Tampa Women's Basketball Announces Incoming Class

TAMPA, Fla. – University of Tampa women's basketball coach Tom Jessee has announced the addition of seven newcomers for his 2017-18 team. Among the newcomers are four NCAA Division I transfers, one Division II transfer and two high school standouts.

The newest members include Aliyah Abney (Orlando, Fla./Charleston Southern University), Marcella Benner (Valrico, Fla./Newsome HS), Emily Eshoo (Naperville, Ill./Bradley University), Julia Ingram (Clearwater, Fla./Palm Harbor University HS), Lauren Kotey (Findlay, Ohio/Saint Joseph's College), Julia McClure (Secaucus, N.J./Wagner College) and Staja Tyghter (Orlando, Fla./Georgia State University).

"We are excited about this recruiting class," says Jessee. "It gives us a total of seven that we are bringing in, five transfers and two freshman. To build off of who is coming back, we are really excited to see what we can create with this group. We think they have a lot of potential and that we will go a lot deeper. We believe this group has a chance to come in and be another solid team in the Sunshine Conference and hopefully get back to the national level where we want to be."

Following are complete bios on each of the members of the incoming class.

Aliyah Abney | 5-8 | So.| G | Orlando, Fla. | Freedom High School | Charleston Southern University

Jessee on Abney: "Aliyah will be a sophomore for us, a division one transfer out of Charleston Southern. A combo-guard, physical kid that can really attack the rim. She plays in tempo and can score at all three levels. She shoots the three well, the pull up well, and attacks at the rim. She knows how to and can create her own shots. She is a very good athlete and can create shots for others. So we expect Aliyah to come in and compete right away for playing time and be a contributor at the guard spot for us."

As a Freshman (CSU): Attended Charleston Southern University…Played in nine games, averaging 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per game…Scored season-high 11 points on December 19 against Wofford…Had a season-high five rebounds twice (Dec. 16 against Montreat, Dec. 19 against Wofford)…Season-high three steals came on December 16 against Montreat…Connected on 28.1 percent of field goal attempts, 18.2 percent of 3-point attempts and 60.0 percent of free throw attempts…Was 9-of-32 from the floor, 2-of-11 from the 3-point line and 6-of-10 from the free throw line.

High School: Graduated from Freedom High School…Was a three-year letterwinner and team captain…Played for coach D'Nay Daniels…Named Florida Association of Basketball Coaches All-Star recognition following senior year…Member of Freedom High School 1000 point club after attending for three years. 2016 Metro player of the Year after averaging 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game…In her freshman season, was key to the Patriots' 2012-13 District Championship run…Also played for BlueStar Florida and coach Kelvin Hamm…Also ran track, where she was a 2015 regional qualifier.

Personal: Has performed community service at the Low Country Food Bank, Ronald McDonald House, Petco adoption event and SPCA…Psychology major, minoring in communications…Daughter of Keva McDonald…Has four siblings, Alexander Alexus, Reginald McIntyre and Regetta McIntyre…Full name is Aliyah Amanye Abney…Born in Phoenix, Ariz…Birthdate: 11/7/1998.

Marcella Benner | 5-7 | Fr. | G | Valrico, Fla. | Newsome High School

Jessee on Benner: "Marcella is a local player with ties to the University. We are excited to see her develop and work towards a productive college career. She understands the school and we are happy to have her as a student-athlete within our program."

High School: Graduate of Newsome High School…Played for coach David Kaufman…Earned 15 letters throughout high school career…Was winningest girl's basketball player at Newsome High School…Scored 14 points against high school rival in a game that was aired on television…Also ran cross country, where she was MVP as a senior…Was a three-time state qualifier and team captain as a junior and senior…Also ran track, where she was four-time regional qualifier and team captain as a junior and senior.

Personal: Graduated in Top 1 percent of graduating class…Received AP Scholar with Honor Award, AP Scholar with Distinction Award and National AP Scholar Award…Recipient of the Athena Society of Tampa's Young Women of Promise Award…Named National Merit Scholarship Commended Student…Was Tampa Tribune Honors Student, Environmental Science Student of the Rear in 2017 and Principal's Honor Roll…Volunteered with Meals On Wheels, Relay For Life and science and math tutoring…Majoring in cybersecurity and finance, minor in math…Daughter of Brent and Cindy Benner…Has three older siblings, Lars, Bayleigh and Leif…Both brothers attended UT as Lars was member of cross country and track teams…Leif played for club hockey team at Tampa…Birthdate: 2/3/1999.

Emily Eshoo | 5-9 | Jr. | G | Naperville, Ill. | Benet Academy | Bradley University

Jessee on Eshoo: "Emily is a transfer guard out of Bradley University. She will come in as a junior. Emily has great basketball IQ, a high motor, and is a combo-guard who can play some 2, some 1, and some 3. She really shoots the ball well, and defends it well. Eshoo plays extremely hard, again has a high motor so we are excited about that. She can score at all three levels, from the three, the pull up, and she can the attack at the rim. In addition, Emily is a great free throw shooter. I expect her to come in and be a contributor right away."

As a Sophomore (BU): Played at Bradley University…Saw action in 23 games, starting two…In 8.9 minutes per game, averaged 2.7 points and 1.0 rebounds…Shot 30.9 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from beyond the arc…Earned starts against Northern Illinois and Western Illinois…Scored season-best 8 points versus Valparaiso…Grabbed five rebounds against Drake…Season-high three assists was against Eureka as she had a steal against Northern Illinois.

As a Freshman (BU): Competed as a freshman at Bradley University… MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award and MVC Honor Roll…Appeared in 29 games as a reserve…Came off the bench to make a pair of three's and finished with 11 points at Bowling Green...Helped the Bradley reserves collect 29 points in the home game against Indiana State, coming off the bench to collect nine points and two assists...Scored five points and had one assist against No. 17 Oklahoma...After sitting out the game at No. 24 Iowa, she hit a pair of three-pointers and had one rebound at Northern Illinois...Tallied five points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals...Played 21 minutes at Evansville where she finished with seven points, three assists and one block...Averaged 3.4 points per game on the road...Made 6-for-16 from three-point range in home games.

High School: Attended Benet Academy…Was the team captain as a senior…Helped team to Class 4A state championship as a senior…Played for coach Joe Kilbride… Earned all-conference honors after averaging 16.8 points per game as a senior…Third team all-state selection by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association in 2014-15…Honorable mention all-state honors from the Associated Press and Chicago Sun-Time in her final prep season…Shot 50 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range her senior year…Averaged 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and one steal per game in her final season with the Redwings…Finished career as 1,000 point career scorer, ESCC All Conference and tied Illinois State Record for most 3 pointers in a Class 4A state final tournament game (5)…Shot 88 percent from the free throw line in 2014-15…Averaged 14.5 points per game as a junior, helping the Redwings to an IHSA Regional title…Played club basketball for Illinois Rockets and coach Drew Ondik.

Personal: First Honor Roll throughout high school career and National Honors Society member…International studies major, minoring in Spanish…Daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Eshoo…Has an older brother, Eddie…Brother was two-year member of basketball team at Dayton and father played basketball at Knox College…Birthdate: 11/4/1996.

Julia Ingram | 5-9 | Fr. | G | Clearwater, Fla. | Palm Harbor University High School

Jessee on Ingram: "Julia is an incoming freshman we signed back in early November. Julia is another combo-guard for us that was the Player of the Year in Pinellas County. She is just an incredible high school player. We are excited to have her in our program, and we expect big things from her as she learns how to play the college game.  She's got a big motor and does all the things we like here at Tampa. All the tangibles that you need to have to be a great player."

High School: Graduated from Palm Harbor University High School…Four-year letterwinner who was team captain as junior and senior…Played for coach Darian Dublin…Named 2017 Pinellas County Player of the Year…Helped team to three consecutive district championships…Scored most career points (2088), had most points in a season (789), highest game scoring average (25.5), most points in a game (44), most 20-point games in a season (29), most 3-pointers in a quarter (4), best free-throw percentage (87%), most free throw attempts in a season (217) and most steals in a season (135)….Also played club basketball for Team Dupree (Tampa Thunder) and coach Warren Jones.

Personal: Earned Bars Award in International Baccalaureate Program…Also registered straight A's throughout high school…Named History Student of the Year in ninth grade…Volunteered at Countryside Library teaching the elderly how to use social medial, worked at Pinellas Hope (homeless shelter) serving meals and worked on homelessness initiative for awareness and advocacy with HEAT (Homelessness Education and Awareness Team)…Political science major…Daughter of Tim and Linda Ingram…Has three siblings, Timothy Jr., Kaylin and Megan…Full name is Julia Rose Ingram…Birthdate: 1/31/1999.

Lauren Kotey | 6-3 | Jr. | C |Findlay, Ohio | Liberty Benton High School | Saint Joseph's College

Jessee on Kotey: "Lauren is a 6'3" post player transferring out of St. Josephs in Indiana. The University up there closed, so she was looking for a new home. She gives us another center with great length. She played a great deal there at St. Joes, started some games for them as well. Kotey has great experience already under her belt having played her freshman and sophomore year, so we are confident she will come in college ready. Again, Lauren gives us much needed help in the center position. Center was an area of weakness a year ago from injuries for us. Expect Lauren to come in and work extremely hard and to be a factor down low in the block for us. She can score faced up, she can score with her back to the basket and again has great length at 6'3"."

As a Sophomore (SJC): Attended Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana…Played in 29 games, averaged 5.3 points per game and 4.0 rebounds…Shot 56 percent from the field and averaged 15 minutes per game.

As a Freshman (SJC): Played as a freshman at Saint Joseph's…Played in 26 games while averaging 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds a contest…Shot 56 percent from the field and averaged 1.0 blocks a game…Averaged 12 minutes per game…Had a career-best 15 points against Malone.

High School: Graduated from Liberty Benton High School…Was a three-year letterwinner for the Eagles…Also received three letters in volleyball and one in track…Played for coaches Cristy Gray, Nate Irwin and Jack Quizno…Named first team Blanchard Valley Conference, first team District 8, first team Northwest Ohio District, honorable mention all-state, most athletic female of the year in 2015…Was MVP of team in 2015…Also played for Toledo Elite under coach Duffy Barnes.

Personal: Member of National Honor Society…Human performance and exercise physiology major…Daughter of John and Jan Kotey…Has two brothers, Andrew and Michael…Birthdate: 1/29/1997.

Julia McClure | 5-8 | Jr. | G/F | Secaucus, N.J. | Secaucus High School | Wagner College

Jessee on McClure: "Julia is another combo-guard can play 1-5 and is a very versatile player. She started at Wagner University, and is another division one transfer for us. Just a big, big motor, with a high basketball IQ. We would call her a glue kid. She can glue your guards and your post kids together. She is a real tangible kid, it won't show up a lot in the stat sheets but she shoots the three really well. We are excited to have her, because I feel like she is something we have been missing for us in regards to that glue kid that brings versatility to every position. In addition, she is physical, plays strong, and very smart. Excited to have her."

As a Sophomore (WC): Attended Wagner College in Staten Island, New York…Started 28 of 29 games played…Averaged 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game…Shot 34.9 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from beyond the arc…Tallied 70 assists, 10 blocks and 25 steals…Scored double figures in 10 games, including a season-high 16 versus Albany (12/10)…Turned in double figures in three straight games, with 13 versus Sacred Heart (1/9), 12 against Robert Morris (1/14) and 15 at Bryant (1/16).

As a Freshman (WC): Competed inn first collegiate season at Wagner College…Saw action in 20 games with two starts … Missed a month of the season, which included nine games, with injury…Tossed in a career-high 15 points at St. Francis Brooklyn (2/1)…Against the Terriers, also registered career highs in field goals made (5), attempted (7), three-pointers made (4) and three-pointers attempted (6)…Also hit for double figures on two other occasions, tallying 12 points at Bryant (2/13) and 11 points in the season finale at LIU Brooklyn (2/29)…In a career-high 37 minutes vs. the Blackbirds, went 4-of-8 from the field, including a 3-of-5 effort from three-point range…Career-high four assists vs. Saint Francis U (2/15)…Career-high five rebounds at Central Connecticut (2/20).

High School: Attended Secaucus High School, playing for coach John Sterling…Earned a total of 12 letters in basketball, volleyball and softball…Four-time team captain…Helped school to first-ever Hudson County basketball championship…Named first-team all division, first-team all-county, first-team all-state group 1…Also named first-team all state all group volleyball and basketball and first team all-North Jersey in volleyball…Was New Jersey Volleyball Player of the Year…Amassed more than 1,494 points and 1,141 rebounds during her four years on the hardwood…A highlight of McClure's senior season came in the prestigious Joe Poli Holiday Tournament, one of the premier girls' basketball holiday tourneys in New Jersey, when she had one of the best games of her career, scoring 25 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in a win over perennial state power Paramus Catholic in the first round...Added 12 points and eight rebounds in a victory over host school Pascack Valley in the semifinal...Went on to record 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in a 51-48 win over Northern Valley/Old Tappan in the championship game, as Secaucus became the first NJSIAA Group I school to ever win the Joe Poli tournament title...Named Tournament MVP...Poured in a career-high 27 points in an early-season win over High Point (12/21) and pulled down a career-high 23 rebounds in a victory over Bergen Charter (2/5)...Her outstanding play on the volleyball court as a senior led Secaucus to a 33-2 record, giving the Patriots the second-most victories in the state and No. 3 ranking in the final NJ.com Top 20...For the season, posted 11 kills, 266 digs and 145 service points in her senior season to lead Secaucus to its first NJSIAA Group 1 Volleyball title since 2006, en route to being named the NJ.com/Star-Ledger Player of the Year...In the spring, of her senior play, she paced the Secaucus softball team to a 12-11 record and an appearance in the North Jersey, Section II, Group I Quarterfinals...In the three sports, over the course of her senior year, led her teams to a combined 72-14 record (83.7% winning percentage).

Personal: Participated in Stephen Siller Run…Volunteered at Nursing Home…Named Scholar Athlete of Secaucus…Chemistry major…Daughter of Edward and Pamela McClure…Has three brothers, Jalen, Trey and Paul…Birthdate: 8/19/1997.

Staja Tyghter | 5-8 | Jr. | F | Orlando, Fla. | Colonial High School | Georgia State University

Jessee on Tyghter: "Astaja is a division one transfer out of Georgia State. Big former teammate of a current player of ours (Karma Jeremie). Her and Karma played together at Colonial High School. Excited to have her back together with Karma. She is a very similar player to Karma, only she creates her shot probably a little better than Karma does from the three point line. She is another physical 3-4 kind of player that can really score the basketball, has a big motor, and can defend you. She is physical, rebounds the ball well, and pushes the tempo. She was a starter for Georgia State for two years there, so we are excited to have Astaja in our program and expect big things for her right away as soon as she takes the floor."

As a Sophomore (GSU): Attended Georgia State University, playing in 28 games…Received 18 starts…Averaged 8.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game…Had 33 assists, 12 blocked shots and 35 steals…Scored double figures in 10 games…Opened season with 13 points against Morehead State (11/11)…Had a season-high 22 points against Louisiana Monroe…Added 19 points versus Troy…Grabbed a season-best eight rebounds on three occasions.

As a Freshman (GSU): Played as a freshman at Georgia State University…Played in 25 of 29 games as freshman, starting 21 of them...Her 602 minutes played were third-most minutes on team…Led the team in field goals made (99) and led the team in steals per game (1.8) with 45 (two shy of Newby who played four more games)…Was second on the team in scoring (8.8 points per game), second in shots taken (213, 8.5 per game), second in rebounding (4.7, 117 total) and second in assists (34, 1.4)...Was third on the team in field goal percentage (46.5 on 99 of 213) and third in blocked shots (9)…In Sun Belt, was ninth in steals per game (1.8), 11th in field goal percentage (46.5), 14th in defensive rebounds (3.6) and 20th in total rebounds (4.7)…Produced 10 games in double-figure scoring and 11 games with five or more rebounds in a game…Top scoring game was a 21-point night on 10-of-15 shooting in win at Georgia Southern (Feb. 22), including game-winning basket with one second left...Hit 7 of 10 shots and 14 points in that second half in Statesboro, Ga. in playing all 20 minutes of that half…Just missed double-double with 19 points and 9 rebounds, while making 5 assists vs. Troy (Jan. 7)...Hit 9 of 20 shots in that game and had 6 offensive rebounds…Was also on verge of double-double with 9 points and 9 rebounds vs. Morehead State (Nov. 21), while making 5 steals…Had 16 points and 7 rebounds at Tennessee Tech in second game at GSU (Nov. 19), with 3 steals…In hometown area, scored 15 points and had 7 rebounds in GSU win over Stetson (Dec. 21), an eventual 20-win team…Had 8 points and 8 rebounds in win over Bethune-Cookman (Dec. 20) at Stetson…Helped team open Sun Belt play with a win at UT Arlington (Dec. 30) by scoring 13 points and grabbing 8 rebounds…Had 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting at Troy (Feb. 13) and 13 points in the next game (Feb. 28) with 6-of-12 shooting vs. Little Rock, to go with 7 rebounds.

High School: Graduated from Colonial High School…Received three letters with the Grenadiers…Was team captain in 2014-15 for coach Cindy Richardson…Named MVP at Disney Showcase…Runner-up as Florida Miss Basketball in the largest 8A classification...All-state first team and All-Central Florida...Nominated for McDonald's All-American...Orlando East side Metro Player of the Year…Starred three years at Colonial High School in Orlando after a freshman season at Saint Cloud High School, just south of Orlando…Four-year high school statistics for 111 games included 1,809 points, 1,029 rebounds, 442 steals, 301 assists and 122 blocks…The forward stepped outside and made 52 3-point baskets in her career…Had ability to get to the free throw line, shooting 376 in career (making 259, 69%)...Shot 51 percent from the field in career on 2-point shots, making 697 of 1,364 for the Grenadiers of Colonial…Senior season of 2014-15 saw her average 22.3 points per game and 11.2 rebounds, with 3.5 steals and 2.7 assists per game...Colonial High School went 25-5 and ranked No. 2 in Florida...Shot 53 percent from the field (266 of 498) and 77 percent from the free throw line (123 of 159)…Her 337 rebounds as senior included 155 on the offensive end of the court...Stout on defense with 105 steals and 23 blocked shots as senior...Was runner-up to Miss Basketball to 6-foot-4 Miami center and Baylor signee Beatrice Mompremier…Had ability to step up in big games, scoring 29 points and getting 22 rebounds in 8A-Region 5 tournament win over rival that had beaten Colonial earlier…Named to FACA All-Star Game as a senior, helped lead team to 116-99 win with a double-figure performance...Played AAU basketball with Central Florida Elite team and Florida Flight.

Personal: Volunteered with Safehouse Outreach and Orlando Rescue Mission…Daughter of Garey and Karlene Tyghter…Has three siblings, Mark, Alyssa and Brandon…Liberal arts major with minor in sociology…Birthdate: 2/22/1996.