PEORIA, Ill. -
Seventh-year Bradley women's basketball head coach
Paula Buscher added another recruit, when 5-8 guard Aseer Itiavkase (Paducah, Ky./Paducah Tilghman/John A. Logan) signed a National Letter of Intent with the Braves earlier this week. Itiavkase (pronounced Ah-seer E-T-F-Kesa) will be the fourth player in program history from the state of Kentucky.
A quick guard, she helped John A. Logan to a 23-9 record last season, averaging 12 points per game and was sixth in the nation in steals at 4.74 per contest. Itiavkase was also named to the All-Region Tournament team in her final season with the Lady Vols.
As a freshman, she was the second-leading scorer for John A. Logan at 11.4 points per game. An all-conference and all-region selection in 2005-06, she started all 29 games and was fourth in the nation in steals averaging 4.7 per game.
Her parents are natives of Nigeria and she has been asked to try out for the Nigerian National Team in May. Itiavkase joins former Bradley standout and current Southern Illinois assistant coach Rasheeda Love as transfers from John A. Logan Community College. Love led the team in both steals (2.4 spg) and assists (4.5 apg) in 2002-03.
"Aseer is extremely athletic and will add a great deal of speed to our team," Buscher said. "She has a real passion for the game and fans will love the way she is able to run the floor."
A graduate of Tilghman High School in Paducah, Ky., she averaged 14.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 5.5 steals per game as a senior, helping lead the Tornados to the state semifinals for the first time in school history.
A three-year starter in high school, she scored over 1,000 points in her career and was named the 2005 First Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Athletic Basketball Coaches.
In addition to her accomplishments on the court, she was very successful on the track and holds the Kentucky state record in the triple jump. The state champion in the high jump her senior year, she finished third in the long jump and helped Tilghman to four state championships in track.
"We are excited about our recruiting class," Buscher added. "Our incoming players will add a great deal of speed and athleticism to the team."
Itiavkase is the third player to sign a National Letter of Intent with the Braves, joining 5-11 guard Raisa Taylor (Decatur, Ill./Eisenhower) and six-foot center Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton). Monica Rogers (Decatur, Ill./St. Teresa), a 6-1 forward will also be eligible in 2007-08 after sitting out the 2006-07 season following her transfer from Hampton.
