DETROIT (8/25/2020) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball program and head coach
AnnMarie Gilbert has announced the addition of four incoming student-athletes for the 2020-21 basketball season. It's Gilbert's first recruiting class in her Detroit Mercy tenure and features a Division I transfer, several Junior College transfers as well as a freshman signee.
The four student-athletes announced on Tuesday feature Division I transfer
Kaela Webb (Pontiac, Mich. / Detroit Country Day HS / Providence), three JUCO transfers in
Cierra Harrison (Lockport, N.Y. / Cardinal O'Hara HS / Niagara County CC),
Sammiyah Hoskin (Detroit, Mich. / Wayne Memorial HS / Wayne County CC) and
Alicia Norman (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King HS / Macomb CC) and join freshman
Maddie Puletti (Cleveland, Ohio / Gilmour Academy) in the recruiting class. Puletti inked her National Letter of Intent (NLI) with the Titans last fall.
Kaela Webb // Guard
Hometown: Pontiac, Mich.
High School: Detroit Country Day
Previous School: Providence
Height: 5-6
Career Highlights (Providence): Spent two seasons at Providence (2018-20), playing in 67 games ... Named to the five-member Big East All-Freshman Team during her first collegiate season ... Started 28 of 32 games during her sophomore season in 2019-20, leading the team in minutes played and ranking second on the squad in scoring (9.9 points per game), first in steals (1.3 spg) and also contributing 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game ... Ranked second in the Big East in 3-point field goals made (78), 3-point field goals made per game (2.44) and 3-point field goal percentage (40.8% // 78-for-191) ... Also ranked 33rd nationally in 3-point FG percentage and 37th in total 3-point FG made ... Her 78 treys also ranked sixth in single-season Providence history ... Surpassed 100 career 3-pointers in her first two seasons, totaling 125 triples ... Recorded 17 double-figure scoring efforts during her sophomore campaign, totaling 27 across two seasons ... Averaged 8.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals as a true freshman in 2018-19, ranking third on the team in 3-point field goals made (47) and shooting 38.8 percent (47-for-121) from behind the arc ... Totaled 598 points, 118 assists, 93 rebounds and 86 steals, shooting 86.3 percent from the free-throw line (63-for-73) and 40.1 percent from 3-point range (125-for-312) in two seasons ... Named the Big East Freshman of the Week on Jan. 21, 2019.
(High School): A 2018 graduate of Detroit Country Day High School ... Lettered in all four seasons for the Yellowjackets and coach Frank Orlando ... A finalist and placed third for the 2018 Miss Basketball award in Michigan ... A three-time Class B state champion with Detroit Country Day (2015, '17, '18) ... Helped lead team to 95-11 record in four years ... Named the Class B Player of the Year as a senior in 2018 ... All-State honoree in all four seasons ... A finalist for the Detroit Athletic Club Athlete of the Year as a senior ... A
Detroit Free Press and
Detroit News Dream Team honoree ... Averaged 17 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals, while shooting 43-percent in high school ... Her father, Tim, is an assistant basketball coach with the Titans ... Played AAU basketball with Michigan Crossover ... Played high school basketball with current Titan,
Maxine Moore ... Plans to major in Digital Media.
Gilbert on Webb: "We are extremely grateful to add
Kaela Webb to our Titan family. Kaela is a rising star in the women's game. She is a proven local talent who helped lead Detroit Country Day High School to three state titles. She was a finalist for Michigan Miss Basketball in 2018, a four-time All-State performer and the 2018 Associated Press Class B Player of the Year. At Providence, she was a member of the Big East All-Freshman Team and finished second in scoring and first in steals last year. Kaela is a sharp-shooting 3-point shooter, who finished ranked second in the Big East conference in 3-point field goals made, 3-point field goals made per game and 3-point field goal percentage last season. She is a combo guard who is effective and efficient at both the one and two positions. Kaela's work ethic and leadership ability will be quite valuable to our team."
Cierra Harrison // Guard-Forward
Hometown: Lockport, N.Y.
High School: Cardinal O'Hara
Previous School: Niagara County Community College
Height: 5-10
Career Highlights (Niagara County Community College/Monroe Community College): Played in one season each at Niagara County CC (2019-20) and Monroe CC (2018-19) in New York ... Helped Niagara squad to 30-1 record and a NJCAA Region III Division II championship in 2019-20 ... Named First Team All-Region and Tournament MVP in her conference ... Averaged 15.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, shooting 49-percent from the floor, 43-percent from 3-point range and 76-percent from the free-throw line, adding 68 steals and starting all 31 games ... Earned All-Tournament honors with Monroe Community College in 2018-19, where she averaged 6.9 points and 6.2 rebounds, shooting 74-percent from the free-throw line.
(High School): A 2018 graduate of Cardinal O'Hara High School in Lockport, N.Y. ... Lettered all four years in basketball (2014-18) for coach Nick O'Neil and the Hawks, also lettering in volleyball ... Helped high school to a 104-10 record, four consecutive district championships, four-straight state final four appearances and two state championship appearances ... Earned All-NYS Honorable Mention as a senior in 2017-18 and was Second Team All-Catholic ... Played AAU basketball with Baseline Elite/I-90 Elite.
Gilbert on Harrison: "We are thrilled to have
Cierra Harrison join our Titan family. Cierra is a long, rangy, 3-4 players who will give us good length at both of those positions. Cierra helped lead her team to a 30-1 overall record and a NJCAA Region III Division II Championship. She has played on winning teams in high school and in college so she understands championship culture. Her Cardinal O'Hara High School team went on an 89-local game win streak, won four consecutive Catholic League titles and competed for two state titles in four years. Cierra is a sharpshooter who gives us the ability to really stretch the defense. She is also a long defender who will be very instrumental in our various defensive schemes."
Sammiyah Hoskin // Guard
Hometown: Detroit, Mich.
High School: Wayne Memorial
Previous School: Wayne County Community College
Height: 5-9
Career Highlights (Wayne County Community College): Played one season (2019-20) for Wayne County Community College, earning several major awards including receiving the Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) ... Named Second Team NJCAA All-American as well as First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region XII and earned All-Freshman and All-Defensive Team honors ... Averaged 22.0 points and 8.4 rebounds, while leading Wayne County CC to a 25-5 record ... Shot 45-percent from the floor and 77-percent from the free throw line ... Led her region with her 22.0 points per game clip, also leading the region in total points (639), free throws made (240) and field goals made (134), ranking fifth in steals (84) and 16th in rebounding (8.4) ... Ranked sixth in the nation in scoring and had a season-high of 39 points.
(High School): A 2019 graduate of Wayne Memorial High School ... Lettered in two seasons for the Zebras and coach Jarvis Mitchell ... Helped Wayne Memorial to back-to-back Class A state semifinal appearances in 2018 and 2019 ... Named 2019 Class A Honorable Mention All-State by the Associated Press and
Detroit Free Press ... Plans to major in Psychology.
Gilbert on Hoskin: "We are excited to have
Sammiyah Hoskin join our Titan family. Sammiyah is a local talent who is super athletic and talented and brings a confidence mentality to our roster. She led Wayne County Community College to a 25-5 record while averaging 22 points, eight rebounds and shooting 45-percent from the field. She was named Second Team NJCAA All-American, the MCCAA Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year as well as First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region. She is a two-way player who can score at all three levels. Sammiyah is a dynamic player who can play inside-out and will give us a much-needed scoring, rebounding and defensive lift."
Alicia Norman // Guard
Hometown: Detroit, Mich.
High School: Martin Luther King
Previous School: Macomb Community College
Height: 5-1
Career Highlights (Macomb Community College): Played in two seasons for the Monarchs ... Averaged 11.3 points, 5.4 assists and 3.8 steals per game during the 2019-20 season ... Helped her team to a perfect 32-0 record and a NJCAA Division II National Championship appearance in 2019-20 before the season was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic ... Ranked No. 1 in her region in free-throw percentage (88.9), No. 2 in total steals (113) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6) and No. 3 in assists (162) in her region, also ranking seventh in the country in steals and 17th in the nation in assists ... Notched 325 assists and 189 steals in two seasons and posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4, while shooting 44-percent from the floor and 82-percent at the free-throw line in 59 games ... A three-time Dean's List honoree.
(High School): A 2017 graduate of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit ... Lettered in all four years for the Crusaders and coach William Winfield ... Also lettered in track and field ... A three-time All-State honoree (2014-17) and four-time All-City recipient ... Named Mrs. PSL during her senior campaign in 2017 ... Played AAU basketball with Michigan Crossovers, competing in Nike national tournament ... Plans to major in Computer Science.
Gilbert on Norman: "We are very excited to have
Alicia Norman joining our Titan family. Alicia excels in transition with her speed, she has a good basketball IQ and is an extremely hard worker. She led her Macomb Community College to a perfect 32-0 record, an MCCAA Championship and a No. 3 regional ranking. Alicia posted strong numbers while averaging 11 points, five assists and shooting 51-percent from the floor and 89-percent at the free throw line. Alicia is a proven winner, who has won at the high school, AAU and Junior College levels. She is a lockdown, on-ball defender and a very efficient all-around player. Alicia is a local talent from the heart of Detroit and will give us depth at the point guard position."
The four above join freshman guard
Maddie Puletti, who inked her NLI with the Titans last November. A look at her career highlights:
Maddie Puletti // Guard
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
High School: Gilmour Academy
Height: 5-8
Career Highlights: A 2020 graduate of Gilmour Academy ... Lettered in all four seasons in basketball for the Lancers and coach Julie Solis ... Named First Team North Coast League, Third Team All-District and Defensive Player of the Year as a junior ... North Coast League Offensive MVP and Second Team All-District as a senior ... Also selected as Team MVP after her senior season ... Won a state championship as a freshman and was state runner-up the following season as a sophomore in Division II ... Was a
News-Herald Third Team selection and averaged 13.4 points per game in her junior season for Gilmour Academy ... Also averaged 13 ppg as a senior ... Made 121 3-pointers combined in her junior and senior seasons (58 as junior, 63 as senior) ... Played AAU basketball with MAC Basketball and SMAC Basketball ... A high school teammate of current Titan sophomore
Annika Corcoran for three seasons ... Her father played college football at West Liberty.
Coach Gilbert on Puletti: "We are excited to have
Maddie Puletti join our Titan Family. Maddie is a sharpshooting 3-point shooter with a quick release who is efficient in clutch, game situations. She averaged 13 points per game and hit 121 3-pointers combined during her junior and senior seasons. Maddie also has the athleticism to put the ball on the bounce as well as to be an effective defender. She comes from a very good high school program at Gilmour Academy in Ohio where she was a part of their 2017 state championship. Maddie will fit very well within our system and we are glad to welcome her to the Titan Family!"
The Titans
announced their non-conference schedule earlier this summer, with nine games slated during the months of November and December. Detroit Mercy enters their first season under head coach
AnnMarie Gilbert and 44th overall as a women's basketball program.
