Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Davidson Signs a Pair for the 2012-13 W. Basketball Season
11/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Gavin McFarlin -- Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Davidson women's basketball head coach Michele Savage has announced today the signing of Alexandra Long and Dakota Dukes as part of her second recruiting class for the 2012-13 season.
“I'm extremely pleased with the additions of Alex and Dakota in this year's signing class,” said Savage. “Again, I think my staff has done a terrific job in recruiting the best and brightest talent for our program. These young ladies exemplify what Davidson is about-they're competitors. On the court and in the classroom, Alex and Dakota want to be the best. They will also fit with the sense of community the Davidson campus embraces.”
Long, a 5-10 guard from Great Falls, Va., has been a three-year letterwinner at Flint Hill School under the guidance of coach
Jody Patrick. As a junior, Long was the team's second-leading scorer with an average of 12 points. She drained 43 percent of her shots from behind the arc, good for a spot in the top-25 in the Washington Post, and shot 43.7 percent overall from the floor.
“Alex will be a fantastic addition to our backcourt and has the skill set necessary to help us at both the point and off-guard positions” said Savage. “She gives us good size at the guard spot and athleticism. She definitely has a knack to score on offense as well as play tenacious defense. Alex has enjoyed success in high school and with her AAU team and has the will to win. More importantly, she has the work ethic needed to be successful at this level.”
Long, who has started every game during her high school career, was a first-team pick for All-State, all-league and All-Sun Gazette last year, while she earned All-Tournament Team honors at the VISSA State Tournament and the Tip-Off Tournament.
A letterwinner in track and field as well, Long placed eighth in the state of Virginia in the 400 meters in 2009, while also running at the Penn Relays on the 4x400 (set school-record) and 4x100 teams in 2009-10.
She has also excelled in the classroom, making the Headmaster's list for academic achievement twice and carries a 3.85 GPA. She was also inducted into the National French Honor Society in 2010.
A star on the Cary Christian School squad, Dukes hails from Raleigh, N.C. She has put up some impressive numbers during her prep career, totaling over 1,800 points and 1,100 rebounds. As a junior last year, Dukes dropped in 23 points and pulled down almost 15 rebounds per game.
“Dakota is a skilled offensive player with a nice array of post moves and is also comfortable facing the basket,” said Savage. "She does a good job of running the floor and I will look to her to improve our run game. Defensively, Dakota is a feisty interior defender who will outsmart a lot of players who may have more size than her. She has played on varsity at Cary Christian School since the eighth grade and this type of experience is invaluable.”
She has been a three-time all-conference pick and the conference's Player of the Year in those three years. Dukes has also been a three-time all-state member and earned conference MVP honors three straight seasons. This past year, she set the three-day tournament totals at the 2011 Glaxo Smith Kline Holiday Invitational with 77 points, 52 rebounds and 12 steals. She was named the Most Outstanding Player at the tournament.
Dukes has also been very involved outside of basketball as she helped found and has lead the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Cary Christian the last three years. She also is a member of Interact, participating in many community service projects over the last two years.
Davidson will play a pair of road games this weekend at Princeton and Duquesne, Nov. 25-27.
Single-game tickets for the 2011-12 men's and women's basketball seasons are now on sale. Men's single-game tickets are priced as low as $14 for adults and $7 for youth, while women's tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for youth. Season tickets and Five-Game Mini Packs are also still available, starting as low $50 per package.
“I'm extremely pleased with the additions of Alex and Dakota in this year's signing class,” said Savage. “Again, I think my staff has done a terrific job in recruiting the best and brightest talent for our program. These young ladies exemplify what Davidson is about-they're competitors. On the court and in the classroom, Alex and Dakota want to be the best. They will also fit with the sense of community the Davidson campus embraces.”
Long, a 5-10 guard from Great Falls, Va., has been a three-year letterwinner at Flint Hill School under the guidance of coach
“Alex will be a fantastic addition to our backcourt and has the skill set necessary to help us at both the point and off-guard positions” said Savage. “She gives us good size at the guard spot and athleticism. She definitely has a knack to score on offense as well as play tenacious defense. Alex has enjoyed success in high school and with her AAU team and has the will to win. More importantly, she has the work ethic needed to be successful at this level.”
Long, who has started every game during her high school career, was a first-team pick for All-State, all-league and All-Sun Gazette last year, while she earned All-Tournament Team honors at the VISSA State Tournament and the Tip-Off Tournament.
A letterwinner in track and field as well, Long placed eighth in the state of Virginia in the 400 meters in 2009, while also running at the Penn Relays on the 4x400 (set school-record) and 4x100 teams in 2009-10.
She has also excelled in the classroom, making the Headmaster's list for academic achievement twice and carries a 3.85 GPA. She was also inducted into the National French Honor Society in 2010.
A star on the Cary Christian School squad, Dukes hails from Raleigh, N.C. She has put up some impressive numbers during her prep career, totaling over 1,800 points and 1,100 rebounds. As a junior last year, Dukes dropped in 23 points and pulled down almost 15 rebounds per game.
“Dakota is a skilled offensive player with a nice array of post moves and is also comfortable facing the basket,” said Savage. "She does a good job of running the floor and I will look to her to improve our run game. Defensively, Dakota is a feisty interior defender who will outsmart a lot of players who may have more size than her. She has played on varsity at Cary Christian School since the eighth grade and this type of experience is invaluable.”
Dukes has also been very involved outside of basketball as she helped found and has lead the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Cary Christian the last three years. She also is a member of Interact, participating in many community service projects over the last two years.
Davidson will play a pair of road games this weekend at Princeton and Duquesne, Nov. 25-27.
Single-game tickets for the 2011-12 men's and women's basketball seasons are now on sale. Men's single-game tickets are priced as low as $14 for adults and $7 for youth, while women's tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for youth. Season tickets and Five-Game Mini Packs are also still available, starting as low $50 per package.
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