Spartan Women's Basketball Signs Two From Class of 2009
11/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2008
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Head coach Tammy George and the USC Upstate women's basketball team had a tall order when recruiting for next fall's team, as the Spartans will have to fill holes left by three senior guards. To help fill the void, Upstate announced the signing of two backcourt additions, Ashley Williams (Spartanburg, S.C./Westgate Christian) and Morgan Goss (Morrow, Ga./Mays), on Wednesday at the Hodge Center.
Both Williams and Goss are ranked amongst the top 1,000 recruitable players in the nation according to All-Star Girls Reports, with Williams, a 5-8 shooting guard, ranked 695th and Goss, a 5-6 point guard, ranked 739th. In the team rankings, the Spartans' current recruiting class is ranked fourth, behind only Stetson, Belmont and Florida Gulf Coast.
"We are extremely excited about welcoming Ashley and Morgan into the Spartan family," George, who is entering her fourth year at the helm of Upstate's women's basketball program, said. "They are players with tremendous athleticism that can make an immediate impact in our program. They fit into our system well, with both excited about playing in our up-tempo offense."
Williams enters her senior year as one of the most dynamic scorers in recent memory in Upstate South Carolina girls' basketball. As a junior, Williams helped Westgate Christian to the S.C. Association of Christian Schools state title, as she scored 50 points in the title game against Victory Christian, helping the team to a 57-40 win. She finished the season with a 38.1 scoring average. The shooting guard averaged 37.5 points and 14.9 rebounds as a sophomore at Westgate Christian, leading the team to a 16-2 overall record and a Piedmont Region Area 2 title. The Eagles finished second in the SCACS state tournament.
A six-year letterwinner for the Eagles, Williams has already posted 2.866 career points. As a seventh-grader, she averaged 22.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. In eighth grade, she posted 27.9 points and 4.0 assists before posting 32.5 points, 12 rebounds and 4.6 assists as a freshman. Williams is also active in AAU basketball, playing with the Charlotte Lady Eagles program, where she averaged more than 20 points a game.
Also a tremendous student, Williams is among the top students in her class and held a 4.75 GPA midway through her junior year. Besides her time on the court, Williams also plays in the school band, has served on the Yearbook staff and also played volleyball.
"Ashley is a terrific all-around basketball player," George said. "She has a proven ability to score, both in her high school league and at the AAU level, and she is a hustler who can get to rebounds. She is also an unselfish player that will be able to find the open shot. Just as importantly, Ashley is a great student, who knows heading into her collegiate career that her main goal will be to get a diploma."
Goss, a 5-6 point guard, helped Morrow High School to a 23-4 mark in the regular season and a perfect 10-0 mark in Region 4-AAAAA as a sophomore. A two-year letterwinner at Morrow, she helped the team to a 16-8 overall record and an 8-1 record as a junior. As a senior, Goss has transferred to Class AAAA Mays High School in Fulton County.
Goss has solid basketball bloodlines, with her sister, Lauren, a letterwinner at Johnson C. Smith and her brother, Calvin, is currently a point guard on Clayton State's squad. Her father, Calvin, was a football player at Johnson C. Smith. Also active in AAU basketball, Goss played with the Georgia Pearls. Playing with the Pearls, Goss was invited to play in the prestigious Micheal T. White Top 10 All-American Camp.
"Morgan is an awesome ball-handler that will be able to compete for playing time right away," George said. "She has played with very successful high school and AAU teams and knows how to win in the postseason, which will help as we transition into a conference tournament-eligible team after her sophomore season here. Her family also has basketball roots, so she has always been around the game. All of those things, we think are going to make Morgan a very important part of this team in the coming four years."
The women's basketball team opens its season on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. when it travels to regional rival Presbyterian.
