FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2008

Lions sign three high school players

Joplin, Mo. - Missouri Southern women's basketball coach Maryann Mitts has announced the signing of Erin Rice, Kelby Fritz and Myriah Hicks to national letters of intent to play basketball at Southern beginning in the fall of 2009.

Rice, a 6-2 forward from Cole Camp, Mo., prepped at Cole Camp High School where she played for her father Brian Rice. A four-year starter on both the basketball and volleyball teams, Rice also played softball at Cole Camp, earning two varsity letters in the sport.

A career 13.6 points per game average, Rice scored 15.0 per game last season as a junior, and added 3.9 rebounds per game, 1.3 assists per game and had 16 blocks and 66 steals on the season. A three-time all-conference selection, Rice has been a two-time all-district selection and was named to the Sedalia Democrat's All-Area team last year. She was also a member of the KMZU Dream Team and has scored over 1,000 points in her career.

Rice also played volleyball for her father where she just got done leading her team to the State Final Four and was named All-State. A two time all-state and all-district selection, Rice helped lead her team to three-straight district championships. She is the daughter of Brian and Mindy Rice and is undecided on her future major at Southern.

Fritz is a 5'7 point guard from Vinita, Okla. where she has started four years for coach Scott Reed at Vinita High School. Also a four-year starter in softball, Fritz helped lead the track and field program at Vinita to three straight regional championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Fritz has scored 852 career points and has helped her team to records of 19-7 in 2006-07 and 27-1 in 2007-08 where she led the team to the state semifinals. The team had an undefeated regular season and won 27 games in a row.

This past year, Fritz averaged 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 steals, while shooting 56 percent from the field, 38 percent from long range and 77 percent from the free-throw line. She has 289 career assists and is a career 45 percent shooter from the field. Fritz is the daughter of Kyle and Kristi Fritz and is undecided on her future major at Southern.

Hicks is a 5-4 guard from Springfield, Mo. where she played for coach Dan Stander at Springfield Central High School. A four-year starter  for the Lady Bulldogs, Hicks also started four seasons on the soccer team.

Hicks has led her team in field goal and free throw percentage the past two seasons, while being a three-time all-district selection in soccer. She is the daughter of Shirley Hicks and plans on majoring in accounting at Southern.  

Coach Mitts on each player:

Erin Rice will be an extremely versatile player for our program. At 6'2, her athleticism will enable her to play every position on the floor. She currently plays the point for her high school team, however her strengths will allow her to be better suited for the guard and small forward positions at the collegiate level. As she develops her strength and footspeed, she has the potential to be one of the most productive players to graduate from Missouri Southern. Her father, Brian is her high school coach, thus her knowledge of the game is very extensive and thorough.

Kelby is a true point guard with excellent court sense and passing ability. She has the mentality to "run a program" even as a freshman. Kelby has the opportunity to play immediately and is no doubt one of the better points in the Midwest. This summer, she impressed us with how intense she plays the game. She comes from very successful programs, both at the high school level and in the AAU ranks. Kelby is a winner and the quality of coaching she has received in high school and during the summer will be very beneficial as she transitions to the collegiate game.

Myriah is an aggressive and tough-nosed competitor. It is her approach to the game that impressed our staff over the past several years. When watching Myriah play, one cannot help but notice her passion for the game. Myriah can score in a multitude of ways. She has great quickness so her mid-range game and her ability to finish to the basket is excellent. She has a scoring mentality and will provide an immediate scoring bunch. How Myriah plays the game is very impressive and a style that our fans will enjoy in the years to come.

This Freshman class piggy-backs a very fine class that was signed in '08. We are continuing to build a solid underclassman base to ensure a strong foundation of success for Missouri Southern, not only in the immediate future, but for the next four years as well.