Huskers to Add Five Talented Freshmen in 2007-08

Lincoln - Nebraska women’s basketball coach Connie Yori announced the signing of five impressive recruits to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period for the 2007-08 season on Thursday.

The Huskers, who are entering their fifth season under Yori, will be joined next season by Kaitlyn Burke (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), Dominique Kelley (Lincoln, Neb.), Jessica Periago (Toulon, France), Catheryn Redmon (Grand Prairie, Texas) and Monique Whittaker (Onalaska, Texas).

Yori said the talented incoming class will help the Huskers transition next season after the expected departures of senior starters Kiera Hardy, Jelena Spiric, Chelsea Aubry and Ashley Ford.

Nebraska’s newest crop of Huskers boasts impressive international experience, the best player in Nebraska, and Texas-sized talent. But more importantly, each of the Huskers’ five newcomers will bring outstanding work ethics to the court and the classroom.

"The common denominators with these five are that each of the five works hard, has great character and is a very talented basketball player," Yori said. "We are extremely pleased with what we expect to be another very good recruiting class."

Dominique Kelley, 5-7, G, Lincoln, Neb. (Northeast)
One of the top players in the state of Nebraska, Dominique Kelley is ranked among the top 200 players overall in the nation. The 5-7 guard from Lincoln Northeast led the Rockets to the Class A state championship with a perfect 24-0 record as a sophomore in 2004-05.

Kelley helped the Rockets and Coach Rich Olson to a Class A state runner-up finish with a 24-1 record as a junior in 2005-06, losing only to future Husker teammate Yvonne Turner and Bellevue East in the state title game. The loss snapped Northeast’s 48-game winning streak. Kelley scored 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field and grabbed eight boards in the 2006 state title game.

Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said Kelley is the type of player that makes the other players around her better.

"Dominique is going to bring energy to the court each and every possession," Yori said. "She makes her teammates better because she is a tremendous on-the-ball defender, and she has developed her offensive skills every year. We expect her to fit in very well with our style of play."

As a junior, Kelley averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, after pouring in 14.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore. She added 11 points and four rebounds per game as a freshman at Lincoln Northeast. Her top individual performances included a 28-point, six-rebound effort in a win over Lincoln East in 2005-06.

Kelley earned first-team Super-State honors from the Lincoln Journal Star and first-team All-Nebraska accolades from the Omaha World-Herald in 2006. In addition to earning all-city and all-conference honors, Kelley was ranked as the No. 169 player overall and the No. 50 point guard nationally by All-Star Girls Report during the summer of 2006.

She was a member of the Omaha Crusaders club team and played on the Daubert/Pinnacle All-Star team.

In addition to being a solid student at Lincoln Northeast, Kelley was also involved in many extra-curricular activities off the basketball court, including Pershing Pals, Lincoln Northeast Peer Helpers, Youth Leadership Lincoln and Character Counts.

Kelley said she chose Nebraska because of the Husker coaching staff and NU’s success at developing successful all-around student-athletes.

"I was really impressed by the fact that the coaching staff cares about the girls way more than just in the sense of basketball. They care a lot about our character and preparing us for life after college," Kelley said. "I knew that when I left the University of Nebraska, I would be an all-around better person."

Kelley said Nebraska’s academic success and growing accomplishments in women’s basketball were major factors in her decision.

"I am going to be the first person in my family to receive a college degree, so academics played a huge role in my decision-making," Kelley said. "I’m also very certain that we are going to surprise a lot of people. We are going to do great things, and we are going to make some tournament appearances."

Kelley chose Nebraska over Colorado, Creighton, Missouri, Iowa, Iowa State, Colorado State and New Mexico.

Kaitlyn Burke, 5-7, G, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (National Elite Development Academy)
The most decorated player in Nebraska’s recruiting class, Canadian Junior National Team member Kaitlyn Burke brings extensive international experience to the Husker roster.

Burke, who will be the second Canadian to play basketball at Nebraska following current Husker forward Chelsea Aubry, has spent several years in the Canadian National Team program and is one of the first players to attend Canada’s new National Elite Development Academy for basketball in Hamilton, Ontario.

Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said Burke’s international experience would help Burke make the transition to college basketball.

"Kaitlyn has played at a high level in the Canadian Junior National program, so she is going to bring maturity and experience to our team, even as a freshman," Yori said. "She is a very good passer and shooter, and she has a great feel for the game."

One of the 12 best young players in Canada, the 5-7 guard played high school basketball for Argyle Secondary School in her hometown of North Vancouver, British Columbia before attending the National Elite Development Academy in 2006. She led Argyle to North Shore titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and a runner-up finish in 2005. Argyle won city and district titles in 2003 and finished 10th at the British Columbia provincial championships.

The most valuable player of the Canadian Under-17 National Championships in 2006, she helped Team Canada to a second place finish at the 2006 World Championship qualifier. She was also a member of the 2005 Canadian Cadet National Team that participated in the USA Youth Festival.

Burke averaged 18 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and five steals per game in high school. She was voted the Argyle athlete of the year in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 and earned first-team All-North Shore Conference honors all four years. Along with her commitments to the Canadian National Team, Burke played club ball for Team Basketball B.C. for Coach Shaun McGuinness.

Burke said she chose Nebraska because of the environment surrounding the program on her trip to Lincoln.

"I loved the atmosphere when I came on my visit. The coaching staff and players were everything that I had hoped for," Burke said. "Nebraska has a great reputation as a school, and I know I will get a quality education. The philosophy of the team is everything that I believe in. I know that I will grow as a player because every time I step on the court I will be playing against teammates who are outstanding athletes committed to excellence."

An outstanding all-around athlete, Burke also ran cross country at Argyle from 2001 through 2005, helping the team to provincial championships in 2002, 2003 and 2004. She was also a member of the track team from 2003 through 2005, competing in the 800, 1,500 and 3,000-meter events. She also played volleyball at Argyle, and as a youngster played soccer and softball.

She was also solid in the classroom, earning spots on the Distinguished Honor Roll during her sophomore and junior years.

Before producing an impressive list of athletic and academic accomplishments, Burke was an actress in feature films. She was the star of Questar’s Bear with Me (2000) and Ms. Bear (1997). She appeared in Disney’s Life-Size starring Tyra Banks and Lindsay Lohan (2000), A Song from the Heart (1999) and National Lampoon’s Dad’s Week Off starring Henry Winkler (1997). She also appeared in the television series Millennium from X-Files creator Chris Carter in 1998 and 1999.

Burke’s older sister Ashley played basketball at Gonzaga, and her older brother Sean plays basketball for Simon Fraser. Kaitlyn chose Nebraska over Idaho.

Jessica Periago, 6-4, C, Toulon, France
(National Institute of Sports)
One of the top young players in France, Jessica Periago played for the French National Team at the 2005 U-18 European Championships. A 6-4 center from Toulon, France, Periago will bring size and skill to the Nebraska roster.

Just 18 years old, Periago has graduated from the Institut National du Sport et de l’Education Physique (INSEP) in Paris where she played for Coach Francois Gomez. She plans to enroll at Nebraska during the spring semester of 2007. She is not expected to play for the Huskers during the second half of the 2006-07 season, but will be eligible to practice while redshirting to become acclimated to life in the United States.

Along with her impressive size, the left-handed Periago runs the floor well and has trained at the international level for the past three years while preparing for the European Championships.

Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said Periago has impressive natural athletic ability and could help the Huskers inside in the future.

"Jessica is very mobile and runs well. She also has long arms," Yori said. "She is skilled with the ball, especially away from the basket. We expect her to be a good perimeter shooter and an excellent passer."

An excellent all-around athlete, Periago also played soccer, beach volleyball and enjoys swimming.

Periago said she chose Nebraska because of the friendly atmosphere around the Husker program.

"The coaching staff and Husker players were very supportive, extremely friendly and very welcoming," Periago said. "They made great efforts to communicate with me, even if my English is far from perfect. They treated me as if I already belonged on their team."

Periago chose Nebraska over Old Dominion, Washington, Colorado State and San Francisco.

Catheryn Redmon, 6-3, F/C, Grand Prairie, Texas (Mansfield Timberview)
The most highly ranked player nationally in Nebraska’s recruiting class, Catheryn Redmon verbally committed to the Huskers the day before the early signing period in November.

Redmon, a native of Grand Prairie, Texas, will join fellow Texan Monique Whittaker (Onalaska) in the 2007-08 freshman class at Nebraska.

Redmon is ranked as the No. 14 post player in the nation by the All-Star Girls Report and the No. 59 player overall in the country by the recruiting service.

Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said Redmon has the potential to be an outstanding collegiate player.

"Catheryn is a very athletic post player who runs the floor extremely well for her size," Yori said. "She is a true low-post player who can defend, rebound and score on the low block. She has a huge upside."

Redmon will play her senior season at Mansfield Timberview High School, after attending DeSoto High School last season. Her coach at Mansfield Timberview is Candi Harvey, the former head coach of the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Stars, and a former assistant coach under Texas A&M’s Gary Blair.

"I want to be a veterinarian, and Nebraska has a great pre-vet program," Redmon said. "After that it was the basketball. But everything just felt right at Nebraska. When I met the team and the coaches I really felt like I belonged there."

In both her sophomore and junior seasons, Redmon helped DeSoto High School to 33-4 records. In the 2005-06 Fullcourt Press preseason poll, DeSoto was ranked as the No. 22 high school team nationally. DeSoto advanced to the Class 5A regional championship game, where they lost to eventual Texas Class 5A state champion Plano West, 50-47.

Redmon averaged seven points and six rebounds per game during her sophomore and junior seasons at DeSoto.

Redmon, who played club basketball for Team Ichiban for Coach Gene Watts and Roosevelt Riley, chose Nebraska over TCU and Colorado.

Monique Whittaker, 5-10, G, Onalaska, Texas (Livingston)
One of two talented Texans in Nebraska’s recruiting class, Monique Whittaker earned first-team All-Texas honors as a junior and was ranked as one of the top 25 players in the state.

A 5-10 guard out of Livingston High School near Houston, Whittaker averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game for Coach Pennee Hall. As a sophomore, Whittaker contributed 18 points and eight rebounds per contest.

Despite Whittaker’s solid accomplishments heading into her senior season of high school, Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said Whittaker has just begun to tap her potential as a player.

"Monique’s best basketball is ahead of her," Yori said. "She is a very hard worker who could fit a huge need for us at the three position. She is a talented offensive player who can shoot the three or hit shots off dribble penetration."

She is a nominee for the Wendy’s High School Heisman in the state of Texas, and she was a Texas Basketball Magazine All-State selection in 2004-05.

She was named the most valuable player in District 18-4A in 2005-06, after being named the district’s offensive player of the year as a sophomore in 2004-05. She was an all-region selection following both her sophomore and junior years.

Whittaker said the people in Nebraska and the academic tradition of the school played major roles in her decision to become a Cornhusker.

"Nebraska had a friendly atmosphere," Whittaker said. "It is a place where I can see myself getting better both academically and athletically."

Along with her basketball experience at Livingston High School, Whittaker played on the Houston Hotshots-Gold AAU team coached by Marvin Morris. In 2004-05, the Hotshots finished first at the BCI Nationals and second at AAU Nationals. In 2005-06, the Hotshots added a fifth-place finish at AAU Nationals.

In addition to earning four letters in basketball by the end of her high school career, Whittaker has also earned three letters in cross country, two letters in volleyball, one letter in soccer and one letter in track and field.

Whittaker chose Nebraska over Texas State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.