May 15, 2001
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Western Kentucky University women's basketball coach Steve Small announced Tuesday that Tiffiany Diggins, a 6-4 center from Des Moines, Wash., and Shala Reese, a 6-1 forward from Easton, Texas, have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball for the Lady Toppers beginning with the 2001-02 season. Diggins and Reese, who were teammates last season at perennial junior college power Central Arizona College in Coolidge, Ariz., are the second and third players to commit to WKU during the spring signing period, which began April 11 and concluded Tuesday.
"Tiffiany and Shala have the ability to come in and make an immediate and significant impact on our team," Small said. "They are tough, physical forces on both ends of the floor, and they fill a major need for us on the front line with the loss of an All-American like ShaRae Mansfield. It's a credit to our program that we continue to attract high-caliber players like Tiffiany and Shala who can step right in and help us. We're looking forward to welcoming them into the Lady Topper family this fall."
Despite missing the first half of last season due to transfer guidelines, Diggins averaged 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor at Central Arizona. She also helped lead the Vaqueras to a 30-4 record, a No. 9 national ranking and their 21st appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament. Prior to her stint at CAC, Diggins spent one season (1999-00) at Pacific-10 Conference member Washington, where she played in 21 games and earned UW's Most Improved Player award.
Diggins chose to sign with Western Kentucky over offers from Southeastern Conference stalwart Alabama and 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen participant Missouri. She will be the first native of Washington state to play for the Lady Toppers.
"Tiffiany is not your average center," Small said. "She's got the size to be effective on both ends of the floor and she knows what to do with the basketball. But she also runs the floor extremely well, which is something you don't often see in a player that tall. That's what sets her apart from the rest of the pack, and it's one of the things that caught our eye when we started recruiting her."
Reese was a 2000 NJCAA honorable mention All-America selection, and a 2001 NJCAA All-Region I pick during her two-year stay at Central Arizona. Last season, she started all 34 games for the Vaqueras, averaging a double-double with 12.8 points and a team-high 10.3 rebounds per game, while shooting a sparkling 54 percent from the field. She was also a two-time all-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) choice, earning first-team honors following the 2000-01 campaign. Her best junior college performance came in a three-game stretch last December, when she posted three double-doubles in as many days to lead CAC to the Junior Achievement Shootout title in Longview, Texas, not far from her hometown of Easton.
Reese landed in the desert Southwest following a stellar prep career at Longview High School, where she earned all-state and first-team all-District 12-5A laurels in 1999. She picked WKU after also considering Stephen F. Austin and Texas-San Antonio.
"With the talent we have on the perimeter we were looking for a workhorse inside, and we found one in Shala," Small said. "Her resume speaks for itself with the All-America selections and all-conference awards. But beyond that, she's dependable and someone who will give you everything she's got every time down the floor."
Diggins and Reese join Indiana All-Star and two-time all-state guard Sara Riedeman (Greensburg, Ind./Greensburg Community HS), and three-time Texas all-district forward Le'Vesha Holland (Avinger, Texas/Jefferson HS) as members of the Lady Toppers' incoming class. Western finished 19-14 last season, reaching the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament. The Lady Toppers will return four starters from last year's club, including All-America candidate Natalie Powers, who ranked sixth in the nation in scoring in 2000-01.
-- WKU --2001-02 Western Kentucky Women's Basketball Signees -- as of May 15, 2001
Name Hgt. Pos. Yr.-Exp.Hometown (High School/Previous School)Tiffiany Diggins 6-4 C Jr.-JC Des Moines, Wash. (Mt. Rainier HS/Washington/Central Arizona College)Le'Vesha Holland 6-0 F Fr.-HS Avinger, Texas (Jefferson HS)Shala Reese 6-1 F Jr.-JC Easton, Texas (Longview HS/Central Arizona College)Sara Riedeman 5-7 G Fr.-HS Greensburg, Ind. (Greensburg Community HS)
