Women’s Basketball Announces Incoming Class for 24-25 Season
Tampa, FL – University of Tampa head women's basketball coach Tom Jessee has announced his newest class of recruits for year 23 at the helm of the Spartans. This years class has a total of seven recruits, six incoming freshman (Ella Daniels, Giorgia Palmieri, Brooklynn Butler, Jade Thompson, Camryn Patterson, and Malanya Stevenson) and one graduate transfer (Sariana Rodriguez). This year's class will look to continue the tradition of winning basketball at UT with the Spartans winning 3 of the last 4 Sunshine State Conference Championships.
Sariana Rodriguez – Guard - Grad Transfer (Florida International) – Morovis, Puerto Rico
Sariana Rodriguez joins the Tampa Spartan women's basketball team as the most experienced player in this class. Hailing from Puerto Rico, Rodriguez is entering her fifth season of college basketball with UT being her third stop. As a high school basketball star in her home country, Rodriguez led her high school ECEDAO Albergue Olimpico to a perfect 94-0 record over four years while also winning a national championship and being named MVP. She also competes internatially for Puerto Rico.
Rodriguez started her collegaite career at Florida Southwestern State College where the shooting guard put up double digit points in her Junior College career while also shooting an efficient 43.8% from the field. Rodrigues would leave FSW after two years and transfer to Florida International University for her last two years of undergrad. During her two seasons at FIU, Rodriguez played in 63 games where she helped the Panthers to over 35 wins.
Head Coach Tom Jessee when asked about his new Graduate Transfer had this to say, "we were looking for a guard that could replace the scoring and offensive load that we lost in the graduating class and certainly Sariana can do that. She plays on Puerto Rico's 3x3 national team as well, so she's got a lot of international play in as well. She's bigger guard that can play some three and two for us, can score the basketball, brings that experience level from Division I to us, and expect her to step in right away and fill those voids of graduation" Look for Rodriguez to make an immediate impact at the beginning of the season for the Spartans.
Ella Daniels – Guard – Incoming Freshman – Louisville, Kentucky
Ella Daniels, a guard from Louisville, Kentucky joins the Spartans as an incoming freshman after recently graduating from Christian Academy of Louisville. Daniels was a four year varsity member and two time captain of her high schools women's basketball team. She was instrumental in helping her high school win multiple 2A state championships in the Bluegrass state. As a Junior specifically, her exceptional play earned her All-region and All-State honors in 2023. Daniels also starred on the track for her high school winning a state title in the 4x1 relay in 2023 and placing in the top 5 in the high jump for three strait years (2021-2023).
Basketball runs deep in the Daniels family DNA as her grandfather was a legendary coach and her uncle is longtime NBA star Allen Houston. Off the field, Ella Daniels takes pride in volunteering at her local church and academically graduated from high School with Honors. With a strong academic background and an interest in science, Daniels has set out to major in Biology at UT.
Head Coach Tom Jessee had this to say about his new recruit. "Ella's a really good athlete, I was here at her camps and I loved her athleticism and length. As a slasher, can score the basketball. I think as she grows into the college game and continues to work and develop her outside shooting, that she could be a player that could be helpful to us down the road here. But super excited about having her join our squad this year". Ella will be huge for the Spartans in replacing some of the speed and athleticism lost to graduation.
Giorgia Palmieri – Guard – Incoming freshman – Bologna, Italy
Hailing from the city of Bologna in Northern Italy, Giorgia Palmieri joins the Spartans Women's Basketball as an incoming freshman. Palmieri can be described as an all-around standout athlete but chose to focus on basketball for her college years. She attended and graduated form Liceo Galvani where she starred in basketball, handball, and track. Palmieri was named team captain of her high school basketball team, but high school was not the only place she excelled on the court. Palmieri has spent time playing for the Italian Basketball Federation and most notably was named to her countries 3x3 U21 women's basketball team where she helped Italy win the European Nations League earlier this year.
Outside of basketball, Palmieri was a star handballer in her mixed handball league being named MVP in 2023 and 2024. She also excelled on the track placing first in the 100M from 2019-2023 while also dominating long distance running, placing first in the 2000M during those same years. Academically, Palmieri is also very strong as she earned scholarships to attend her high school, speaks four languages, volunteers with youth in her community, and plans to major in Biochemistry at the University of Tampa.
Head Coach Tom Jesse had this to say about his newest international freshman, "Giorgia is someone we're super excited about getting in here as a combo guard. Typical international player, can really push the ball on tempo, shoots the ball well, passes the ball well. As an international player we want her to settle into some of the rule changes, but really excited about what the future looks like for her. Can't wait for her to get here, she's got a lot of international experience as well. A real gym rat kind of young lady that we're super excited about coming in to help fill some of the void of the guard graduation we had." international playing experience and her success in other sports should translate really well to UT, look for Palmieri to have big impact as a freshman for the Spartans.
Brooklynn Butler – Forward – Incoming Freshman – Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Brooklynn Butler joins the University of Tampa Spartans Women's basketball team as an incoming freshman. Coming from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and standing tall at nearly 6ft, Butler looks to add size and scoring to Coach Jessee's squad. In high school, Butler was a four year varsity basketball member where she earned All-Conference honors her junior and senior seasons to go along with finishing her career in fifth on the all-time scoring list and third all-time in rebounds. While she may have scored over 1000 points in High School, Butler also competed in volleyball for four years and a few seasons of track at the high school level.
Off the field, Butler excelled in the classroom and prioritizes giving back to her community. As a high school student she held a 4.0 grade point average all four years, received the "Best in Class" award and graduated Summa Cum Laude. In the community butler served as a volunteer for Big Brother Big Sisters where she walked children to school, packed backpacks for local youth before the start of the school year, worked as a volunteer youth basketball coach, and last but not least Butler also takes time to volunteer at her local nursing home. Butler's pride in giving back to her community not only enriches the people around her but it gives her the confidence to attack any obstacle on the court.
Head Coach Tom Jessee had this to say about Brooklynn, "Brooklynn comes in as another young lady that comes to us from having seen her at our camps over the years and keeps catching our attention. Can really shoot the basketball and just fundamentally sound. One of those young ladies we just couldn't walk away from. Every time you look out there, she's doing all the right things, all the tangibles. She boxed out every possession. She makes open shots, makes the right pass, makes the right decisions. We're excited to see what she might bring to us position-wise but fundamentally just solid as a rock and excited about having her in that freshman class."
Jade Thompson – Guard – Incoming Freshman – Tampa, Florida
Jade Thompson, a Tampa, FL native is a guard from Seffner Christian Academy who is entering her first year at the University of Tampa. Choosing to stay home for her college basketball, Thompson comes in looking to add speed and quickness to the Spartans roster. As a high school student, Thompson shined on the court averaging nearly 13.0 points per game, 5.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. She was named team captain from 2021-2024 and scored over 1000 career points.
During her senior season, Thompson helped the crusaders make it all the way to the Florida State Final Four and was named the MVP of Hillsborough County High School All-Star Game. Off the court, Thomspon is a great student who graduated with honors from Seffner Christian. Thomspon plans to major in accounting while at the University of Tampa and is excited to get to work at her hometown school.
Head Coach Tom Jessee when asked about Thomspon stated, "Jade is a local product here from the Tampa area, a hometown girl that we're excited about having. Super quick point guard that can put the ball on the floor and attack the rim and play and pace, plus she rebounds the ball really well. Jade had a fantastic career here locally, we've had our eye on her for a few years, but just seemed the right fit for us. I'm excited about getting her speed here, someone that can really, really attack the basket and push and pace. I think as she learns our system here, she could be a sleeper pick for us and we're expecting big things from her as she comes in here."
Malayna Stevenson – Guard– Incoming Freshman St. Cloud, Florida
Coming to the University of Tampa all the way from southern Orlando, Malayna Stevenson joins the Spartans as versatile guard who can make an immediate impact. As a four-year member of the Gateway High School Women's Basketball team, she averaged over 14.0 points per game to go along with 5.0 rebounds a game and nearly 2.0 steals per game. Stevenson junior campaign in 2023 put her on the map as she averaged 19.0 points per game and was named the Orange Belt Conference Player of the Year.
During her time in high school, Stevenson also competed in Flag Football, was a member of the Gateway Student Senate, and volunteered her free time to helping the school and local community in various events. Stevenson is also very academically strong, She plans on majoring in Biology at UT and was the recipient of Gateway High Schools 2024 Female Student-Athlete of the Year award.
When asked about Malayna Stevensons impact as a freshman, Head Coach Tom Jessee stated, "We're excited about having Milena stay at home, she comes from Orlando, just finished playing at a really good program over at Gateway, had a really good career over there. Can play a couple positions, good IQ, sees the floor, passes the ball really well, defends the ball. Another freshman we think can come in and play right away, and I hope she can come in and learn our system and how we do things here, and again, a big part of the future for us as a freshman."
Camryn Patterson – Guard – Incoming Freshman – Orlando, Florida
Camryn Patterson, a guard out of Orlando, FL joins the Spartans as one the highest touted recruits of this class. Choosing the University of Tampa over multiple D1 programs, Patterson will look to make an instant impact on the court for Head Coach Tom Jessee. At the high school level, Patterson was a four-varsity member of the Southeastern Preparatory Academy women's basketball team and helped the falcons to a state championship as a sophomore before being named captain her junior and senior seasons. Patterson also received honors as her teams MVP and finished in the top ten of the 3SSB Circuit.
Patterson also shines academically, being named the valedictorian of Southeastern Prep's 2024 senior class. While at UT she intends to keep up with her academic success and plans to major in Finance. Pattersons IQ and maturity will translate extremely well to this year's Spartans squad as she will look to make a big impact as a freshman.
Head Coach Tom Jessee had this to say about Patterson, "Cam chose us over some other Division I schools and I'm super excited about having her. She reminds us of a former great player of ours, Malia Sullivan. Got that same kind of game. Can really rebound the ball as a physical player at the point of attack. Can score a ball in a variety of different ways. Played at a high level in high school and travel ball, so we're super excited that she chose Tampa and I expect her to come in and compete for playing time right away and again another one of those young freshmen that will be a bright spot and a big part of the future."