Nov. 10, 2004

WACO, Texas - Baylor University women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson has announced the signing of four players from the high school ranks to National Letters of Intent for the 2005-06 academic year. Tricia Abbott, Rachel Allison, Jessica Morrow and Jhasmin Player all inked with Baylor on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA's early signing period.

Tricia Abbott, a 6-3 post, from Houston Memorial is rated the 18th best prospect in the state by Texas Girls Basketball report. In, addition, Abbott was a first-team all-district pick as a junior last season when she averaged 19 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks a game. She led the greater Houston area in blocks and rebounds and was third in scoring. Abbott also played for the Cy-Fair Shock AAU team last summer.

Baylor's lone out-of-state recruit is 6-1 forward/post Rachel Allison from Jonesboro, Ark. As a junior at Jonesboro High School, she earned Class 5A all-state honors averaging 15.6 points and 12.7 rebounds. She was an all-state selection in volleyball as well. Allison spend the past summer playing for the Arkansas Mavericks' AAU team where she averaged 21.2 points and 14.5 rebounds. The Mavericks won their seventh consecutive state championship.

Jessica Morrow, a 6-2 guard/forward, is rated the fourth-best recruit in the state by Texas Roundball magazine and was recently ranked No. 3 in the state by the Dallas Morning News. At Humble (Texas) High School, Morrow, a two-time all-state pick and district MVP, averaged 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.0 blocks a game. In addition, she shot 48 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line. Morrow played for the Houston Hotshots and scored in double figures in every game last summer. The Hotshots posted a 59-3 record, en route to winning the BCI National Tournament and finishing second in the AAU nationals.

Jhasmin Player, a 5-10 all-state guard from Bay City (Texas) High School, averaged 22 points last season as a junior. She was District 24-4A's MVP and earned all-state honors from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and Texas Girls Coaches Association. In addition, Player was recently ranked No. 10 in the state by the Dallas Morning-News. She also played on the Houston Hotshots AAU team where was a BCI and AAU All-American and earned MVP honors at the BCI National Tournament in Dallas.

"We are excited about our signees," said head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson. " With these young ladies we have added size and athleticism. As we continue to build this program, we must sign players of this caliber. Not only are they outstanding basketball players, they are very good students," she added.

Baylor opens the 2004-05 campaign on Sunday against No. 3 LSU in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic, hosted by the University of Texas in Austin, Texas at 12:30 p.m. (Central). that game will air on ESPN2 and is the first of two games from Texas' Frank Erwin Center. Texas, ranked No. 2, will face 21st-ranked Penn State at 3 p.m. That game will also be broadcast on ESPN2.

Baylor Signees