Lady Bears Sign Three to National Letters of Intent
November 11, 2009 | Women's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Karly Buer (Concordia, Kan.), Desiree Phillips (Memphis, Tenn.) and Hannah Wilkerson (Miller, Mo.) have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Missouri State women's basketball program for the Fall 2010 semester, MSU Head Coach Nyla Milleson announced Wednesday.
Buer led her Concordia (Kan.) High team to a perfect record and Kansas Class 4A state title as a junior in 2008-09. The 5-7 point guard was an all-state selection, averaging 20 points and shooting nearly 53 percent from the floor. She came up big for the Panthers when it mattered most, pouring home a career-high 32 points and hitting the game-winning shot in Concordia's state semifinal win over Paola. Buer followed up that effort by scoring 19 points in the title game, including a crucial three-point play in the closing minutes that propelled her club to its school-record 26th victory. Also an accomplished track athlete, Buer won the Kansas 4A individual title in the 400 meters to help the Panthers to their fifth consecutive state championship last spring.
"Karly is a 4.0 student-the true meaning of a student-athlete," Milleson continues. "She's a point guard who can score and she's able to translate her intelligence well on the court. She should be a tremendous floor general for us."
Phillips averaged a double-double in guiding her Manassas High club to a state playoff appearance as a junior. At 5-10, Phillips has the versatility to play both inside and on the perimeter and is rated as the #69 small forward in the Class of 2010 by HoopGurlz.com.
"Desiree is a tremendous athlete who has the versatility to play at a couple of different spots," Milleson states. "She's a lefty who can step out on the floor and shoot it, as well as a slasher who can take it to the basket."
Wilkerson, a 5-8 guard, is on pace to become the state of Missouri's all-time leading scorer in girls basketball entering her final season at Miller (Mo.) High. She averaged 32.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists in leading the Lady Cardinals to a 24-6 record and their first district championship last year. Wilkerson is a three-time Missouri Class 2 All-State and Springfield News-Leader All-Ozarks selection and holds the state freshman scoring record after averaging 26.6 points per outing in 2006-07.
"Hannah is a typical southwest Missouri basketball player-she's fundamentally sound with tremendous knowledge of the game and a fierce competitor," says Milleson. "She will immediately make us better because of the competitive fire she brings."
"We're very excited about this class as a group," Milleson comments. "These are three high-quality student-athletes, with each one bringing something a little different and addressing specific needs. They have a chance to be a special class."
The Lady Bears will begin open their 41st season of competition Saturday (Nov. 14) when they host the Georgetown Hoyas in a 2:05 p.m., contest at JQH Arena.
