Women's Basketball Adds LaKendra Phillips To Squad

OXFORD, Miss. The Ole Miss women’s basketball team added depth to an already promising backcourt announcing on Thursday that LaKendra Phillips of Florida has transferred to join the Rebels. Phillips, who must sit out a year per NCAA transfer rules, will be eligible for competition following the completion of the Fall 2007 semester.

“Obviously we are excited to have an athlete the caliber of LaKendra come into our program,” said Ole Miss head coach Carol Ross. “She will provide immediate help with our scout team. We recruited her hard out of Memphis and we are happy she made the decision to come back home.

“I anticipate her playing small forward which means assistant coach Renee Ladner will be doing a lot of individual work with her and I trust Renee will quickly get her caught up to speed with what we are trying to do on the court.”

Phillips played in 12 games for the Gators before leaving at the end of the semester. She averaged 3.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per game, while logging nine minutes per outing. She notched a career-best 10 points versus North Florida, connecting on 3-of-4 shots from the field in the win. She pulled down a career-best four rebounds against South Alabama.

Prior to her semester with the Gators, Phillips earned four letters at Ridgeway High School in Memphis where she was coached for three years by Lisa Moore and one year by Tonya Currie. During her four-year career with the Roadrunners, Phillips tallied 2,222 points, 1,355 rebounds, 242 steals and 184 assists while shooting a steady 75.5 percent from the free throw line. She was named 2006 Class AAA Tennessee Miss Basketball, presented by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), helping Ridgeway to a 35-3 record and the state quarterfinals as a senior.

“I originally committed to Ole Miss during the recruiting process coming out of high school,” said Phillips, who was named the Memphis Commercial Appeal 2006 Best of the Preps Player of the Year, “I eventually changed my mind and signed with Florida. I enjoyed my time in Gainesville, but after more consideration it just did not seem like the right fit for me. I am very comfortable with the staff and players at Ole Miss and feel right at home.”

Phillips was named to the 'Class AAA Best of the Preps' in 2005 and 2006 by the Commercial Appeal. She also picked up 2006 TSWA AAA State first team honors, 2006 TSSAA District 15 AAA Player of the Year, All District and All-Regionals MVP during her time at Ridgeway. Phillips played AAU ball under Ross Jordan for the Tennessee Tigers Select, where her team was five-time state champions and placed seventh nationally. She was also a member of the AAU 12 and Under national championship team.

Phillips will suit up for the Rebels at the completion of the Fall 2007 semester and will be a sophomore in eligibility.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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