Nov. 15, 2010
DAVIS, Calif. - The UC Davis women's basketball team announced on Monday that Lauren Beyer from Bradshaw Christian High School in Sacramento, Sydnee Fipps from Yosemite High School in Oakhurst, and Emily Vann of Saint Mary's College High School in Berkeley, have each signed National Letters of Intent and will join the Aggies' program next fall.
The outstanding trio will become part of a program that enters the 2010-11 season as the media's favorite to win the Big West Conference championship and is looking for its third postseason appearance in the team's brief history at the NCAA Division I level.
Beyer, a McDonald's High School All-America nominee, is a 6-foot-1 wing who has helped lead Bradshaw Christian to an impressive 79-18 record over the past three years including a perfect 34-0 record in the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League. Beyer has been named to the all-league first team three times including last season when she averaged 14 ppg. and was named the league's MVP. She averaged 14 ppg. as a sophomore and 15 ppg. as a freshman.
Last year, while playing against national power St. Mary's of Stockton, Beyer poured in 29 points including going 13 of 15 at the line. She averaged 17.3 ppg. during the NorCal playoffs as section champion Bradshaw Christian advanced to the CIF State Championship DIvision V semifinals. Beyer is a three-time honoree on the Principal's List.
"What we really like about her is that she has the ability, like Paige (Mintun) and Lauren (Juric), to play on the perimeter and shoot the three, is very mobile and can run the floor," said Simpson, referencing two of his current standounts. "She is a tremendous rebounder. Probably the thing we liked the best about Lauren is she goes and gets the ball off the offensive glass."
Fipps is a 5-10 wing who averaged 24.5 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals per game for Yosemite High school which finished 31-4 overall and 10-0 in the North Sequoia League. She was named to the All-Fresno Bee first team on her way to earning MaxPreps All-State second team honors and league MVP accolades. Fipps was a prolific scorer throughout the season, scoring 34 points against Desert Pines, 32 against Clovis East, and 30 versus both Sierra and Granada Hills.
Fipps is a three-time all-league performer overall who added 32 three-pointers last season. She had double-figure rebounding totals in 20 games including a season-high 20 against Lynwood early in the season. Yosemite advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF State Championship DIvision II tournament. Fipps was the third-highest scoring junior in the state last season.
"Sydnee's got a scorer's mentality and can play either guard spot," said Simpson. "She's got the size we like at the guard position and is a great one-on-one player but is selfless and plays for the team first. She has great instincts defensively, in terms of playing angles, which is really what our defense is about."
Vann is a 6-2 post who averaged 12.5 points, 9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game for Saint Mary's which posted a 31-4 record last year, advancing to the CIF State Championship Division IV title game. Vann helped highlight her year with 20 points and nine boards against Encinal in February and earlier had nine straight games where she scored in double figures. She also blocked 25 shots during the season.
Vann, whose father David was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 1982 and was Saint Mary's all-time leading scorer until recently, was named to the All-Bay Shore Athletic League second team and was also an all-state and All-NorCal selection. Vann is a member of the National Honor Society and carries a 4.1 GPA.
"Emily is extremely strong but impressively mobile," Simpson said. "She is very agile and can play a finesse game or play a power game. She's another player that can shoot the three or attack the rim. Emily is also a great rebounder and a very graceful passer."
UC Davis, 2-0, continues its season on Friday at Pepperdine and on Sunday at UCLA.
