Four local players will join GCU basketball for 2010-11

Art Preuss

The Grand Canyon University women’s basketball team has wrapped up its 2010-11 recruiting class and, as usual, it includes a good share of local talent.

Coach Trent May announced the final signing, a 5’7″ guard from Los Angeles Southwest College.  Zajve Woods was the South Coast Conference South Division MVP, averaging 12.4 points per game and 17.2 in conference play.  The junior-to-be had a 27-point high game and notched 39 treys at LASC.

Woods will join six other recruits that include four from Arizona, two transfers and two right out of high school.

Maylinn Smith from Mesquite HS in Gilbert and Jenna Pearson from Gilbert Christian HS signed on back in November to get the class started.

Smith is a 5’9″ guard/forward who averaged 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds for Mesquite as a junior.  Pearson, a 5’11” forward, was part of Gilbert Christian’s state championship team and averaged 19 points and seven rebounds as a junior.  But this year she did it all as the team leader in all four offensive categories, points (16.4), rebounds (7), assists (4.1), and steals (2.2).

Coming on board in April were a couple of local grads who each got a share of college seasoning out of state before transferring back to GCU.

Jazmyn Foster is a 5’6″ sophomore guard from Thunderbird HS in Phoenix that is transferring in from New Mexico State, where she played one season in 2006-07.  Before leaving Thunderbird, she helped take her team to three Class 4A state titles and had earned a No. 26 national ranking. at her position.  She started 11-of-15 games for NMS.

Stevie Kamp is a Mountain View HS (Mesa) grad that spent two seasons at Nova Southeastern, a D-II school in Florida.  At Mountain View, she was the All-East Valley Tribune Defensive Player of the Year.  She started 24-of -28 games for Nova this season and was the team’s leading rebounder with 7 boards/game.

Joslynn Frazier was the other April signee.  Frazier is transferring in after two seasons at College of the Canyons in California, where she averaged 14.3 points and 12 rebounds.  The 6’0″ forward was named to the Western State All-Conference team while at CofC.

Jallisa Butler, who signed on in early June from Nevada, rounds out the 2010 recruiting class.  The 6’1″ post was ranked third in the league in scoring (16.5 pts) and added 10 boards per game, and will have two years of eligibility at GCU.  She was a First Team All-Conference selection at Barstow CC.

The recruits will try to work their way into a line-up next season that includes the PacWest Player of the Year, Samantha Murphy.  The senior guard, a graduate of Xavier Prep in Phoenix, was the conference’s leading scorer last season with a 19-point average.  She was also the conference Freshman of the Year and was a First Team selection all three years.

In addition, the Antelopes will have a returning Second Team selection in center Kia Gibson, who will also provide some senior leadership on the floor.

Grand Canyon, which was the Pacific West Conference champions in 2007-09, finished last season with a regular-season record of 19-8, 13-3 in conference.

(Photo: GCU Athletics)