PIKE CREEK, Del. – Head coach Jen Carleton announced Tues., June 15 three additions to the Goldey-Beacom College women's basketball team. Melanie Johnson (St. Peters/Staten Island, N.Y.), Briana Richmond-Peters (Brimm Medical Arts H.S./Camden, N.J.) and Taylor Leonard (John A. Coleman Catholic/Hurley, N.Y.) have each signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the Lightning for the 2010-11 season.
“We are extremely happy with the three student-athletes that will be a part of our team this upcoming season,” the fourth-year coach said. “All three provide different elements that could propel us to that next level.”
These three recruits will join an up-and-coming Lightning squad that nearly doubled its 2008-09 win total this past season, finishing 17-12 overall and reaching the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference semifinals for the first time since 2006-07. The team's top-seven scorers are back next year, including redshirt-junior Jacinda Jones who ranked fifth in the CACC in scoring (15.7 ppg) and sophomore Devonne Richardson who averaged nearly a double-double with 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per-game.
Melanie Johnson (St. Peters/Staten Island)
A 5-foot-9 forward, Johnson was a key contributor off the bench the last two seasons for St. Peter's squads that finished a combined 47-7 and won the Staten Island Catholic High School Athletic Association championship two years in a row as well as the AA Archdiocesan championship in 2009.
This past season, Johnson averaged 5.0 points per-game and was always a threat from behind the arc. She had nine points including a huge late three-pointer in a win over South Shore HS, and also tallied a season-high 12 points in a CHSAA state quarterfinal win over Nichols of Buffalo. She helped the Eagles win their 15th straight CHSAA Staten Island crown before they fell to eventual state Federation Class AA champion Christ the King in the catholic state semifinals.
In 2006-07, Johnson's junior varsity team went undefeated and won a Staten Island Catholic High School championship. The next year, she was named captain and later most valuable player of the JV squad. Before high school she played for the Staten Island PAL Diamonds and helped them win the 2005 DII/13U Classic Winners Bracket National Championship.
According to Carleton, Johnson's shooting ability could be an instant lift for the Lightning in 2010-11.
“Melanie is a pure shooter,” she said. “It will be much easier to work from inside-out knowing we have a shooter on the outside that can extend defenses. I know her work ethic will help her become a great college basketball player who can make a big impact on this team.”
Johnson said that once she visited Goldey-Beacom, she knew it was the school for her.
“Coming from a small school, I got the same kind of 'homey' feeling at Goldey,” Johnson said. “With Delaware being so beautiful, I'm so excited to be going away. I felt so welcomed by the coaches and the team. I can't wait for the season to finally begin.”
Briana Richmond-Peters (Brimm Medical Arts H.S./Camden, N.J.)
Richmond-Peters, who graduated from Brimm Medical Arts H.S. but played for Camden High School, is an athletic, 5-foot-11 post-player. She boasts one First Team All-Conference and two Second Team All-Conference selections, and two Coaches' Choice Awards. A team captain for three years, she went over 1,000 rebounds for her career and scored over 600 points.
This past season, she led Camden High School to a 14-8 record and a berth in the South Jersey Group 2 semifinals before the Panthers fell to Haddonfield, 50-42. Along the way, she scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds in a dominating, 82-29 state tournament first-round win over Gloucester Tech.
According to Carleton, Richmond-Peters' athleticism makes her a dynamic and potentially game-changing player on the floor.
“Her ability to go find the ball and make outstanding defensive plays will set her aside from most,” Carleton said. “Briana can clean up the glass and give us the extra possessions needed to win games. From the moment we saw her, we knew that her basketball ability and personality would fit in immediately with this team.”
Richmond-Peters shared that sentiment, saying she too immediately thought Goldey-Beacom was the perfect fit for her.
“The campus is not too big, yet not too small, and the people all seem friendly and helpful,” she said. “The team and coaching staff is awesome, and I know I will fit in with the GBC family with no problem.”
Taylor Leonard (John A. Coleman Catholic/Hurley, N.Y.)
Leonard comes to GBC after an illustrious high school career in which she helped turn John A. Coleman Catholic into a girl's basketball powerhouse.
Under her father Guy Leonard's coaching, Taylor and Coleman Catholic made three straight trips to the N.Y. State Final Four, two finals appearances and came away with one state championship.
And it was a game-winning Taylor Leonard three-point shot that delivered Coleman its first-ever state championship in 2009. In fact, Leonard sank decisive back-to-back three-pointers and a foul shot, all in the final minute to give the Stateswomen the title her junior year. She was named the Daily Freeman player of the year, the 2009 New York State Class D player of the year and the State Tournament most valuable player.
But just two months before what hoped to be a dream senior season, Leonard suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) with five minutes left in an AAU college showcase game at Iona College on Sept. 12.
The prognosis looked bleak originally, but the third-year senior captain made a miraculous comeback after four months of rehab, and she led Coleman Catholic to the Mid-Hudson Athletic League title this past season. Then, for the third straight season, Leonard helped the Stateswomen reach the State Final Four where their unbelievable run came to an end with a 31-26 loss to Clymer. They finished the season with a record of 17-4.
Despite playing in just five games her senior season, Leonard finished her career with 1,210 points and 152 three-pointers. She also made the honor roll at school and the MHAL All-Academic Team all four years.
Carleton described Leonard as a pure scoring guard who can also lead her team at the point guard position.
“Her ability to play both point guard and shooting guard will give us multiple opportunities to excel,” she said. “Taylor can shoot the three with the best of them and also attack the basket when needed. Her ability to score the basketball can provide outstanding options within our team.”
Leonard, who graduated on June 5, said she is excited about starting school at GBC for a number of reasons.
“I am thrilled that I will be able to continue my basketball career at the next level,” Leonard said. “I also get to study what I want, which is Sports Management. And after meeting the coaching staff, I knew that this was the right place for me.”
Carleton said she and her coaching staff put a lot of emphasis on getting to know the players on a personal-level, rather than just purely for basketball.
“It is very important that not only do these players fit in basketball-wise, but they also fit in socially,” she explained. “From the moment we met all three, we knew they belonged.”
