooters in our program. With the pace that we play at and how we space the floor, Marissa is going to flourish in our system. She scored 370 points last season and will be an integral part of our success when she is able to play. We are excited about adding Marissa and her family to our program."

Tatiana Thompson
Hometown: Winter Haven, Fla.
High School: Winter Haven
Previous School: Georgetown
Position: Forward
Club: Essence Girls and Central Florida Elite

Notes: Played three seasons at Georgetown… played in 85 games… was a four-year starter and captain at Winter Haven… was a first-team All-State and MVP in 2017… averaged 10.7 points and 8.0 rebounds as a senior… named All-State second team as a sophomore and third team as a freshman.

Gibbs: "Tati has played in a lot of big-time games in the Big East. She has a scorer's mentality and skill set that fits well into the way we play. I really like the physicality, toughness and mindset she brings to the game. We recruited her coming out of high school and we are very excited that she has decided to finish out her career with us. She has great family and came from one of the best and most successful high school programs in the Florida. Bringing Tati and her family into our program is exciting and I'm looking forward to all the success she is going to have on and off the court."

These eight players join seven returning players from the team that finished 16-15 on the year.

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