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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Inks Four in Fall Signing Period
11/15/2018 | Women's Basketball
McPhee-McCuin’s First Class Currently Top-20 Nationally by Blue Star
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has added four new Rebels in her first signing class as head coach.
Signing with Ole Miss are junior college post player Dominique Banks (Atlanta, Ga./Gulf Coast State CC), wing Sarah Dumitrescu (Bucharest, Romania / IMG Academy), post Tai-Yanna Jackson (East Chicago, Ind./East Chicago Central HS) and junior college point guard Valerie Nesbitt (Nassau, Bahamas/Chipola College).
"I'm incredibly pleased with our initial recruiting class, especially considering we've had such a short period of time to put it together," McPhee-McCuin said. "My staff has worked hard to identify and recruit these young women to Ole Miss. Every young lady that has signed will impact us immediately. The Oxford community will love their personality and the energy they bring to the floor."
Dominique Banks
F/C | 6-5
Atlanta, Ga. | Maynard Jackson HS | Gulf Coast State CC
• Part of NJCAA national runner-up team in 2017-18
• Currently second-leading scorer at GCS with 12.3 PPG and 4.3 rebounds
• Was teammates with current Rebel, Jhileiya Dunlap, at Gulf Coast State
• Averaged a double-double with seven blocks as well her senior year at Maynard Jackson
• Set Maynard Jackson record for blocks
Coach Yo: "Dominique comes from a winning program. She's athletic, mobile, and has incredible talent. She also has a great personality. I expect her to impact us immediately as she will play the four and five positions."
Sarah Dumitrescu
G/F | 6-0
Bucharest, Romania | IMG Academy
• Dual citizen of both Romania and the United States
• Plays at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida
• Four-star prospect by Prospect Nation (No. 49 overall), three-star by ESPN
• Ranked No. 23 in her position by ESPN
• Will play a wing-type guard for the Rebels
• Team Captain at IMG Academy her junior year in 2017-18
• Has 866 career points in three seasons at IMG
• Averaged 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists as a junior at IMG
• Member of 2014 14U Romanian National Team
• Averaged 25 PPG at the Pro Basketball Academy in 2014-15
• Member of 16U Romanian National Team in 2015; Team MVP
• Member of 2017 U18 FIBA team for Romania; averaged eight points per game
Coach Yo: "Sarah is a fierce competitor. She hates losing, and she is focused on bringing our program back to its winning ways. She will play the guard positions. She can defend, she can score and she will be great for our culture. I'm excited to welcome Sarah to our family."
Tai-Yanna Jackson
F/C | 6-5
East Chicago, Ind. | East Chicago Central HS
• Rated 95 overall four-star prospect by ESPN, part of ESPN 100
• No. 55 overall, No. 11 post player nationally by ESPN
• Ranked No. 67 overall, No. 13 post player by Prospect Nation
• Ranked No. 1 prospect in state of Indiana by Rick Bolus Pre-Season Rankings
• Ranked No. 3 prospect in state of Indiana by ESPN
• Three-time IBCA All-State selection
• Three-time Gary Post Tribune All-Area Selection
• 2017-18 IBCA Indiana Junior All-Star Team selection
• Northwest Indiana Times, Gary Post Tribune and Indianapolis Star Preseason All-State selection in 2017-18 and 2018-19
• IBCA and Indianapolis Star Indiana Miss Basketball candidate entering 2018-19 season
Coach Yo: "Tai-Yanna has the potential to be one of the best players in our program after four years. She has incredible potential. She's a shot blocker, a great passer and has a good feel around the basket. She moves extremely well for being 6-5, and she will play both the four and five positions for us."
Valerie Nesbitt
G | 5-6
Nassau, Bahamas | The Potter's House | Chipola College
• First-Team All-Conference at JUCO powerhouse Chipola College
• MVP at JUCO All-Star Game, which hosts the top-40 JUCO players nationally each summer
• Averaged 10.5 PPG and 3.2 assists at Chipola last season
• Has played on the Bahamian National Team under Coach Yo since she was 14
• Part of Bahamas team that won gold at the Caribbean Basketball Championships in 2015
• Helped Bahamas to third-place finish at CBC this past summer
Coach Yo: "Val is a competitor. She is tough, she's energetic, and she loves basketball. She's competed against top talent, and will probably be one of the most explosive guards in the conference when she gets here. She does a great job of getting others involved. She will play the point guard position for us, and I expect her to make an immediate impact."
Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB on Instagram at Ole MissWBB and on Snapchat with the handle @OleMissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin
Signing with Ole Miss are junior college post player Dominique Banks (Atlanta, Ga./Gulf Coast State CC), wing Sarah Dumitrescu (Bucharest, Romania / IMG Academy), post Tai-Yanna Jackson (East Chicago, Ind./East Chicago Central HS) and junior college point guard Valerie Nesbitt (Nassau, Bahamas/Chipola College).
"I'm incredibly pleased with our initial recruiting class, especially considering we've had such a short period of time to put it together," McPhee-McCuin said. "My staff has worked hard to identify and recruit these young women to Ole Miss. Every young lady that has signed will impact us immediately. The Oxford community will love their personality and the energy they bring to the floor."
Dominique Banks
F/C | 6-5
Atlanta, Ga. | Maynard Jackson HS | Gulf Coast State CC
• Part of NJCAA national runner-up team in 2017-18
• Currently second-leading scorer at GCS with 12.3 PPG and 4.3 rebounds
• Was teammates with current Rebel, Jhileiya Dunlap, at Gulf Coast State
• Averaged a double-double with seven blocks as well her senior year at Maynard Jackson
• Set Maynard Jackson record for blocks
Coach Yo: "Dominique comes from a winning program. She's athletic, mobile, and has incredible talent. She also has a great personality. I expect her to impact us immediately as she will play the four and five positions."
Sarah Dumitrescu
G/F | 6-0
Bucharest, Romania | IMG Academy
• Dual citizen of both Romania and the United States
• Plays at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida
• Four-star prospect by Prospect Nation (No. 49 overall), three-star by ESPN
• Ranked No. 23 in her position by ESPN
• Will play a wing-type guard for the Rebels
• Team Captain at IMG Academy her junior year in 2017-18
• Has 866 career points in three seasons at IMG
• Averaged 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists as a junior at IMG
• Member of 2014 14U Romanian National Team
• Averaged 25 PPG at the Pro Basketball Academy in 2014-15
• Member of 16U Romanian National Team in 2015; Team MVP
• Member of 2017 U18 FIBA team for Romania; averaged eight points per game
Coach Yo: "Sarah is a fierce competitor. She hates losing, and she is focused on bringing our program back to its winning ways. She will play the guard positions. She can defend, she can score and she will be great for our culture. I'm excited to welcome Sarah to our family."
Tai-Yanna Jackson
F/C | 6-5
East Chicago, Ind. | East Chicago Central HS
• Rated 95 overall four-star prospect by ESPN, part of ESPN 100
• No. 55 overall, No. 11 post player nationally by ESPN
• Ranked No. 67 overall, No. 13 post player by Prospect Nation
• Ranked No. 1 prospect in state of Indiana by Rick Bolus Pre-Season Rankings
• Ranked No. 3 prospect in state of Indiana by ESPN
• Three-time IBCA All-State selection
• Three-time Gary Post Tribune All-Area Selection
• 2017-18 IBCA Indiana Junior All-Star Team selection
• Northwest Indiana Times, Gary Post Tribune and Indianapolis Star Preseason All-State selection in 2017-18 and 2018-19
• IBCA and Indianapolis Star Indiana Miss Basketball candidate entering 2018-19 season
Coach Yo: "Tai-Yanna has the potential to be one of the best players in our program after four years. She has incredible potential. She's a shot blocker, a great passer and has a good feel around the basket. She moves extremely well for being 6-5, and she will play both the four and five positions for us."
Valerie Nesbitt
G | 5-6
Nassau, Bahamas | The Potter's House | Chipola College
• First-Team All-Conference at JUCO powerhouse Chipola College
• MVP at JUCO All-Star Game, which hosts the top-40 JUCO players nationally each summer
• Averaged 10.5 PPG and 3.2 assists at Chipola last season
• Has played on the Bahamian National Team under Coach Yo since she was 14
• Part of Bahamas team that won gold at the Caribbean Basketball Championships in 2015
• Helped Bahamas to third-place finish at CBC this past summer
Coach Yo: "Val is a competitor. She is tough, she's energetic, and she loves basketball. She's competed against top talent, and will probably be one of the most explosive guards in the conference when she gets here. She does a great job of getting others involved. She will play the point guard position for us, and I expect her to make an immediate impact."
Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB on Instagram at Ole MissWBB and on Snapchat with the handle @OleMissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin
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