Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Women's Basketball Completes 2005-06 Recruiting Class
04/14/2005 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
April 14, 2005
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - You can contribute immediately! You can make a difference! You can get this team headed in the right direction! No matter how you put it, it's tough to sell a re-building program.
However, for Kaci Bailey, that's all she needed to hear in her chat with Southern Illinois University associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Jody Adams.
Adams met with Bailey during an official campus visit in mid-March.
Now, nearly a month later, the native of Dresden, Tenn., is the last of five recruits to sign a national letter of intent for the 2005-06 season.
"Kaci knows the opportunity is there to come in and help our program, and I think that played a huge part in her decision," said Adams.
Since Adams also hails from the Volunteer State, where she was a three-year starting point guard at the University of Tennessee, that may have helped too.
"I think Kaci feels at home here and is happy to be a part of the Saluki women's basketball family."
Bailey ranks first all-time in three-pointers made (257) at Dresden High School, and the Salukis look to utilize her at either the 1 or 2 guard spots.
Adams describes her quick trigger from long-range as "dangerous and hard to defend."
A first-team all-district, all-region and all-state pick, she averaged a team-leading 15 points per game as a senior. As a junior, Bailey reached the 1,000-point mark in her career, despite missing the majority of the season with a broken ankle.
The Lions' four-year starting point guard, she also finished among the top-three all-time career leaders in free throw percentage (1st; .845), scoring (3rd; 1482 pts.) and assists (3rd; 310).
"Kaci is a hard worker and great competitor, who brings a winning attitude to our team," stated Adams. "She has excellent court vision, can deliver the ball off the bounce and knows the game."
Also a good student, Bailey was a three-time winner of her team's Outstanding Academic Achievement Award, and ranked among the Top-10 in her class all four years as a prep.
Bailey is the final addition to head coach Dana Eikenberg's first recruiting class at SIU. She joins Jasmine Gibson (Kansas City, Mo.), Erica Smith (Florissant, Mo.), Gentry Dietz (Omaha, Neb.) and Teresa Parker (Pequot Lakes, Minn.).
"I think our first group of signees will bring immediate athleticism, size and skill to our program," said Eikenberg. "They understand our situation and will give us depth at each position. They epitomize how we want to compete in the Valley, and I think people will be excited to see them play."
In addition to the five signees, the Dawgs' 2005-06 roster will consist of University of Missouri-Kansas City transfers Rachel Boldt (Olney, Ill.), Katy Freeman (Duluth, Minn.), Carlai Moore (Kansas City, Mo.), Erin Pauk (St. Charles, Mo.) and Jayme Sweere (Springfield, Mo.), and returnees Amy Hayden (Ft. Wayne, Ind.), Elyse Morris (Prophetstown, Ill.) and India Bruster (Cleveland, Ohio).
