Indiana University Athletics
Versyp Inks Four To National Letter of Intent
11/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.-- Indiana women's basketball head coach Sharon Versyp announced the signing of Shanice Billington, a 5-5 point guard from Hartford, Conn., (Bulkeley), Jamie Braun a 5-8 guard from Marshfield Mo., (Marshfield), Michelle Carr, a 6-1 forward from Detroit, Mich., (Inkster) and Angelique Gray, a 5-9 guard from Stone Mountain, Ga., (Stone Mountain) to a national letter of intent Wednesday. All four will enroll in the fall of 2006 and will be eligible to compete for Indiana during the 2006-07 season.
"The first recruiting class we are bringing in with Angel, Jamie, Michelle and Shanice is extremely talented and athletic," Versyp said. "We are so excited about this class as a whole. They bring scoring mentality, defensive presence, a fast pace game, as well as a large amount of basketball knowledge. But most of all, they are tremendous student-athletes with great character whom are very strong-willed people."
The following is a signee roster and short biography of each:
Shanice Billington
Hartford, Conn. (Bulkeley)
5'5" • Guard
As a junior, Billington, who was a McDonalds High School All-American nominee, received 2005 first team Hartford Courant All-State, and second-team New Haven Register All-State accolades. She led Bulkeley High School to the state semi-finals for the first time in school history, while averaging 23 points a game during their tournament run. The 5-5 point guard is rated the 151st best player in the nation in the Class of 2006 and the 37th best point guard according to the All-Star Girls Report.
Billington, a high honor student that ranks 13th in her class of 255, is on pace to break the school record for scoring, which stands at 1,308 points. She averaged 15.8 points, 2.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a junior. Billington is the first signee in IU history to hail from the state of Connecticut.
"Shanice is a consummate point guard," Versyp. "She distributes the ball well, sets players up and has a scorer's mentality. She is a true leader and a good communicator on the floor. Shanice is very quick and aggressive, which will help us on the defensive end of the court. Having her on the floor will allow us to do many types of presses and different defenses. She is a very solid all-around player that does not have a lot of limitations."
Jamie Braun
Marshfield, Wis. (Marshfield)
5'8" • Guard
Braun, a two-sport athlete out of Marshfield High School is a standout on both the basketball and volleyball squads. She is rated as the 116th best player in the nation in the Class of 2006 and the 27th best point guard according to All-Star Girls Report. Braun is also a two-time first team All-Wisconsin Valley Conference pick and a three-time All-State honorable mention honoree. She was chosen as a first team All-Marshfield News-Herald selection and led her AAU team to a seventh-place finish at the prestigious AAU Jr. Olympics this past summer.
In addition, she averaged 12.1 points 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.7 steals as a junior. Braun ranked second in the Valley in field-goal percentage (56.4 percent) and eighth in free-throw shooting (70.8 percent) while helping the Tigers to their third-straight WVC championship, a 22-1 overall record and a berth in the 2005 Division 1 sectional championship game.
With 940 career points and 392 rebounds, she is on pace to score over 1000 points and record over 500 rebounds.
"Jamie is a player that will be a surprise to everyone," Versyp said. "Her athleticism, quickness, jumping ability and shooting ability, along with her defense will be a huge asset to our program. Jamie is a true leader at the point guard position. She can handle pressure, be a one-on-one scorer or shoot the three very effectively. Her understanding of the game and the knowledge she brings at this position will be a key to her success. She will allow us to have an up-tempo style and aggressive full court defense."
Michelle Carr
Detroit, Mich. (Inkster)
6'1" • Forward
Carr is rated the 117th best player in the nation in the Class of 2006, and is also considered the 20th best wing forward according to the All-Star Girls Report.
Carr was a member of the St. Martin DePorres team that won the 2004 Michigan Class C state championship, and was named to the Class C All-State team. In the championship game, she recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds.
After De Porres closed at the end of the 2004-05 school year, she transferred to Inkster where she currently plays in the post and averages 14 points 10 rebounds and six blocks per game. Carr received a lot of attention from schools such as Baylor, Connecticut, Marquette and Minnesota before choosing to pursue her career at Indiana.
"Michelle is an extremely gifted and talented power forward," Versyp said. "Her athleticism as a defender and shot blocker will bring a presence in the post that we do not have. Michelle also has the versatility to play inside and outside so her game defensively and offensively is a major strength. Her passing and shooting down low as well as from the perimeter will enable her to be a scoring threat every time she touches the ball. The key to Michelle will be her rebounding abilities and running the floor for us on offense."
Angelique Gray
Stone Mountain, Ga. (Stone Mountain)
5'9" • Guard
Gray, the sister of current IU assistant coach Nadine Morgan, is rated by the All-Stars Girls Report as the 87th best player in the nation in the Class of 2006. Though rated among the top 20 point guards, Gray has the versatility to multiple guard positions.
As a junior, Gray averaged 17.8 points, and 4.1 steals on her way to being named the Class AAAA Player of the Year. A tremendous athlete, she currently has 1,348 career points and has a chance to break the 2,000-point barrier. Gray was very highly recruited and chose Indiana over Florida State, Georgia and Clemson.
A captain of the Stone Mountain High School team all four years, Gray also was a 2005 Street & Smith All-America Honorable Mention, a 4Shot Hoops All-State Second Team honoree, an Orlando Sentinel All-South Honorable Mention selection and was named to the End of the Oregon Trail All-Tournament Team.
"Angel is one of the most sought after student-athletes that we recruited throughout this past year. She is ranked nationally in three different positions, which brings us a great deal of versatility. The best skill that Angel possesses is her ability to defend. She will be looked to at all times to defend the other team's top player. Her quickness and overall knowledge will enhance our team's level of play. Angel's quality to be a leader is exceptionally strong, as she has been a captain all four years in high school. That quality will enhance her game as well as our team for the future."
