Mercer women sign Wheeler County standout Wright
Mercer women’s basketball head coach Susie Gardner announced the signing of LaKaitlin Wright to a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday.
Mercer’s young team will graduate just one player after the 2016-17 season before Wright joins the Bears next year.
“LaKaitlin is a great sign for us,” Gardner said. “We need more size in the post and she brings that. She’s strong, a great rebounder, shot blocker; she’s got all the tools to be a great player in this league. I think she’s going to bring an immediate contribution to our program.”
Wright has been varsity player for four years, and helped the Class 1A Bulldogs to a Final Four trip. She is a two-time all-region first-team selection.
Wright has also played for the Big South Dream Team and head coaches Gary Coleman and Anthony Jackson for three years. She is also on the track, soccer and cheerleading teams at Wheeler County
The Bears host Emmanuel on Friday in the season opener, and then travel to Georgia before returning to host Campbell and Florida Atlantic on Nov. 16 and 18, respectively.
Georgia College ready for ‘Madness’
Georgia College athletics teams, along with spirit group The Thunder Crew, are set for Bobcat Madness on Thursday.
Tailgating starts at 6 p.m. with Centennial Center doors opening at 7 p.m.
The evening will feature giveaways. T-shirts for the first 500 fans, door prizes from local merchants, and one student will win a semester of free books from Barnes and Noble at Georgia College.
The RSO cook-off returns, and there will be a 3-point shootout and dunk contest. All fall sports teams will be involved throughout the event.
Mercer men in conference semifinal
Mercer returns to the pitch following an 11-day layoff to begin its run at the Southern Conference men’s soccer championship when it faces third-seeded Wofford in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Thursday at UNCG Soccer Stadium.
No. 2 Mercer (12-6, 7-3 Southern), which received a first-round bye, seeks its first Southern Conference tournament title after losing in the final in 2014 and semifinals last year.
The match comes two days after seven Bears earned postseason all-conference honors, highlighted by junior forward Will Bagrou being named the Player of the Year. Meanwhile, Wofford (12-6, 6-4) led with nine players being named to the first, second and third teams.
Mercer owns a 7-2-1 record in the all-time series against Wofford, including a sweep of this year’s two regular-season meetings with a 2-0 win at Bear Field and a 3-1 win on the road.
Mercer fell 3-2 to ETSU at Bear Field in the de facto regular season championship match as the Bucs rallied with two goals in the final 14 minutes of play. The Bears entered the match in sole possession of first place, but finished as the runner-up with 21 points to ETSU’s 23.
Mercer back in Paradise Jam
Tournament organizers of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam announced Wednesday that Mercer will be returning to the Caribbean tournament with the announcement of the 2017 tournament field.
Eight men’s Division I college basketball teams will compete in the 18th annual Paradise Jam held Nov. 17-20, 2017 at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas.
Mercer will be joined by Colorado, Drake, Drexel, Houston, Liberty, Quinnipiac and Wake Forest in playing three games in a bracket-style tournament over the four-day event.
The Bears previously competed at the Paradise Jam in 2012 in a challenging field that included New Mexico, UConn, George Mason, UIC, Quinnipiac, Iona and Wake Forest. Mercer faced George Mason, UIC and Wake Forest in that year’s tournament.
This story was originally published November 10, 2016 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Mercer women sign Wheeler County standout Wright."