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November 12, 2008

Signing Day: R.J. Mahurin leads pack of Valley athletes committing to colleges

By David Hughes and Craig Pearson

TERRE HAUTE — Rockville basketball standout R.J. Mahurin was among the Wabash Valley high school seniors who signed a national letter-of-intent Wednesday, the first day allowed under NCAA rules for the fall period.

The 6-foot-8, 205-pound Mahurin previously indicated he would attend Indiana State on a basketball scholarship and he made that official with his signature Wednesday.

“Early on, when we first took the job, he was the one guy in the area that we set our sights on,” ISU men’s basketball coach Kevin McKenna said Wednesday.

“The excitement was mutual. He’s one of those kids who grows up in an area and feels strongly where he wants to go.”

McKenna believes Mahurin — who posted 1,404 points, 426 rebounds and 191 blocked shots in his first three seasons at Rockville — will be able to contribute to the Sycamores in a variety of ways.

“The first thing we saw was that he’s 6-foot-8 and he’s a very good 3-pointer shooter,” McKenna said. “The one thing you can tell early on is whether a kid can shoot the ball and he’s got a nice stroke. I think that’s the first thing, and the fact that he’s 6-8 and he’s got a good physique. You project where a kid might be physically [once he gets to the collegiate level] and once [Mahurin] gets in the weightroom, we think he’ll get bigger."

Also related to Indiana State men’s basketball, Terre Haute South point guard Jake Odum has indicated his commitment to attending ISU, although he may or may not sign a letter-of-intent during this period.

Meanwhile, Indiana State women’s basketball coach Jim Wiedie has received a solid boost for the 2009-10 campaign by signing a trio of student-athletes. Two of those who signed Wednesday are highlighted in the national recruiting rankings.

Wiedie will welcome guard Taylor Whitley (Geneva, Ill.); forward Andrea Rademacher (Borden) and guard/forward Moriah Hodge (Cincinnati) into the program next season. The Sycamores have eight newcomers, including seven freshmen, on this year’s team.

According to ESPN’s Hoopgurlz.com, Whitley is ranked as the nation’s 74th-best guard and Rademacher is the 53rd-best forward. Hodge also drew high praise from the nation’s pundits and was listed as a top recruit in the Midwest.

“We are always looking for prospects that are versatile and all of our signees this year can play more than one position on the floor,” Wiedie said. “The strengths of each individual player in this class really fit well in our system, both offensively and defensively.”

Whitley averaged 18 points, 3.3 assists and 3.7 steals per game as a junior. Heading into her senior season, Whitley already owns the Geneva career scoring record with 1,441 points.

“Taylor is an extremely quick player who is primarily a point guard, but can also slide over to play the off-guard position as well,” Wiedie said. “She is a very tough, hard-nosed competitor, especially on the defensive end of the floor. She never takes a possession off. Offensively, her strength is pushing the ball in transition and on defense she really can get up and put pressure on the ball. Taylor can stop on a dime and hit a jumpshot. Overall, she is the complete package and will bring a little more size to our team than we have had in the past.”

Rademacher averaged 16 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as a junior at Scottsburg High School.

“She is an incredible athlete,” Wiedie said. “Andrea is a 6-3 player that can jump out of the gym. The first time we saw her was during a workout and it was the most impressive individual session that I have ever seen. Her strength is her footwork and her fundamentals. She has a beautiful shot. She shoots the 3-point shot as well as any post player I have ever seen. Andrea is strong on both the inside and the outside and has the ability to really create some match-up problems for an opponent because she is so mobile and can also shoot so well from the outside.”

Hodge is a three-time All-Fort Ancient Valley Conference performer. She averaged 14 points and eight rebounds per game as a junior.

“Moriah is a 6-2 guard/forward combo who has the ability to play both inside and outside,” Wiedie said. “While she will need to add some strength, she doesn’t shy away from contact and has the ability to finish near the basket. She has really expanded her perimeter game over the summer and is much more comfortable with her jumpshot. She has such a wide wingspan that she will be very effective for us as a defender not only in the halfcourt but also in the press.”

Basketball players aren’t the only athletes making news with their signings this week:

• Rockville High School announced that Steven Ball will sign a letter-of intent to play baseball at Indiana State. The signing will take place Friday in the school gym prior to the Linton-Rockville regional football game.

In 2008, Ball earned first-team All-State status by hitting .442 with 13 home runs, 60 runs batted in and 39 runs and posting a 7-3 pitching record.

n At West Vigo, baseball standouts Jeremy Lucas (ISU), Jordan Pearson (ISU) and Cameron Fagg (Wright State) are expected to sign their letters-of-intent today.

• Coach Brenda Coldren of the ISU softball team expects to receive seven national letters-of-intent. As of Wednesday, she had received two.

Casey, Ill., senior Mackenzie Connelly will join the Sycamores for the 2010 spring season. She has played center field for Casey, but she’ll take over at shortstop in the spring.

“She has so much potential,” Coldren said. “She’s got a great body size, great background coming from Casey. We’re excited to have her join us.”

Kimberly Pierce of Elgin, Ill., plays center field for her high school team and also comes from a very strong summer program in Florida. She moved to the Chicago area between semesters of her junior year.

“She led he team in home runs and RBIs,” Coldren said. “She’s just a very, very good athlete … excellent outfielder, great arm. She and Mackenzie are similar in that they’re just very good athletes. They can play a number of positions. Mackenzie is very strong offensively. They’ll fight for playing time immediately in the lineup.”



Tribune-Star sports editor Todd Golden contributed to this report.

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