Lackey twosome commits to Mercy

Friday, Dec. 7, 2007

Point guard Simone Williams and forward MarQuesha Moore have signed national letters of intent to play at the Division II school in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

‘‘Simone and MarQuesha are the type of student-athletes that we are looking to bring into this program,” Mercy head coach Ashlee Kelly said. ‘‘They are strong academically and athletically and will be great additions to our returning squad.”

The two seniors will join an extremely young Mavericks team. Of the squad’s 12 players, six are freshmen and none are seniors. This will give Williams and Moore a chance to come in and contribute right away, according to Kelly.

‘‘Every year, new faces come in and those faces were recruited to come to college for a reason. Every year every position is up for grabs,” Kelly said. ‘‘They definitely have every chance to come in and start for the club, but, again, it’s how much they want it and how much hard work and desire they put in.”

Kelly first scouted Williams and Moore in Washington, D.C., where the two girls were playing for their Amateur Athletic Union team. Kelly not only became impressed with the individual talents of the pair, but also with the way the two played together.

After watching the two girls play several times, she offered both a spot on her team, knowing that there was an advantage to signing recruits who had played together before.

‘‘They know one another, and they know how one another works on and off the court,” said Kelly, who is in her second year with the team. ‘‘Some may look at it as a negative, but for me, it’s a bonus to have them come in knowing one another, so they won’t be two freshmen who don’t know anything about the team.”

While at Lackey, Williams and Moore have been crucial to the Chargers’ success at both ends of the court. As a junior, Williams was the team’s offensive player of the year, while Moore has been honored for her defensive prowess in her first two years on the varsity squad.

Williams has been an offensive juggernaut, averaging 14.3 points and four assists per game. The 5-foot-6 guard was an All-County first-team selection at the end of the 2006-07 season.

According to Kelly, Williams is a true point guard, boasting both great vision and tremendous ball-handling ability.

‘‘She is the general out on the court,” Kelly said. ‘‘She sees the court; she sees ahead of her. And at the same time, she can do any move between the legs or behind the back. And she is so confident with the ball and her skills that she knows that the ball will be right where she places it.”

As a member of the varsity team, Moore has averaged a double-double with 10.8 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. Moore, whose teammates affectionately call ‘‘Deuce,” is a two-time All-County second-team selection and was named Lackey’s Outstanding Rebounder last year.

‘‘MarQuesha’s strength is rebounding,” Kelly said. ‘‘She just has a nose for the ball. She is a very athletic girl. Some may say she is undersized at the post position in college, but I don’t believe that. She is 5 foot 8 and she can get up and get the ball.”

Lackey head coach Maurio Cole recognized that the girls had unlimited potential when they arrived as freshmen.

‘‘When I first met Deuce, she was hungry. She came in asking 900 questions, one question after the other,” Cole said. ‘‘And with Simone, I think it was a game at Calvert, she took over the whole game. It was her first breakout game and she scored about 24 points. So then I was like, ‘Wow,’ and they have improved each year.”

Despite receiving attention from other Division II and III schools, Williams and Moore, who have played together for the past five years, chose Mercy College for what the school could offer athletically and academically.

‘‘I liked their program and all that they had to offer,” Moore said. ‘‘I liked their academics, because they had my major, and also they have a basketball program that we can help build and improve.”

Williams was also excited about the opportunities that wait at Mercy.

‘‘It’s a great way to better your life, to have some great experiences, and to see what college life is like,” Williams said.