FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 10, 2021) – Northern Arizona received four National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period, as head coach
Loree Payne added a pair of players from Boise, Idaho, another from Las Vegas and one Arizona local.
Sophia Glancey and Audrey Taylor, both from Boise's Timberline High School, will be the second set of high school teammates to play for the Lumberjacks as Mary McMorris from Centennial High School in Las Vegas rejoins
Teionni McDaniel in Flagstaff while Saniyah Neverson moves just a few hours north from PHH Prep in Phoenix.
"We're trying to recruit winners, kids who know how to win. These players have put themselves in positions to compete against the best players across the country," Payne said. "All of our players have found success in AAU and high school, so it is exciting to bring players in who already know how to compete at that level."
Neverson spent the first two years of her high school career playing for Valley Vista High School in Surprise, winning a 6A Conference State Championship during her sophomore year. An All-6A Conference Southwest Region Second Team honoree as a senior, Neverson transferred to PHH Prep entering her junior season. The 6-1 power forward helped PHH Prep finish off its inaugural season with a Grind Session championship and a 40-3 record.
"Saniyah is a very versatile 4/5 player. She can step out and stretch the floor at the 4, and can knock down the three," Payne said. "She is also really good on the block, so she is going to give us a lot of versatility and size, which is going to be pretty exciting. It's definitely something we are going to need next year."
McMorris won a Class 4A state title with Centennial in 2020, a sixth straight state championship for the Bulldogs, finishing the year 24-6 and on a 12-game winning streak. A 5-6 guard, McMorris played alongside McDaniel during her most recent high school season as Nevada's high school schedules were canceled last season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
"Mary is one of the most dynamic point guards I have seen and that I will eventually coach," Payne said. "She can get to the rim, is a great passer, has great court vision and can score. She is a competitor on defense... she is just going the whole time she is in. It's going to be exciting because she fits our style so well. She pushes the ball incredibly quick and having her and Teionni be teammates helps that connection right away."
As for Northern Arizona's duo from Timberline, the two finished as the state runners-up with Timberline in 2019-20 with a 19-2 record. The team also won its conference in 2020-21 and was named the Academic State Champions in both years.
"Audrey is one of the best shooters we saw all summer. Her range is when she steps into the gym, which is exciting for us to have a player of that caliber be able to come in and be a knockdown three-point shooter. It fits our system and our conference really, really well," Payne said. "Sophia is a dominant post player, she is going to be so good in our league. Just the back to the basket and also stepping out to face up. She has pretty good range for a post player. Just being able to have a player of that size and also that skill, she is going to be one of the better post players in our league when it is all said and done."
Playing on varsity for Timberline all four years of their high school careers, Taylor and Glancey both earned All-5A SIC First Team honors during their high school careers. Taylor doing so last spring as a junior and Glancey was honored as a sophomore and junior years while also earning all-state second team honors as well in her sophomore year.
"To have a guard and a post who have already played together for so many years, I think that's natural chemistry and I think it's really going to help that connection once they get here," Payne added.
