Women's Basketball Announces 2016 Spring Signing Class
5/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Spartanburg, S.C. – USC Upstate head women's basketball coach Tammy George has announced the signings of Brittney Delva, Breanna Jefferson, Rylie Parkhust and Riley Popplewell to National Letters of Intent for the 2016-17 season.
"We are excited to welcome these four young ladies to our program," said George.
Delva joins the Spartan family from South Georgia Technical College in Americus, Ga. where she played the past two seasons under head coach James Frey. Delva was named the team MVP during the 2015-16 season after she started 31 of 32 games and led the Lady Jets with 7.5 assists per game while scoring 5.3 points per game. Delva's 7.5 assists per game ranked third nationally in the National Junior College Athletic Association and was second among junior college players with 239 assists. The Boynton Beach, Fla. native was a member of the GCAA All-Academic Team. Prior to attending South Georgia Tech, Delva attended Amos P. Godby High School in Tallahassee where she lettered in basketball and track. She played for the North Florida Elite club team. Delva is the daughter of Lelio Delva and Shirissa Barton.
"We look for Brittney to contribute right away," stated George. "She has the ability to make players around her better."
Jefferson is the younger sister of rising senior Raven Jefferson. She attended Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, Va. where she became the first female basketball player to score 1,000 career points. While at Virginia Episcopal School, Jefferson was a member of the VISAA Division III State Championship team in 2013-14 and earned All-Conference, All-Area and All-State honors during her scholastic career. During her senior year Jefferson averaged 14.4 points, 2.8 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. In addition to basketball, Jefferson also lettered in soccer and tennis. Jefferson played on the Virginia Belles and BlueStar United AAU teams. She is the daughter of Clarence and Barbara Jefferson.
"Breanna will add depth to our backcourt and by her versatility to play both guard positions," said George.
Parkhurst is a 5-8 guard from Miamisburg, Ohio. She attended Miamisburg High School where she lettered four years in basketball and two years in track. On the court, Parkhurst was the captain of the Vikings for three seasons while scoring 1,003 career points and setting a school record with 12 assists in a game. She is a three-year First Team All-Greater Western Ohio Conference selection as well as First Team All-District and has also played in the Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game. Parkhurst played on the Dayton Lady Hoopstars Elite and Cincinnati Angles AAU teams, and was a member of a national championship team while earning All-Tournament Team accolades in multiple tournaments. She is the daughter of Brad and Reggie Parkhurst.
"We like Rylie as a combo guard and look for her to add depth to our backcourt," stated George.
Popplewell hails from Union Mills, Ind. where she played at South Central High School. She lettered four years in basketball, volleyball, track and softball, and earned numerous awards in each sport. In her senior season on the court, Popplewell averaged 20.0 points per game with 3.6 steals, 1.8 assists and 11.6 rebounds, and was a First Team ICGSA All-State selection. In three out of her four seasons she was selected as the Porter County Conference MVP and was named as the Herald-Argus Women's Basketball Player of the Year. Popplewell holds the school single-season and career record for blocks and rebounds, and the single-season record for free throws. She is also a member of the school-record 4x800-meter and 4x400-meter relay teams. She is the school's valedictorian and was voted student council president, National Honor Society president and homecoming queen. She is the daughter of Roger and Shawn Popplewell.
"We feel she is a versatile player and will be a great addition to our frontcourt," said George.
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