|
Home > SECWB News & More! > SEC Teams > Mississippi > Ole Miss 2007-2008 Freshman Class
Ole Miss 2007-2008 Freshman Class
by LeAnne Harrington, SECWB.com
Posted: November 14th, 2007 @ 10:51pm
Former assistant coach Renee Ladner took over the reigns at Ole Miss in the wake of Carol Ross’ retirement and is faced with the tremendous task of replacing All-American Armintie Price, who went on to be the #3 draft pick in the WNBA and earned Rookie of the Year honors. How do you replace an All-everything like Price? Price is virtually irreplaceable, but Ladner is hoping the 2 freshmen signed by Ross last fall will fit right in with the Running Rebs and continue Ole Miss’ rise back into the top tier of SEC teams. Let’s meet the new additions to the roster, otherwise known as “The Kaylas.”
Kayla Holloway is a 6’3” post player from Dyersburg, TN who prepped at Dyersburg High and played AAU ball with the Nike Tennessee Flight. Ranked #173 by Blue Star on their list of the Top 200 Players, Holloway finished her high school career with over 800 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 blocks and 300 assists in only 3 seasons of play. As a pre-season All-American honorable mention her senior year, she went on to average 13 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot. Holloway also earned all-district and all-region team honors her senior year, in addition to being named to the all-district and all-region tournament teams. Holloway was averaging 16.5 points, 14 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 blocks per game through the first six games of her junior year before having to miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. As a sophomore, Holloway earned a spot on the Class 3A All-State Tournament Team of 2005 after leading her squad to a state runner-up finish. She posted averages of 12.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists that season. Ross described Holloway as “…a prototypical Tennessee post player. She’s rough, tough and physical and she has that competitive fire in her that I love, and fans can appreciate as well.” Holloway was a member of the National Honor Society and was a TSSAA Academic Award winner. Holloway chose Ole Miss over Georgia, Vanderbilt, NC State, Purdue and Middle Tennessee State University.
Kayla Melson is a 5’8” point guard from Montgomery, AL who had 1,836 points, 437 rebounds, 319 assists and seven blocks in her career at Sidney Lanier High School. As a senior, she averaged 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and helped lead her team to a 22-11 record. In addition, she was named the MVP of the 2007 Alabama North vs. South game. Melson averaged 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists as a junior. As a sophomore, she averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists while helping her team to a 25-9 record and the Class 6A State Championship. For her efforts, she was named the 2005 Class 6A Player of the Year and the 2005 All-Metro Player of the Year. Melson was selected to both the All-Metro and All-Tournament teams as a sophomore, junior and as a senior. Ross described Melson as “a lead guard. She has a point guard mentality but she’s capable of playing the one or the two. She plays the point position about the way Armintie Price plays the small forward. She’s relentless, she’s tough and she’s physical. She is a powerful leader. She gives a lot and she expects a lot… She’s a tough, competitive winner.” Melson was recruited by Georgia, Auburn and Miami before choosing Ole Miss.
With the loss of Armintie Price, Ashley Awkward, and Jada Mincie from an Elite Eight team last year, “the Kaylas” will have some big shoes to fill. Ole Miss is picked to finish 8th in the SEC Pre-Season Poll.
|
|
|
|
