Players Mentioned
Four Incoming Pirates Earn USA TODAY All-State Honors
4/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
USA TODAY All-State Teams // Maryland // Ohio // Nebraska // New York
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - All four members of the Seton Hall women's basketball team's incoming 2016-17 freshman class have been named to their respective American Family Insurance All-USA State Girls Basketball Teams, USA Today High School Sports announced on Thursday (April 14). Shadeen Samuels (New York) and Skyler Snider (Nebraska) picked up First Team nods, while Tyeisha Smith (Maryland) and Deja Winters (Ohio) earned Second Team honors.
The four high school seniors signed National Letters of Intent to play for The Hall back in November. Each then went on to turn in stellar senior seasons, with all four garnering Player of the Year honors in their respective regions.
Samuels picked up her First Team New York All-State honor after becoming the first player in New York State Public High School Athletic Association history to win four Class AA state titles. She capped her senior season at Ossining High with her second tournament MVP honor and was named Section 1 "Miss Basketball." The versatile 6-0 wing averaged 24.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game during her senior year.
The First Team Nebraska All-State honor for Snider comes after the 5-10 wing set a school record with 510 points this season (20.4 per game) and set Kearney's all-time scoring record with 1,453 points in her career. Snider, who won a pair of district championships in four years at Kearney, was named the Kearney Hub Player of the Year and earned a spot on the Lincoln Journal Star Super-State First Team following her senior campaign.
Smith grabbed a Second Team Maryland All-State nod after helping St. Frances Academy to a No. 1 ranking and an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference title. She was named Baltimore Sun All-Metro Player of the Year after averaging 20.5 points per game as a senior. The 5-9 combo guard finished her three-year career at St. Frances with 1,175 career points.
The News-Herald Player of the Year, Winters garnered Second Team Ohio All-State honors after pouring in 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals per game. The 5-11 guard was named Associated Press Division IV Player of the year in Ohio and was a finalist for the Ms. Basketball award in the state.
The four incoming freshman will join a Seton Hall squad that concluded the 2015-16 campaign with a 23-9 record and reached the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season under third-year head coach Anthony Bozzella.
