FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 10, 2022) – Adding three future Lumberjacks during the first day of the signing period, the Northern Arizona women's basketball program received three National Letters of Intent on Wednesday.
Reilly Clark, Allie Cummins and Ava Schmidt officially announced their signings to the program to play for head coach
Loree Payne.
"We are so excited to add Ava, Reilly, and Allie to our program," Payne said. "All three are major impact players who will increase the talent and athleticism of our roster. Beyond the court, all three excel in the classroom and are high character kids that are a great fit with our team culture."
Clark, a 5-10 guard from Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson, Ariz., has earned All-Region First Team honors twice while averaging 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game during her high school career. Clark was named the 5A Sonoran Region Offensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season.
The Falcons have reached the AIA State Tournament in all three years of her high school career, first in the 4A State Tournament as a freshman before moving up to 5A with the Falcons as sophomore and junior. Clark's final high school season will be spent in the 5A Conference once again, with the Falcons set to open the season in two weeks.
"Reilly is an in-state combo guard who has one of the best mid-range games I have seen," Payne said. "She has a toughness about her that will continue to elevate our level of play."
Cummins will move to Flagstaff from Northern California where she currently plays for Carondelet High School in Concord, Calif. Sitting out her junior season due to CIF transfer rules, Cummins last played for Campolindo High School in Moraga, California where she averaged 22.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game as a sophomore.
The impressive sophomore season built on Cummins' freshman season for Campolindo, as she averaged 19.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
A 5-foot-9 wing, Cummins was named the DFAL League MVP in 2019-20 as well as All-League First Team in 2020-21. Cummins has earned All-Tournament Team honors on three occasions, as well as being named to the All-Bay Area Preps Team by the San Jose Mercury News.
"Allie is a pure shooter who can also score on all three levels," Payne said. "She's a feisty defender, extremely athletic and a fierce competitor."
It'll be a bit longer of a trip to her new home for the third new Lumberjack as Ava Schmidt arrives from Eastlake High School in Sammamish, Wash. Averaging 15.6 points as a sophomore and 15.3 per game as a junior, the 6-foot-2 forward also averaged 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 2.0 steals per game last year.
Named Eastlake's team MVP as a sophomore and junior, Schmidt earned KingCo League First Team honors as a junior, as well as WIAA All-State Tournament Second Team in 2021-22.
"Ava is an incredibly talented and versatile player who fits our system perfectly," Payne said. "She is a 6-2 lefty who stretches the floor, shoots the three, and dominates the inside."
