First-year head coach Ed Swanson announced four players had signed National Letters of Intent Tuesday. Ashley Deleonibus, Jeanna Gaumont, Jenna Green and Abby Rendle will all be eligible to play for the College of William and Mary next fall.
“All four women posses all the qualities I look for in a student athlete. They all have an extreme work ethic and come from winning cultures,” Swanson told Tribe Athletics. “They embody the three things we look for in recruits: they are great citizens and are winners both on the basketball court and the classroom.”
Ashley Deleonibus, who hails from Potomac, Md., began playing basketball in sixth grade but quickly began competing alongside current College freshmen guard Marlena Tremba and forward Kasey Curtis on the Georgetown Lady Panthers club program. Swanson sees Deleonibus as an improvement in the post.
“[Deleonibus’] athletic ability is something that caught our eye; [she] can get up and down the court quickly,” Swanson told Tribe Athletics. “She will add valuable depth to our post position right away.”
From Clifton, Va., Jenna Green offers immediate competition for current College guards. Green averaged 16.4 points in her junior year of high school, helping her program reach the state region semifinals.
“I think all great teams take on the personality of their floor general. I think she is going to come in and compete right away for the point guard position,” Swanson told Tribe Athletics. “She is tough, fiery, knows how to make other players better, and has a great feel for the game.”
Jeanna Gaumont, who will enter the College a year older than the average freshman due to a 13th year of high school in Quebec, Canada, joins Abby Rendle to round out Swanson’s first recruitment class.
Swanson hopes the class will help rebuild the College’s women’s basketball program.
“I think our recruiting class is a terrific building block for us to continue building our program here at William and Mary,” Swanson told Tribe Athletics.