DETROIT (11/15/2018) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball program and head coach
Bernard Scott has announced the signing of five student-athletes, who all inked their National Letters of Intent (NLI) this week. The five are set to join the Titans next summer prior to the 2019-20 academic school year.
The five signees are
Annika Corcoran (Chardon, Ohio / Gilmour Academy),
Bridgid Fox (Altoona, Pa. / Altoona Area High School),
Markyia McCormick (Canal Winchester, Ohio / Canal Winchester High School),
Abbie McDowell (Tecumseh, Mich. / Tecumseh High School) and
Sylare Starks (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Homestead High School).
"This 2019 Class could go down as one our best classes here at Detroit Mercy," coach Scott said. "We're bringing in good players that have high basketball IQ's and are skilled at their positions. All five of these players are very versatile and will be able to play multiple positions. These young ladies are winners, good students, come from great families and most importantly they are good people! I'm excited to have them joining our Titan Family!"
Four of the five are from outside the state of Michigan, with two from Ohio and one each from Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania. It's the second-straight season that Detroit Mercy has brought in five players with five true freshmen currently on the Titan roster.
Here's a little more information on each signee:
Annika Corcoran // Guard
Hometown: Chardon, Ohio
High School: Gilmour Academy
Height: 5-6
Career Highlights: Lettered in basketball in all four years and twice in track and field ... Helped Lancers to Division III state championship as a sophomore in 2016-17, earning All-Ohio Honorable Mention honors ... Helped lead squad to Division II state runner-up finish as a junior, setting a D-II state record with five 3-pointers in the semifinal victory ... Named D-II All-American through the National Association of Private Schools, First Team All-District and All-Ohio Special Mention as a junior ... A two-time
News Herald All-Star ... Named to
Cleveland Plain Dealer Fab 50 Players list following 2017-18 season ... She averaged 11 points and 5 assists and sank 50 3-pointers during her junior year ... Played with club team MAC Basketball ... Set school record in long jump, earning district and conference long jump titles and was a two-time regional champion to earn
News Herald All-Star honors in track and field ... Plans to major in Criminal Justice & Intelligence Analysis program at Detroit Mercy.
Coach Scott on Corcoran: "Annika is a guard that can play the 1 or 2 position. The one thing I really like about Annika is she's a leader. She's not afraid to speak up and demand more from her teammates. She's a tough and competitive guard that helped her high school win a state championship in 2017. She's a guard that can score from 3-point range or from attacking off the dribble. She's a winner and you can't go wrong with that."
Bridgid Fox // Forward
Hometown: Altoona, Pa.
High School: Altoona Area
Height: 6-1
Career Highlights: Lettered in basketball two years entering her senior season and four times in volleyball ... Averaged 14.2 points and 12 rebounds per game as a junior ... Led Mountain Lions to a 21-5 record last season, their best mark since 2005, all while earning Altoona Mirror Second-Team honors ... Her 21 points and 16 boards powered Altoona to its first Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association postseason victory since 2005 ... Helped lead the Mountain Lions to a District 6 championship as a sophomore in 2016-2017 ... Played three years of club basketball with Doug West D-Fenders and a year with Pennsylvania Defenders ... Won the USJN 17U Silver Division National Championship with Doug West's 16U squad in 2017 ... A volleyball standout, twice earned First-Team All-District and Independent Volleyball League All-Conference Team honors ... Set single-season school record for hitting attempts in volleyball, also finishing fourth in career kills and sixth in career blocks ... Had many family members play Division I basketball ahead of her including her father at Saint Francis (Pa.) ... Plans to major in Speech Pathology at Detroit Mercy.
Coach Scott on Fox: "Bridgid is a skilled 6-1 post that can not only score the basketball but she's also a very good rebounder. I played with and against Bridgid's dad who was also a post player so I knew when recruiting her we would be getting a player that was ahead of the game as far as fundamentals go. She will add depth at our post position. She's a tough and very competitive player. She's going to be a great fit for our program both on and off the court."
Markyia McCormick // Guard
Hometown: Canal Winchester, Ohio
High School: Canal Winchester
Height: 5-7
Career Highlights: Lettered in basketball twice entering her senior season ... Averaged 14.8 points, 3.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a junior at Canal Winchester, shooting 44 percent from the field and 40 percent behind the arc ... Led the Indians to an 18-7 record and their first district semifinal in 12 years in 2017-18 ... As a junior, earned First Team Ohio Capital Conference honors and was an All-Central District Honorable Mention ... Spent freshman and sophomore seasons at Pickerington Central, playing in state regional semifinals in both years ... Played four years of club basketball, one year each with Cincinnati Heat Premier, Dayton Vipers, Ohio Premier and All Ohio Red.
Coach Scott on McCormick: "Markyia is a point guard that can create for herself and her teammates. She has a good feel for the game! With
Brittney Jackson graduating we needed to bring in a player that could give us what we need at the point guard position. Markyia is a good passer and understands how to get the ball to people in the right spots. I look forward to seeing her throw dimes in Calihan Hall!"
Abbie McDowell // Guard
Hometown: Tecumseh, Mich.
High School: Tecumseh
Height: 5-9
Career Highlights: Lettered in basketball three times for the Indians ... Averaged 16.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 2.0 assists per game and made 55 triples as a junior, earning First-Team All-Southeastern Conference-White honors ... Named Honorable Mention All State by the Detroit Free Press and Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) ... A team captain for the Indians as a junior and sophomore ... Has averaged 13.3 points per game during her career, totaling 854 points entering her senior season ... Also earned First-Team All-SEC honors as a sophomore and was an honorable mention as a freshman ... Received BCAM Academic All-State honors ... Played five years of club with Michigan DSO Sting, earning Hype Fall League MVP and multiple All-Tournament team honors ... Plans to major in Cyber Security at Detroit Mercy.
Coach Scott on McDowell: "Abbie is a 5-9 guard that can play multiple positions. She's a high IQ player that can score off the bounce, in the post or from three point range. Her game reminds me a lot of Rosanna Reynolds because of her ability to affect a game in different ways. The one thing I really like about Abbie is she's a gym rat. She's not going to let anyone outwork her. I'm pumped up about adding a player like that to our program!"
Sylare Starks // Guard
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind.
High School: Homestead
Height: 5-8
Career Highlights: Three-year letter-winner in basketball for the Spartans ... Led Homestead to a Summit Athletic Conference regular season title as a junior with a team-high 18 points per game while shooting 40 percent from the field ... Named one of Outside the Huddle's First Five before senior season, honoring the top five girl's basketball players in the Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana area ... A captain last season, eclipsed the 1,000-point mark midway through the year ... Named to All-SAC First-Team as a junior and earned All-Area honors as a sophomore and junior, becoming one of six players to ever make All-Area at two different schools ... One of four finalists for the Tiffany Gooden Award in 2017-2018, which recognizes the top SAC basketball player ... Played in the 2018 Indiana Class Basketball All-Star Classic ... Named to First Team Indiana Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Underclass All-State as a junior and named an Indiana Junior All-Star ... Played first two years of high school at Concordia Lutheran, averaging 10.3 points per game as a freshman and 15.9 points, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game as a sophomore ... Exited Concordia Lutheran with a historic sophomore campaign, setting school records in most 3-pointers made in a season and season 3-point percentage (48 percent) ... Played club with team Always 100 and won the Club 1 Spring League championship in 2018 with a 10-0 record ... Her father ran track and field at South Carolina.
Coach Scott on Starks: "Sylare was a big get for our program! She's a player that makes things happen on the court. She's a very good 3-point shooter but she's also capable of scoring off the bounce. She plays for one of the top high school and AAU programs in the Indiana area so she knows what it takes to win at a high level. Sylare is the type of player that you can give the ball to at the end of the game and say go make a play and she will."
