Troy University Athletics
Photo by: Joshua Thurston
Troy Women’s Basketball Adds Two to Open Signing Period
4/15/2015 10:44:00 AM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Alabama - The Troy women's basketball program and head coach Chanda Rigby announced the signing of two players on Wednesday to open the national signing period. Claresa Banks and Amanda Mendoza, both guards, join local standouts La'Tia Fils-Aime' and Amahni Upshaw as part of the Troy signing class.
Since signing with the Trojans in the fall, Upshaw was named AHSAA Class 1A Player of the Year and Fils-Aime's was named the Dothan Eagle Super 12 Player of the Year.
Banks, a 5-foot-9 guard out of Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Miss., will come to Troy as junior. The Jackson, Miss., native was named to the MACJC All-State first team in each of her two seasons at Copiah-Lincoln. She was also twice named NJCAA All-Region 23 and after her sophomore season played in the MACJC All-Star Game.Banks led Copiah-Lincoln to a 27-1 record in 2014-15, including an undefeated regular season. Banks averaged team-bests with 12.8 points and 2.6 steals per game for a Copiah-Lincoln team that ranked in the top 25 in the nation in scoring offense and scoring defense. She also averaged 4.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
As a freshman in 2013-14, Banks led Copiah-Lincoln with 16.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. She also averaged 1.8 assists per game while shooting 46 percent overall and 40 percent from deep on the season.
Banks led Forest Hill High School to back-to-back MHSAA Class 6A State Championships as a junior and senior. She played in the 2013 Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Game and averaged 17.2 points per game that season as a senior.
"Clarissa's contributions were instrumental in the success of her junior college team going undefeated in their regular season and her high school team winning back-to-back state championships," Rigby said. "We will look to her to make immediate contributions on both sides of the ball at Troy."
Mendoza, a 5-foot-4 point guard out of St. Petersburg College in Florida, will come to Troy as a sophomore after just one season at the junior college level. The Miami native helped St. Petersburg to a second place finish in the Southern Conference and was named first team all-conference in 2014-15.Mendoza averaged 9.0 points per game and a team-best 2.1 assists per game. She also averaged 1.0 steals per game and shot 37 percent from long range.
A four-year starting point guard in her prep career, Mendoza led Miami Senior High School to the FHSAA Class 8A State Championship as a senior in 2014. Mendoza was the MVP of the Class 8A State Championship in 2013, despite her team finishing as runner up.
Mendoza never missed a game and averaged 12.4 points, 7.6 assists and 3.5 steals per game over her four year high school career. She averaged 13.0 points and 9.8 assists per game as a senior.
"Amanda's skill set will greatly elevate our basketball program," Rigby said. "She is a quick, savvy guard who naturally makes the best decisions on the court. Though her specialty is setting up her teammates for great shots, she is also a consistent scoring threat."
Banks and Mendoza become the fourth and fifth members of the Trojans' signing class, joining local high school products in Fils-Aime' (Daleville) and Upshaw (Brantley). In addition to their individual honors, Fils-Aime' led Daleville to the AHSAA South Regional Tournament and Upshaw led Brantley to AHSAA State Semifinals.
For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat by searching for Troy Athletics.
Troy Women's Basketball Signing Class
Claresa Banks – 5'9" – Jr – G – Jackson, Miss. (Copiah-Lincoln CC)
La'Tia Fils-Aime' – 6'1" – Fr – F – Daleville, Ala. (Daleville HS)
Joymesia Howard – 6'2" – R-Jr – F – East St. Louis, Ill. (Central Arizona College)
Amanda Mendoza – 5'4" – So – G – Miami, Fla. (St. Petersburg College)
Amahni Upshaw – 6'1" – Fr – F – Brantley, Ala. (Brantley HS)
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