Blue White Illustrated

P enn State signed the No. 18 recruiting class in the nation according to the ESPNW HoopGurlz Class Rankings, with five prospects joining the Lady Lion pro- gram during the November signing period. The five-member class is comprised of guards Makenna Marisa of McMurray, Pa., and Madison Greene of Pickerington, Ohio; wings Mya Bembry of West Orange, N.J., and Jayla James of Upper Marlboro, Md.; and forward Anna Camden of Downington, Pa. "This class is a great complement to the players we already have on our roster and brings depth at both the guard and the forward positions," coach Coquese Washington said. "They have a lot of ball skills in passing, shooting, dribbling and defensive skills." Marisa and Greene are ranked 58th and 60th, respectively, among all players in the Class of 2019, according to the Colle- giate Girls Basketball Report. Following her junior season at Peters Township, the 5-foot-11 Marisa won Player of the Year honors from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette while also claiming first- team All-State and first-team All-District recognition. She led Peters Township to a conference title and WPIAL runner-up status last season and entered her senior season with 1,125 points in her career. Marisa has a family connection to the university, as her mother, Donna Marisa, played basketball and softball at Penn State, and her grandfather, Rudy Marisa, was a member of the Nittany Lions' 1954 NCAA Final Four men's basketball team. "Penn State is a school I've always known, and a part of me has always wanted to go [there]," said Marisa, who has also lettered in soccer at Peters Township. The 5-8 Greene has excelled at Picker- ington Central, where she previously played alongside Bexley Wallace, now a Lady Lion freshman. In her first three sea- sons, Greene helped lift Pickerington Cen- tral to a 77-11 record. The Tigers won a state title last season and have claimed the past three Ohio Capital Conference crowns. Named a first-team All-State point guard following her junior year, Greene en- tered her senior season with 1,015 points, 355 assists and 323 rebounds. She also has earned distinguished honor roll status and is a National Honor Society member. The 6-1 Bembry is ranked 120th nation- ally by the Blue Star Basketball Report coming out of West Orange High, where she went into her senior season with ca- reer averages of 16.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.9 steals and 2.4 assists per game. West Orange went 55-12 during Bem- bry's sophomore and junior seasons, and she earned Essex County Player of the Year and team MVP honors in both years. Like Marisa, she has also lettered in soc- cer, and she has put together a strong ac- ademic resume, ranking in the in the top 15 percent of her 481-person class. James is the No. 22 wing in the country as rated by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. She helped lift Riverdale Baptist High to a 74-8 record in her first three seasons, including an Independent School National Championship as a jun- ior. A once-and-future teammate of cur- rent Lady Lion freshman Lauren Ebo, the 6-1 James is an honor roll student. James' father, Ron, played basketball at Lincoln University and held the single- season assists record, while her sister Raven plays basketball at Villanova. James said she chose Penn State be- cause "every time I went to visit, there was never a time I felt like I shouldn't be there. The atmosphere on campus is bet- ter than anyone can imagine." Camden is ranked 82nd by Blue Star and is the 31st-ranked forward nationally ac- cording to the College Girls Basketball Report. The 6-3 standout helped lead The Shipley School to state championships each of the past two seasons. Following a junior season in which she averaged 17.9 points per game, Camden earned first-team All-State and All-Con- ference honors. She also made USA Today's All-Pennsylvania squad. Heading into her senior season, she had totaled 1,143 points, 771 rebounds, 215 blocks, 97 steals and 81 assists. Camden said she picked Penn State be- cause "it checked off all by boxes: coaches I can trust, a big-time basketball pro- gram, an amazing College of Communi- cations, close to home, and more." ■ PSU routs American in nonconference finale Penn State wrapped up its non- conference season with an 80-59 victory over American on Dec. 16 at the Bryce Jordan Center. The two teams were tied at the break, 33-33, before the Lady Lions put together a 47- point outburst in the second half. PSU dished a season- best 22 assists while committing only ;ve turnovers, their fewest ever at the BJC. Guards Amari Carter and Teniya Page led the way with 18 and 17 points, respectively. The win, Penn State's second in a row, helped the team reverse course a=er a di

• Cover