Women’s basketball head coach Dobee Plaisance put her 2009 signing class together with seven new players.Of the six signees, five are junior college standouts accompanied with one prep player, announced the Nicholls Athletic Department on Aug. 25.

The five junior college transfers are Jamia Akins, Ricshanda Bickham, Cassie Hearon, Raneisha Hunter, and Chelsea McNamee; the high school signee is Alisha Allen.

Akins, a 5’4″ shooting guard, comes to Nicholls by way of Chipola College. The Milton, Fla. native led the Indians to the 2009 Florida Junior College Championship. Akins was also a standout on the prep level at Crestview, leading the Bulldogs in scoring her senior season with 14.7 ppg.

Bickham is a 5’6″ point guard who played at Connors State College where she led the Cowgirls to a combined 59-8 overall record during her two-year stint. Bickham averaged 12.0 points per game in those two years.

Hunter, a 5’8″ forward, played high school ball at Wyandotte High and spent the last two seasons at Butler Community College. The Kansas City, Kansas native was a standout at Wyandotte High School, earning letters all four years in basketball and track and field.

Hearon, a 5’10” post player, and McNamee, a 5’11” forward, transferred to Nicholls as a package deal from Northwest Florida State Junior College. They led the Raiders to a 28-6 record this past season and an appearance in the state playoffs.

Hearon said that the Junior College transfers will transition well to four year universities.

“Junior college is complex and a lot of players have come from them,” Hearon said. “The transition is actually easier, because we know what to expect.”

Allen, the signing class’ only high school athlete, is the only Colonel freshman on the roster.

“It’s kind of hard being the only freshman,” Allen said. “Everybody is older and knows what to do and a lot of times I find myself lost. It’s kind of scary.”

Plaisance also added Kierra Smith, a 5’7″ guard/forward, to the roster.

Jasmine Hoskins, sophomore veteran, feels that the signees will help the Colonels be successful.

“The new players are great,” Hoskins said. “I love practicing and talking to them. I’m ready to get on the court with them and ready to do something.”

The team hopes to improve last season’s record of 2-25 with the addition of the seven new players to the Lady Colonels roster.