April 17, 2007

Houston -

Rice women's basketball coach Greg Williams Tuesday announced that Morgan Mayse of Athens (Texas) High School has signed a national letter of intent with the Owls and will join the team for the 2007-08 season.

"We are very excited to announce Morgan Mayse as our fifth and final signee of the 2007 recruiting class," Williams said. "We saw Morgan last summer, which was her first time to play in the summer, so she was relatively unknown and somewhat of a sleeper."

Mayes, a 6-1 forward, averaged 19.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game during the 2006-07 season on her way to earning a place on the All-East Texas first team. She was also named Henderson County player of the year and District 14-3A MVP for the second time. Mayse is the defending 4A state high jump champion, winning the title last year with a jump of 5-9.

"Morgan is a versatile inside/outside player, as she can post-up as well as step out and shoot the three," Williams said. "We think she can become an outstanding defender with the ability to defend in the post and on the perimeter, much like Samantha Stovall has done the past two seasons. Morgan is an outstanding all-around athlete who can run the floor, handle the ball, and sees the floor well. We think she has a huge upside and are looking forward to working with her the next four years."