UT Women’s Basketball Adds Pair Of Players

TAMPA, Fla. - University of Tampa women's basketball coach Tom Jessee has announced the signing of two student-athletes to attend UT in the fall of 2009.

Prep standout Kamari Smith will join Coffeyville Community College transfer Taja Green and will supplement the talent already in place from last season's young but immensely successful team.

Green, a 5-10 guard/forward, joins the Spartans after a successful campaign at CCC. During her sophomore season, the Peoria, Ill. native was second on her squad while averaging 9.7 points per game while pulling down a team-best 6.3 rebounds a contest. She also contributed 49 assists while being named to the all-region VI tournament team. The graduate of Peoria High School was also named to the all-conference team both years she attended Coffeyville.

"Taja handles the ball real well and has great post moves with her back to the basket. She can step out to the three line and knock down shots which will cause teams a lot of matchup problems," Jessee says, adding that he expects Green to earn minutes immediately.

Smith, a 5-7 guard/forward, comes to UT following quite a productive career at Ocoee High School. The daughter of Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith became the first player in program history to record 1,000 points in a career.

"Kamari brings to us a lot of talent at the guard spot. She is a great athlete who can handle the ball well with both hands and can create scoring for herself and for her teammates. She plays great defense and I expect her to be ready to give us some help at the guard spot right away," says Jessee of Smith.

Both Green and Smith will be looked to as significant pieces in maintaining the success achieved by Tampa recently.

The Spartans recorded a school-record 26 wins last season while capturing a share of the regular season Sunshine State Conference title along with the conference tournament championship en route to a fourth straight NCAA tournament berth.