DETROIT (7-25-24) – The Detroit Mercy women's basketball team has added eight additional newcomers in
Katie Burton,
Chanteese Craig,
Jasmine Edwards,
Amaria Fields,
Aaliyah McQueen,
Emaia O'Brien,
Kailey Starks and
Alize Tripp to complete the 2024-25 roster announced Head Coach
Kate Achter.
"Our new young women bring athleticism and maturity to our roster that will no doubt keep us competitive in the Horizon League," said Achter. "We added a variety of experience from across all levels of the NCAA that has paired well with our returners who know how to win. I like the chemistry and work ethic that I've seen thus far and truly I've loved the competitiveness of this team."
"I'm am really proud of our staff for not only working diligently to build this roster but also for identifying the appropriate pieces needed for us to continue to build success here at Detroit Mercy," added Achter. "Our goal is to find sustained competitive success and this class puts us another step closer to that."

Katie Burton (5-9) – G
Hometown: Fishers, Ind.
Previous School: Buffalo
High School: Fishers
2021-23 (St. John's):
• Saw action in 21 games
• Scored a season-high five points at Georgetown (Jan. 25)
• Pulled down a pair of rebounds and dished out three assists against Xavier (Feb. 6)
Chanteese Craig (6-2) – F
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind.
Previous School: Buffalo
High School: Concordia Lutheran
2023-24 (Buffalo):
• Saw action in six games
• Scored a season-high six points going 3-for-4 from the field with a rebound and block against Drexel (12/9).
• Posted season-highs in rebounds (4) and blocks (3) in 10 minutes of work against Old Dominion (11/11).
2022-23 (Wabash Valley):
• Started in 31 of 32 games played
• Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) All-Conference and All-Region selection.
• Averaged 11.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, playing 19.0 minutes per contest, while shooting 61.7% from the floor as a sophomore.
• Also averaged 25.0 points per 40 minutes.
• Helped lead Wabash to a 31-2 overall record, seventh straight National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Midwest District tournament championship, and a NJCAA Division I national tournament appearance.
• Scored in double figures in 21 of 32 games, including a career-high 24 points in a 35-point win over Rend Lake.
• Recorded six double-doubles on the year and ranked seventh in all of NJCAA in field goal percentage (61.7).
Jasmine Edwards (6-0) – F
Hometown: Westland, Mich.
Previous School: Warner
High School: Haines City
2023-24 (Warner):
• Scored 864 career points
2022-23 (Warner):
• Stared in all 28 games played
• Sun Conference First Team selection
• Led the team in rebounds per game (7.8), rebounds (273), assists per game (3.4), assists (95), free throw percentage (72.6%), free throws made (122), blocks (22), blocks per game (.8), steals (40), steals (40), and steals per game (1.4).
• Ranked second in scoring (13.6 ppg), field goals made (125), and field goal percentage (44.6%).
• Posted career-highs in rebounds (20) vs Webber International (11/12), steals (6) three times vs Trinity Baptist College (11/15); Olivet Nazarene (12/31); Bob Jones (1/3/), and blocked shots (4) vs Voorhees (12/10).
• Academic Honor Roll selection
2021-22 (Warner):
• Stared in all 23 games played
• Sun Conference First Team selection
• Led the team in scoring (13.0 ppg), rebounds per game (10.7), rebounds (247), and free throws made (128).
• Ranked second in field goals made (112) and field goal percentage (41.8%).
• Posted team-high points (27), made field goals (11), and 3-pointers (7) vs Thomas University (2/10).
• Grabbed team-high in rebounds (17) vs Ava Maria (2/17).
Amaria Fields (5-11) – G
Hometown: McKinney, Tex.
Previous School: Boston College
High School: McKinney North
High School:
• Ranked 128th nationally by Blue Star Basketball and rated the No. 44 prospect at guard in the class of 2021 by Dan Olson Collegiate Report.
• Also ranked among the Dallas area's leading scorers averaging 20.5 ppg, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.
• Reached double-figures in 65 of her 82 career games played and scored the most 10, 20 and 30-point games in school history.
• Two-time all-district selection
• Named District 10 Player of the Year helping McKinney North to a 20-9 record and share of the district title as a junior.
• Also posted a season and career-high of 39 points against Maypearl HS and finished seventh in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in scoring during junior campaign.
• Finished in the top 10 in scoring in the Dallas area and became the first player in school history to average over 20 points per game as a sophomore.
Aaliyah McQueen (5-9) – G
Hometown: Flint, Mich.
Previous School: Madonna
High School: Carman-Ainsworth
2023-24 (Madonna):
• Started in 20 of 24 games played
• Named All Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) First-Team.
• Led the team in scoring (19.1 ppg - 3rd WHAC), rebounds per game (8.8 - 7th WHAC) steals per game (3.0 - 1st WHAC), and blocks per game (1.0 - T10th WHAC).
• Posted a season-high and career-best 41 points on 17-of-31 shooting from the field going 3-for-6 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the free throw line while grabbing 23 rebounds with four assists, three blocks, and three steals at Cleary (2/21).
• Also recorded season-highs in free throws made (10) at Lourdes (1/5), steals (7) vs Cleary (1/13), and 3-pointers (4) at Northwestern (Ohio) (1/31).
2021-23 (Oakland):
• Played in 39 total games
• Scored in double figures twice, with a season-high of 13 against the rival Detroit Mercy Titans at Calihan Hall (1/18)
• Hit 15 3-pointers, the sixth-most on the team, including five games with multiple triples
• Ranked 4th in 3-point field goal percentage (36.2%)
• Posted 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 5-of-8 shooting and 3-for-5 from the 3-point vs Detroit Mercy (01/20/2022).
Emaia O'Brien (5-1) – G
Hometown: Detroit, Mich.
Previous School: Long Island
High School: Chandler Park Academy
2021-24 (Long Island):
• Scored 628 career points at Long Island starting in 45 of 70 games played
• Reached double figured 21 times
• Named NEC Player of the Week (3/8/24)
• Named 2021-22 NEC Rookie of the Year
• Seven-time NEC Rookie of the Week (Nov. 16, Nov. 29, Dec. 20, Jan. 19, Feb. 14, Feb. 21, Feb. 28)
• Tallied career-high 24 points in the win over Stonehill on Mar. 7
• Recorded career-high nine assists on Nov. 18 vs. Lafayette
• Three-time NEC Winter and Spring Academic Honor Roll
Kailey Starks (5-7) – G
Hometown: Evanston, Ill.
High School: Evanston Township
High School:
• Four-year letter winner for Head Coach Brittanny Johnson
• Scored 1115 career points
• AP All-State Honorable Mention, Third-Team All-State Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA), All-Conference and Peak Performer selection as a senior.
• Scored 600 points and averaged 20.0 ppg and 13.0 rebounds per game during senior campaign.
• Also named All-Conference and Peak Performer selection as a junior.
• Helped lead Evanston to back-to-back conference championships as a sophomore and junior
• Three-year all-defensive team selection
• Played for Full Package Club Team for five years helping the team win multiple championships
• Four-year Honor Roll selection
Alize Tripp (5-6) – G
Hometown: Jackson, Mich.
Previous School: Spring Arbor
High School: Michigan Center
2023-24 (Spring Arbor - Mich.):
• Started in 56 of 57 games, scored 859 career points with 195 rebounds and 167 assists while averaging 15.1 ppg, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in two seasons at Spring Arbor.
• Started in all 30 games played scoring 523 points
• Crossroads Conference First-Team selection
• Led the team in assists (89), assists per game (3.0), 3-pointers (69), 3-pointers made per game (2.3), 3-point percentage (38.5%), and free throw percentage (90.7).
• Ranked second in scoring (17.4 ppg - 4th CC), field goals made (178), field goal percentage (42.1%), and free throws (98).
• Posted 14 20-point performances and two 30-point games, including a career-high 36-point effort to lead SAU to a win over then No. 14 ranked Rio Grande 12/30.
• Added career-high 11 assists vs Olivet Nazarene (11/11), six 3-pointers at Huntington (1/13), and 11 field goals at Taylor (1/6).
2022-23 (Spring Arbor - Mich.):
• Stared in 26 of 27 games played
• Crossroads Conference Second-Team selection
• Led the team in assists (78), assists per game (2.9), 3-point percentage (40.5%), and free throw percentage (87.5).
• Ranked second on the team in 3-pointers (34), 3-pointers made per game (3.1), and third in scoring (12.4 ppg), and steals (22).
• Scored a season-high 23 points vs Grace Christian (12/21) and dished out 10 assists vs Goshen (2/11).
• Went perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line vs former team Concordia (10/29).