Recruiting roundup: River Rouge’s Hamell picks Niagara, offers abound for top players from Mitten
Niagara University is starting to get a little bit of a Mitten flavor, as the Purple Eagles offered three prominent Michigan players this week, and got a verbal from another.
River Rouge’s 2019 point guard, Moriyah Hamell, announced her commitment to the Purple Eagles on Twitter.
“First off, I want to thank God for blessing me with such an amazing opportunity to play the competitive game of basketball that I truly love. I also want to thank all of my friends family and teammates who have supported me through all my obstacles,” Hamell tweeted out in part Tuesday afternoon. “After this tough, long process, I am very excited to say that I have officially decided to verbally commit and continue my academic and athletic career at Niagara University.”
With Hamell — a first-team all-conference performer in the Metro Athletic Conference — paired with the equally high-scoring Lamariyee Williams (2020), River Rouge won 18 games and a district title, losing in the regionals to Harper Woods Chandler Park.
She’s not the only Michigan player to catch the eye of recruiters from the Lewiston, NY, school. Two of Hamell’s program mates in the Michigan Storm Elite AAU system, 2020 point guards Kadyn Blanchard (Freeland) and Chenelle King (Flint Carman Ainsworth), were offered by Niagara this week. Niagara also offered Warren Cousino’s Kate McArthur of 1Nation Elite.
There is a bit of a Michigan flavor on the Niagara coaching staff, too.
Assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Liberty Del Rosario played (Notre Dame College in Ohio) and coached in the Midwest, most recently spending the 2012 season at Eastern Michigan. Fellow assistant Lester Harbin was an assistant coach with the women’s program at Oakland University from 2012-14, after starting his collegiate playing career at Grand Rapids Community College.
The Purple Eagles (13-18, 9-9 Metro Athletic Conference) are coming off their best season in several years, the second under head coach Jada Pierce, but lose two 1,000-point scorers to graduation.
Other offers/commits/signings:
• Waterford Kettering 2018 guard Jayla Williams signed with Aquinas College, joining Captains teammate Marissa Brady.
• Aquinas also inked Otsego 2018 forward Jaycie Callaway.
• Brighton 2020 post Sophie Dziekan (
Michigan Mystics
) was offered by Oakland University, giving her offers from both of Michigan’s DI Horizon League teams (University of Detroit Mercy offered her a while back.) She picked up an offer from Central Michigan, as well.
• Dziekan’s KLAA rival and Mystics program-mate Whitney Sollom (2020, Hartland) picked up an offer from Georgia.
• Another
Michigan Mystics
2020 post player, Macomb Dakota’s Cameron Grant, picked up another DI offer, this time from Indiana State.
• Indiana State offered another Mystics player this week, 2019 Maizie Taylor of Midland Dow, who you could never tell is just nine months removed from ACL surgery.
• 1Nation’s Alanna Micheaux (2021, Wayne Memorial) was offered by Eastern Michigan.
• One of the top 2019s in the state, McArthur opened up her recruitment after Clemson changed coaching staffs, and right away picked up an in-state Division I offer from Central Michigan, followed by the Niagara offer.
• Storm staff were busy shooting down rumors of a pair of Saginaw Heritage 2019s having committed: Neither Shine Strickland-Gills nor Moira Joiner have picked a school, according to the Storm twitter account.
• Midland High’s 2018 center Jeni Grinwis committed to play at Delta Community College.