Saluki Women’s Basketball signs four for 2020-21
11/13/2019 | 12:38:00 | Women's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University women's basketball head coach Cindy Stein has announced the signing of four highly-decorated student-athletes for the 2020-21 season.
Signing national letters of intent with the Salukis are guard Adrianna Katcher (Urbana, Iowa), guard Quierra Love (Edwardsville, Ill.), guard/forward Sydney Prochaska (Arlington Heights, Ill.) and guard Jeniah Thompson (Carterville, Ill.).
The Salukis had several spots to fill with the 2020-21 class, as Southern will graduate five players, Nicole Martin, Brittney Patrick, Caitlyn Claussen, Lauren Hartman and Kristen Nelson, that have combined to make 176 starts and score 2,179 points over their four seasons as Salukis.
"There are so many things I like about this group," Stein said. "They all are so well-coached from their high school programs to their club teams. Secondly, they are all high-energy, competitive, and gritty players. They are great team players and they will be able to compete right away for spots on the floor."
Adrianna (AJ) Katcher // Center Point Urbana HS // Urbana, Iowa // 5-11 // Guard
A senior at Central Point High School in Urbana, Iowa, Adrianna "AJ" Katcher helped the Stormin' Pointers capture their second state title in school history and their first since 1995 in 2019. After three-straight years of bowing out in the final four of the Iowa state tournament, Central Point reached the state finals behind 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists from Katcher in CPU's semifinal win over Des Moines Christian. In the state title game, Katcher poured in 16 points in the win over North Polk. In doing so, Katcher was named the team captain of the All-Tournament Team.
A two-time All-State honoree, including a turn on the first team in 2019, Katcher is a decorated three-sport athlete. In addition to earning all-district and all-conference honors in back-to-back seasons as part of CPU's basketball team, the Urbana, Iowa native is one of seven female cross country runners in Iowa history to win three state titles, and Katcher has never finished lower than second in four runs at the state meet. In track, Katcher won six conference titles in the 1500- and 3000-meter runs. As part of CPU's soccer team, Katcher earned All-State second team honors as a sophomore after she helped the Warriors advance to the state semifinals.
"AJ is another fierce competitor and gritty player," Stein said. "I love her ability to find a way to score and influence the game. She is a high-energy player and can run for days. She is such a well-rounded athlete after competing in four sports in high school (track, soccer, basketball and cross country) that once she just concentrates on basketball, I think she will just blossom."
Quierra Love // Edwardsville HS // Glen Carbon, Ill. // 5-4 // guard
Quierra Love is a senior at Edwardsville High School where she helped the Tigers go 30-3 in 2019. The five-foot-four guard racked up 135 assists and 101 steals during her junior campaign- which were the most steals in a single-season by a Tiger since 1987 and the third-most in a season in school history. In fact, the two-time all-state and two-time all-conference honoree enters her senior season just 71 steals shy of breaking the school record of 298 career steals.
A two-sport athlete, Love ran track at Edwardsville and qualified for the IHSA Class 3A state meet in the 200-meter dash as a sophomore. An exceptional student as well, Love was a 2019 Academic All-Conference selection and holds a cumulative 4.03 grade point average.
"Q is a speedster," Stein said. "She is a quick, tenacious defender with the ability to score on the attack, on the pull-up or knock down the three-pointer. Her leadership skills will be impactful for us at point guard. She has great court vision and a high basketball IQ."
Sydney Prochaska // Montini Catholic // Arlington Heights, Ill. // 5-11 // Guard/Forward
A senior at Montini Catholic in Lombard, Ill., Sydney Prochaska has helped the Broncos amass a 95-10 record, win three-straight GCAC Conference Championships and notch back-to-back top-four finishes at the Class 4A state tournament. As a sophomore, she helped Montini win 34 games, the third-most in a single-season in school history. A do-it-all guard, Prochaska was high school teammates with current Saluki freshman Frankie Kokkines.
The Arlington Heights, Ill. native plays travel ball for Chicago Hoops Express and excels in the classroom as well. She is a three-time academic all-conference selection and has been on the honor roll all three years that she has been eligible.
"Sydney is a tremendous competitor with a pretty shot," Stein said. "Her guard skills are solid in every area and she will provide great instincts to our team. She is long, athletic and another high-energy player."
Jeniah Thompson // Carterville HS // Carterville, Ill. // 5-10 // Guard
A dynamic athlete, Thompson nearly averaged a triple-double in helping the Carterville Lions go 28-4 and win its seventh-straight regional title in 2019. The Carterville, Ill. product averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and nine assists during a junior season in which she earned All-State honors and was named The Southern Illinoisan's Girls Basketball Player of the Year. A three-time all-conference selection, Thompson scored her 1,000th career point during her junior season.
A two-time all-state selection, Thompson also competes for Carterville's track and field team and won a SIRR conference title in the discus in 2019.
"Two of the things that stood out about Jeniah were her competitiveness and natural instincts," Stein said. "She is a gifted athlete who will just get better and better. She can play anywhere on the floor and has the ability to score in various ways. She is a physical player and a beast on the boards. We can't wait for the opportunity to work with her."
