Lady Dogs sign Maryland transfer to recruiting class of 2017

The Georgia women's basketball team's recruiting class of 2017 just got even stronger.

On Wednesday, head coach Joni Taylor announced that her program added forward Jenna Staiti, a transfer forward who was last with Maryland. Staiti only played one season at Maryland and will sit out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

In 2018-19, Staiti will be a redshirt sophomore with three years of eligibility.

Staiti was a former Georgia state player of the year when she played high school basketball at West Forsyth.

“We are proud to welcome Jenna back home to Georgia,” Taylor said. “With Jenna, we are getting another elite player. Her accolades speak for themselves — she was the No. 1 player in this state in 2016, was a WBCA High School All-American, a former Miss Georgia Basketball and Georgia’s Gatorade Player of the Year. She is a player that uses her size to affect the game on both ends of the floor.

“We have talked a lot about the talent level of this incoming class, but what excites me the most is that they are all high-character individuals with high basketball IQ’s. Jenna is another outstanding player who fits that mold. We can’t wait to get her to Athens and watch her grow over the next few years.”

Staiti announced her intention to transfer to Georgia in a statement posted to her personal Twitter account Sunday.

“They always say home is where the heart is,” Staiti wrote. “I am INCREDIBLY blessed that mine is in my home state and I am proud to Commit to the G!”

#GODAWGS pic.twitter.com/0cmyVv9sr7

— Jenna Staiti (@jenna_staiti) May 8, 2017

Staiti joins a top-10 recruiting class that also features five-star guards Que Morrison and Gabby Connally, four-star guard Maya Caldwell and four-star forward Malury Bates.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Lady Dogs sign Maryland transfer to recruiting class of 2017."