Former Rutgers duo joins Crimson Tide roster; will sit out 2011-12 season
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama women’s basketball added a pair of transfers as Briana Hutchen and Daisha Simmons joined the team, head coach Wendell Hudson announced on Thursday. Both Hutchen and Simmons spent their freshman season at Rutgers University and will have to sit out the 2011-12 season due to transfer rules.
“We are really excited to have Daisha and Briana join the team,” Hudson said. “They are both top-quality players that will, no doubt, help our program get stronger. Despite them having to sit out this season, we know we will have two great players to go against in practice and will have two great additions for actual games when they are able to play next season.”
Hutchen, a 6-1 forward from Baltimore, made her collegiate debut in the Scarlet Knights’ season opener against California. She appeared in 28 games as a freshman, playing a combined 181 minutes. Her first points came against North Carolina A&T, where she had six points and six rebounds in just eight minutes. In addition, Hutchen chipped in four points and five rebounds versus Connecticut. She enjoyed a stellar high school career at St. Frances Academy being named the Baltimore Sun Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year in 2010. Hutchen averaged 17 points and 15 rebounds per game while leading the Panthers to a 25-3 record.
Simmons, a 5-10 guard from Jersey City, N.J., competed in all but one of Rutgers’ contest last season and made four starts as a true freshman, which included both of the NCAA Tournament games the Scarlet Knights appeared in. She averaged 2.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game during her first season. As a standout at Gill St. Bernards School, Simmons set the all-time scoring mark registering 2,488 points in her high school career. She had one quadruple-double, eight triple-doubles and six double-doubles in her senior year alone where she averaged 21.5 points and 8.4 assists per contest. Simmons was a three-time Courier Post Player of the Year and the 2010 Star-Ledger Player of the Year.
The Crimson Tide will tipoff its season in Foster Auditorium on November 6 against Auburn Montgomery, in Alabama’s lone exhibition contest. The Tide’s first regular season contest is slated for Nov. 12, when it hosts Nicholls State. For ticket information, visit RollTide.com.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama women’s basketball added a pair of transfers as Briana Hutchen and Daisha Simmons joined the team, head coach Wendell Hudson announced on Thursday. Both Hutchen and Simmons spent their freshman season at Rutgers University and will have to sit out the 2011-12 season due to transfer rules.
“We are really excited to have Daisha and Briana join the team,” Hudson said. “They are both top-quality players that will, no doubt, help our program get stronger. Despite them having to sit out this season, we know we will have two great players to go against in practice and will have two great additions for actual games when they are able to play next season.”
Hutchen, a 6-1 forward from Baltimore, made her collegiate debut in the Scarlet Knights’ season opener against California. She appeared in 28 games as a freshman, playing a combined 181 minutes. Her first points came against North Carolina A&T, where she had six points and six rebounds in just eight minutes. In addition, Hutchen chipped in four points and five rebounds versus Connecticut. She enjoyed a stellar high school career at St. Frances Academy being named the Baltimore Sun Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year in 2010. Hutchen averaged 17 points and 15 rebounds per game while leading the Panthers to a 25-3 record.
Simmons, a 5-10 guard from Jersey City, N.J., competed in all but one of Rutgers’ contest last season and made four starts as a true freshman, which included both of the NCAA Tournament games the Scarlet Knights appeared in. She averaged 2.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game during her first season. As a standout at Gill St. Bernards School, Simmons set the all-time scoring mark registering 2,488 points in her high school career. She had one quadruple-double, eight triple-doubles and six double-doubles in her senior year alone where she averaged 21.5 points and 8.4 assists per contest. Simmons was a three-time Courier Post Player of the Year and the 2010 Star-Ledger Player of the Year.
The Crimson Tide will tipoff its season in Foster Auditorium on November 6 against Auburn Montgomery, in Alabama’s lone exhibition contest. The Tide’s first regular season contest is slated for Nov. 12, when it hosts Nicholls State. For ticket information, visit RollTide.com.
