The Alabama State women's basketball coach Freda Freeman-Jackson announced two signees to her already young and talented Lady Hornets' squad.

ASU has inked Tatyana Calhoun from Carver High School (Montgomery) and Zomoria Clark from Wetumpka, Ala.
 
Veteran coach Freeman Jackson is elated about the 2015 signees.  "I am very elated about the signees that we have coming in this year.  Anytime you can add players of this caliber, you have to be excited. We expect these ladies to be able to contribute immediately."

"With the team that we have this year, they are still relatively young players like Britney Wright, Daniele Ewert and Kayla Tucker that are sophomores and with the signing class that we signed on last year, we are going to be young, but we are getting better talent."

The 6-2 Montgomery native averages 18 points per game, eight rebounds and three blocks.  During the 2013 -14 season Calhoun was named second team All-State, 2013 MVP, in the same season she was the Selma HS Thanksgiving Shootout winner.  In 2012, she was named All Tournament MVP and Checkers Tournament MVP.   This year, she has been named the 2014 team captain for the basketball team.  Tatyana also plays volleyball when she's not on the basketball court.  She was also voted the 2014 Homecoming Queen at Carver High school.

"We are honored to have an athlete that is local and we try to keep that local talent at home.  We haven't been fortunate some years ago but previously we have had a great opportunity to keep these young ladies home.  We have players like Tabitha Bradshaw, Kendra Fowler and now Calhoun.

"Tatyana is going to bring size and that's definitely what we need," said Freeman-Jackson.  "We signed guards last year and this year we had to sew up our center spot, since Jasmine "JP" Peeples has one more year after this season and we must groom someone for that spot.  Calhoun is a great low post player that can score around the basketball and she has a good drop step.  She can also shoot free throws and has a great upsize.  I feel that she's coming to us at a great time because she will be able to come right in and play."

While Freeman-Jackson is expecting on-the-court impact, she also emphasizes academic excellence.

"We as a staff try to instill in our young ladies the importance of graduation, and yes we want them to play fundamental basketball, but at the same token we want young ladies that we know will graduate from ASU.  I think that through our recruiting, we have young ladies that will attribute to our graduation ratio.  We are going to win ball games and I think that my staff and I are doing a great job of building these young ladies for the future." 

Clark starred at Wetumpka High School as both a volleyball player and basketball athlete.  Her main focus will be on basketball when she enters the 2015 school year.  While with the Indians, she has averaged 10 pts, 12 rebounds and five blocks per game so far in her career stats.  She was named 2013 Best Defensive Player and Team Captain for the 2014 season.

When speaking on Clark, Coach Freeman-Jackson had this to say:

 "We feel the same way about Zamoria Clark as we do about Calhoun.  You always have to have more than one "big" the way that we play.  We try to be deep with two or three players at each position.   Both young ladies can play the power forward spot and with both of them being bigs, we can actually have both of them on the floor together."

"Zamoria is light on her feet; she can block shots and rebound.  She runs the floor well and it's really amazing how she gets her out passes.  She has energy, body and can really run the floor.  I feel like she will bring a lot to our team.  I also consider her as a local, because she's from Wetumpka and she also has a cousin on the men's team Terrance Leflore.  So as the saying goes just keep it in the family."

"I believe that these young ladies will do an excellent job for us and the important thing is that they've been to our camps before so they know how we are as a coaching staff.  They know the things that we like for our "bigs" to do."