NEW ORLEANS - The University of New Orleans
head women's basketball coach Amy Champion announced the addition of Desiree
Waller, a guard out of Angelina
College, to the spring signing
class on Wednesday morning.
The product of Thibodaux,
La. was named a JUCO second-team
All-American three weeks ago to add to a list of recognitions this offseason
that include selection to the All-Region XIV and All-Conference squads.
“Desiree
will complete one of the best recruiting classes we have ever had here at UNO,”
said Champion. “She also extends our perimeter game to another level. She is a
true scoring guard that is versatile enough to play the point and the two
position. She is extremely talented and we expect her to contribute right away.
Her athleticism and quickness will expand our full court defense as well.”
Waller averaged second 16.7 points per game this season for AC, located in Lufkin, Texas. A fixture amongst the conference statistical leaders, Waller was second in free throw percentage (80.9 percent), first in steals (2.5 per game) and fifth in three-point percentage (36.7 percent).
As a freshman at AC, Waller was named to the Region XIV
All-Region and All-Conference teams while leading the Lady Roadrunners with
13.4 points per contest. During the course of her freshman season, she hit two
buzzer-beating shots to develop a reputation as a clutch player, which was
aided by a team-high 38.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
“Desiree is a very intense kid on the court and in
practice,” said AC head coach Byron Coleman. “She is a hard worker every day
and is good kid on and off the court and did a great job with us.”
The signing is the second one from AC over the last two
years as Waller will be reunited with former teammate Ty Felder, who played at
AC with Waller during the 2006-07 season.
“UNO has done a good job of recruiting these kids and make
these kids feel at home, feel comfortable and that's really what kids want,”
said Coleman. “They want to go somewhere
they can trust coaching staff and UNO does an excellent job of that.”
Prior to playing at AC, Waller was a standout player
for Thibodaux HS, where she was a 2006 5A All-State second team selection.
