Virginia Women's Basketball Signs Top-10 Ranked Class

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Nov. 14, 2012

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia women’s basketball head coach Joanne Boyle announced on Wednesday (Nov. 14) that Sydney Umeri (6-1, forward, Atlanta, Ga./The Lovett School), Breyana Mason (5-8, guard, Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park HS), Amanda Fioravanti (6-1, forward, Adamstown, Md./Good Counsel HS) and Tiffany Suarez (5-10, guard, Miami, Fla./Our Lady of Lourdes Academy) have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Cavaliers beginning with the 2013-14 season.

The class was ranked No. 8 by Blue Star Report at the start of signing day.

“I am so excited about this class,” said Boyle. “These talented young ladies are great additions to our program. They are all versatile and skilled players who have a high basketball IQ, are tough minded and very competitive. Each one of them brings different qualities to the table including speed, athleticism and the ability to put the ball in the basket. They are a mature group that fit both our defensive and offensive system very well.”

Sydney Umeri, a 6-1 forward from Atlanta, is the highest-ranked recruit in the class at No. 13 by Blue Star, No. 29 by ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 32 by All Star Girls Report. HoopGurlz also ranks her as the No. 9 forward. Umeri was named to the 2011 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team. She earned All-Region 6 2A honors in 2011 and was a Boo Williams All-Star first team honoree in 2010. She helped her Lovett School team win the 2012 AA State Championship.

“Sydney is a versatile, skilled forward, who can really stretch the defense with her outside scoring,” Boyle said. “She has the ability to play with her back to the basket or face up from three-point range. She can take players off the dribble and makes up for lack of height with her physical play. Her versatility will allow us to use her in many different ways on both ends of the floor.”

Breyana Mason, a 5-8 guard from Woodbridge, Va., attends Forest Park High School, the alma mater of Virginia alumna Monica Wright. Mason is ranked No. 51 overall on ESPN HoopGurlz and tabbed the No. 13 point guard. She is ranked No. 57 by Blue Star. The left-handed guard is a long-time member of the Fairfax Stars AAU team, helping the squad win the 2011 Nike Summer Showcase in Chicago and reach the title game of the Nike Nationals Invitational Tournament, earning all-tournament honors in the process.

“Breyana is a physical combo guard who will primarily play the point,” Boyle said. “Because of her scoring ability, she could also see some action on the wing. Breyana’s physical style and ability to get the rim will be a huge strength for us. She has a very good mid-range game and can shoot the three-ball as well. Breyana has great floor vision and is also a very good rebounding guard.”

Amanda Fioravanti, a 6-1 forward from Adamstown, Md., attends Good Counsel High School, where she was a teammate with current UVa freshman guard Faith Randolph. Fioravanti is ranked No. 93 on ESPN HoopGurlz and is the No. 24-ranked forward. She is ranked No. 78 overall by Blue Star. She scored the 1,000th point of her high school career in a game in January of her junior season.

“Amanda is a very versatile power forward who loves the physical part of the game,” Boyle said. “She will not back away from contact and embraces being on the block to battle opponents. I think Amanda is a very mentally tough player and has the mindset to do all the little things to win games. She is a very skilled and can consistently stretch the defense from 17 feet.”

Tiffany Suarez, a 5-10 guard from Miami, Fla., attends Our Lady of Lourdes Academy and is ranked No. 74 by Blue Star and is the No. 31 guard according to ESPN HoopGurlz. The combo guard was named first-team All-Dade last season, averaging 14.2 points and 4.2 assists last year.

“Tiffany is an athletic combo guard who has the ability to play all three positions,” Boyle said. “She has very good speed and thrives in an up-tempo system. Tiffany is a great transition guard who can score in a variety of ways. She has great elevation that allows her to score over taller defenders and her ball handling and court sense allow her to play multiple positions. Her length and athleticism will also allow her to play multiple positions in our match-up zone.”

The Cavaliers will graduate three seniors in May including point guard China Crosby, center Simone Egwu and forward Telia McCall.