April 17, 2008

Charlotte, NC - Charlotte 49ers women's basketball coach Karen Aston announces the signing of two players to national letters-of-intent for the 2008-09 season. She welcomes Rachelle Coward of Nova Scotia, Canada and Paige McCallum of Whiteville, North Carolina to the 2008-09 roster. Coward and McCallum join Jennifer Hailey of Marshville, North Carolina, Nicole Hargraves of Greensboro, North Carolina and Katie Meador of Marble Falls, Texas, who all signed national letters-of-intent this past November, as the five members of Aston's first recruiting class at Charlotte.

"I am very pleased about the addition of Rachelle and Paige," Aston said. "They add a different dimension to our perimeter game. Both of them love the game of basketball and are gym rats and I like that about them. I am excited about what they will add to our program!"

Coward, a 6-foot guard/forward from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, has been named as one of the Top 100 Players in the United States by Slam Magazine.

"Rachelle adds a much needed three-point shooting threat to our team," Aston said. "She has very good range and also has great size for a guard. She understands the game very well and will adjust, I believe, quickly to the college game."

Coward, who played her senior season at Oak Hill, scored 441 points (14.5 ppg) en route to earning the team Offensive MVP honor this past season at Oak Hill. She shot 49% from the field and 54% from beyond the arc. She earned All-Tournament honors after helping her team finish as the National Runner-Up at the NACA Tournament. This past year, she played an integral role in helping the U-17 Nova Scotia team finish third in the Canadian National Tournament. She was named one of the top five players on the Canada All-Star team. Before playing at Oak Hill Academy, she starred at the Kent School in Kent Connecticut. In 2007, at the Kent School, she was named to the Founder's League all-conference team.

"Rachelle is the purest shooter to have come through our program," Oak Hill coach Mike Rodgers said. "She has worked hard to expand her game and has become more of a scorer. Rachelle provided great leadership on this team through her work ethic and maturity as a veteran of high level international competition. She plays the game with the intelligence of a coach's kid as her father coached her growing up in her native Canada. I am excited for Rachelle to be able to step up to a great conference and continue her development at Charlotte."

McCallum, a 5-foot-11 guard/forward from North Carolina's The Patterson School, is the younger sister of 49ers freshman guard Shannon McCallum. McCallum did not play her senior season at the Patterson School due to a torn ACL. McCallum, who only went to the Patterson School for one year, enjoyed a highly successful three-year career at North Carolina's Whiteville High School before transferring to Patterson.

"Paige is very versatile and brings strength and size to our team," Aston said. "She handles the ball well and will be able to play either guard or forward. I think her upside is tremendous. She has a passion for basketball and will work at her game throughout her career. I expect big things from Paige."

At Whiteville, she was named the Wilmington Star News Player of the Year in 2007. She was a three-time All-Conference selection who earned team MVP honors during her career. She averaged a triple-double (18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists) as a junior at Whiteville High School.

"Paige is extremely happy to continue to play along side her older sister Shannon," Patterson coach Robbie Turner said. "The transition from high school to college should be relatively easy considering Shannon can help Paige with the first few steps at the college level. This is a great opportunity for Paige and I'm very happy for Paige to sign with Charlotte."

Coward, Hailey, Hargraves, McCallum and Meador join a Charlotte 49ers women's basketball program that returns nine players from a 2007-08 squad that made the program's school-record sixth straight postseason tournament appearance.