May 19, 2005

Columbia, Mo. - Two junior-college players and a high-school prep standout have signed National Letters of Intent to enroll at the University of Missouri and play basketball, Head Coach Cindy Stein announced today.

The two juco signees are Marchele Campbell (Kansas City, Kan. / Schlagle HS / Syracuse / Daytona Beach CC), a 5-foot-5 guard, and Tamika Jackson (Galveston, Texas / Ball HS / Chipola JC), a 6-foot-3 post. They will team up with Kaya "K-Kay" Pickens (Houston, Texas / James Madison HS), a 6-foot-1 forward.

They join 6-foot guard Alyssa Hollins (Mesquite, Texas / John Horn HS), who signed an NLI back in November, to comprise Mizzou's 2005-06 recruiting class.

"We are extremely pleased about this group of young and talented ladies," Stein said. "We felt as though we needed to address certain needs in the guard and post positions and we were successful in both. Our depth and versatility were also greatly enhanced."

Campbell comes to Mizzou after playing last year at Daytona Beach Community College, where she earned NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American status as a sophomore. At DBCC, she averaged 18.8 points per game, and made 137 three-pointers (shooting 37% from beyond the stripe). She transferred to Daytona after spending her freshman year at Syracuse University, where she played in 10 games as a freshman and averaged 3.3 points per game. She was a prep star at Schlagle High School in the Kansas City area, as she scored 2,094 points in her career. Campbell averaged over 25 points a game as a senior, on the way to earning KC area player of the year honors.

"Marchele is a very exciting guard to watch and we are thrilled to have her coming back home to play at Mizzou," said Stein. "She is unbelievably quick and possesses a deadly three-point shot. Her leadership, confidence and talent will be key assets to our team," she said.

Jackson, a Galveston, Texas native, has played the previous two years at Chipola Junior College, in Marianna, Fla. There, Jackson helped lead her team to two straight NJCAA Region VIII tournament appearances, as well as a 2005 conference tournament championship - the school's first ever. She averaged 8.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore last season. Jackson was a first-team all-conference selection last year, and was the team's defensive player of the year, after winning the team's freshman of the year honors, as well as second-team all-conference honors, as a freshman in 2003-04.

"Tamika will provide a presence on the interior," said Stein. "She is a very good shot-blocker and rebounder with good skills around the basket. She gives us needed depth in the post and will be looked upon to provide a lot of minutes," she said.

Pickens, who hails from Houston, Texas, was a standout for James Madison High School. An outstanding all-around athlete, Pickens was a four-year letterwinner in both basketball and volleyball, and also lettered three years in track. Pickens averaged 16 points per game as a senior, and added 8.9 rebounds, 4.2 blocks and 3.2 assists per game, while shooting a solid 78 percent from the free throw line. She was named her school's athlete of the year in 2004-05, and was a first-team all-district selection in both basketball and volleyball. Pickens chose Mizzou over Colorado, New Mexico, Wake Forest and Tulane, among many other schools.

"K-Kay is one of the most athletic players that we have signed and she will just get better and better," said Stein. "She is a tremendous rebounder and athlete who also possesses the ability to step out and knock down the three. She is a hard worker that is well-coached and brings intensity and spirit to the court," she added.