Women’s Basketball Adds Three During Fall Signing Period

Women's Basketball 11/9/2016 2:45:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- First-year Bradley women's basketball head coach Andrea Gorski received three commitments during the Fall Signing Period with 5-10 guard Gabi Haack (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) 5-8 guard Jailynn Lawson (Peoria, Ill./Central) and 5-11 forward Nyjah White (Columbia, Mo./Hickman), each signing National Letters of Intent to attend Bradley.

Haack has helped the Elk to back-to-back conference championships (24-0) and has paced her team in assists each of her three seasons. Last year, she averaged 15.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 42 percent from three-point range. A team captain as a junior, Haack is a two-time all-conference selection and garnered honorable mention all-conference honors as a freshman.

As a sophomore, Haack dished out almost five assists per outing to go with 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per outing. She shot 37 percent from beyond the arc as a sophomore in 2014-15. Haack has also lettered in volleyball, softball and track helping her school to a state championship in softball. She earned a state sectional title in the shot put and reached the state championship in the event her sophomore year.

"Gabi gives us versatility at the guard position as she is both a three-point threat and also strong enough to make plays at the basket," said Gorski. "She is a smart player who is capable of playing three positions. Gabi is a pure leader who is willing to do whatever it takes to win. We are looking forward to her competitiveness and leadership having an immediate impact in our program."

The 18th player in program history from Peoria, Lawson is the first Peoria native to sign with the Braves since Rachel Merriman (2006-07 & 2007-08) and is the first Peoria Central High School product to play at Bradley since Cherryl Flatt was on the roster for the 1987-88 and 1988-89 campaigns.

"We are excited to welcome Jailynn to the Bradley family," Gorski said. "As a combo guard, she fits well with the up-tempo style of play that we are looking to implement. She gets high marks in both basketball IQ and her ability to score in different ways. Her determination and work ethic are evident both on the court and in the classroom as she has achieved many accolades in both areas. Her dynamic style of play is fun to watch and I know Peoria area fans are excited to watch her play for four more years."

As a junior, Lawson averaged 22.5 points, 7.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds and four steals per game while helping the Lions to a conference championship and the IHSA Class 3A regional semifinals. A second-team all-state pick by the Associated Press, she was a first-team all-area pick by the Peoria Journal Star. She helped Central to a 21-10 record and was named MVP of both the Fairfield Tournament and Manual Holiday Tournaments last season. In addition, Lawson is a two-time letterwinner in volleyball.

White was named the Columbia Daily Tribune Player of the Year after averaging 17.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a junior. She helped the Kewpies to the school's first district title in nine years in 2015-16 and was named a First-Team All-State selection in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association.

A two-time all-district selection, White was selected as her team's best offensive player twice. She averaged 11.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game as a sophomore. Her father Albert, who was a McDonald's All-American in high school, played professionally for several seasons and was part of championship teams in the USBL, CBA and LPB after earning All-Big 12 honors at Missouri.

"Nyjah brings a different level of athleticism to our team and we will look for her to contribute immediately," added Gorski. "Her toughness and strong work ethic will bring rebounding and a strong defensive presence. Nyjah is aggressive on both ends of the floor and impacts the game in so many ways. We are looking forward to getting her into our Bradley uniform."

Bradley will open the 2016-17 season Friday with a 6 p.m. (CST) game at Kent State.

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