By PETE YOUNG and BOB PUTNAM
Published November 13, 2003
TAMPA - South Florida announced the signings Wednesday of two men's basketball players, two for the women's team, and a softball pitcher.
Joining the men are Solomon Jones and Collin Dennis.
Jones (6 feet 10, 210 pounds), a forward/center from Daytona Beach Community College, played for USF assistant Frank Burnell last season.
"He's athletic, a great shot blocker and an exceptional passer for a kid his size," Burnell said.
Jones averaged 8.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks as a freshman at DBCC.
Dennis (6-2, 180), from Richland High in North Richland Hills, Texas, orally committed to USF in September. He averaged 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season.
"The fact that Collin can play both guard positions weighed heavily in our decision to pursue him," USF coach Robert McCullum said.
The USF women's team signed Tampa Bay Tech 5-11 forward Chichi Okpaleke and 6-1 forward Nikki Munneke of Lino Lakes, Minn.
Okpaleke led TBT to a 23-4 record and the region semifinal last season. She averaged 20.8 points and 8.7 rebounds to earn first-team All-Suncoast honors from the Times.
Munneke averaged 13 points and seven rebounds for Blaine (Minn.) Centennial High last season.
Countryside softball pitcher Bree Spence, who led the Cougars to the state title in 2002, chose the Bulls over Arkansas, Alabama and North Carolina, among others. Last season she was 15-5 and led the Cougars to the region final.
FSU SIGNINGS: Women's basketball coach Sue Semrau signed 6-4 forward Christie Lautsch and 5-11 guard Tiffiny Buckelew to letters of intent.
Lautsch averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks as a junior at Campbell High in Smyrna, Ga., and earned Street & Smith honorable mention All-America honors. Buckelew averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists at Bradley Central High in Cleveland, Tenn., last season.
Meanwhile, men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton expects to receive signed national letters of intent from shooting guard Jason Rich of Orlando Dr. Phillips and point guard Isaiah Swann of Hargrave Military Academy.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA: Connecticut junior Emeka Okafor was one vote short of being a unanimous selection to the Associated Press preseason All-America men's team, and is joined by seniors Jameer Nelson of Saint Joseph's and Rickey Paulding of Missouri and sophomores Ike Diogu of Arizona State and Raymond Felton of North Carolina.
The 6-9 Okafor averaged 15.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocks last season and is on pace to graduate with a degree in finance in just three years.
BASEBALL: Florida announced the signing of nine pitchers and two position players. The pitchers include Michael Branham Jr. of Tampa Jesuit, Cody Reed of Seminole and Stephen Locke of Tampa King.
WOMEN'S SOCCER: FSU freshman defender Kelly Rowland has been named to the Soccer America and SoccerBuzz national teams of the week. She is the first FSU player to be named to Soccer America's Team of the Week three times in a career, and all three honors have come since Sept. 30.
- Staff writer Brian Landman and Times wires contributed to this report.
