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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SIGNS THREE IN EARLY PERIOD
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Nov. 28, 2001
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.- The University of Virginia women’s basketball team has received National Letters of Intent from three student-athletes during the early signing period.
Deidra Chatman, Charita Roberts, and Tiffany Sardin will play for the Cavaliers next season.
Chatman, a 6-6 center from Richmond, Calif., averaged 17 points-per-game, 17 rebounds-per-game, and five blocks for John F. Kennedy High School. The adidas Top 10 Camp Upperclass All-Star also earned Street & Smith’s All-America Honorable Mention honors in 2001. Named to the all-San Francisco Bay Area metro third team, she was a first team all-county selection. Rated No. 45 by the All-Star Girls Rating, Chatman intends to study business at UVa.
“Deidra is a tremendous athlete with exceptional size,” said Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan. “She will help us immediately inside and make an impact early. She has great speed and quickness for a player her size and is a talented shot blocker.”
Roberts, a 5-7 point guard from Winchester, Va., transferred to Frederick Douglass HS in Upper Marlboro, Md., for her senior season. A 2000 Nike All-American and 2001 Street & Smith’s Honorable Mention All-American, she earned Delaney Athletic Conference Player of the Year and first team all-conference honors last season at Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy where she played as a junior and sophomore. At SVCA, Roberts averaged 29.2 ppg as a junior and scored a school record 969 points as a sophomore. Individually, she’s surpassed the 50-point mark twice. She’s ranked No. 32 the Blue Star Top 100 Seniors List.
“Charita is extremely athletic,” Ryan said. “I feel she’s going to give us speed and quickness in the back court. She’s an excellent scorer, who has the ability to score off the run and make the quick jumper. She reminds me of Tora Suber (1994-97) with the way she elevates and finishes plays.”
Sardin, a 6-1 forward from Chicago, Ill., averaged 18 ppg and 10 rpg at John Marshall HS en route to the Illinois state quarterfinals. The adidas Top 10 Camp Upperclass All-Star also earned Street & Smith’s All-America Honorable Mention honors in 2001. Named to the Chicago All-Final Four Team, she’s ranked No. 37 by the All-Star Girls Report and No. 73 on the Blue Star Top 100 Seniors List. Sardin is the No. 3 player nationally in her position.
“Tiffany is a versatile swing player,” Ryan said. “She’s an exciting basketball player to watch. Playing under Dorothy Gaters, one of the top high school coaches in the country, Tiffany will make an impact right away. She’s a talented scorer and her size allows her to post people up. Tiffany is one of the best big guards I’ve seen in a while.”
The Blue Star Index ranks Virginia’s recruiting class at No. 18 nationally.
The Cavaliers (3-2) host intrastate rival Virginia Tech (3-1) on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in University Hall.
2002 VIRGINIA WOMEN'S BASKETBALLRecruiting Class
Player Pos. Ht. Hometown/High School PPG RPGDeidra Chatman C 6-6 Richmond, Calif./John F. Kennedy HS 17.0 17.0Charita Roberts PG 5-7 Winchester, Va./Frederick Douglass HS 29.2 -Tiffany Sardin F 6-1 Chicago, Ill./John Marshall HS 18.0 10.0
– CAVALIERS –