Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team received National Letters of Intent from Megan Callahan, Tiarra Davis, and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu in the early signing period.
Callahan hails from Bristow, Va. and plays point guard under head coach Diana Martinez for Stonewall Jackson High School. She won a pair of district championships as a freshman and sophomore, also claiming a regional title in her second varsity year. Callahan was named to the All-Conference 8 Second Team last season and garnered Honorable Mention plaudits from the league in 2013-14 and 2014-15. A member of the National Honor Society at Stonewall Jackson, she plans on studying criminal justice at Robert Morris.
"Megan was someone who really showed us a lot of attention," said RMU head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "When we started recruiting Megan, she would come out to games and really take the time to ask questions. It just felt like the connection was very strong. The first thing that impressed me about her was how well she fit into the culture of our team. We recruit a certain kind of person, someone that really cares about the same things we care about – not just on the court but off the court – and she really displayed that to us. She had an amazing summer and really played well in July. We not only look at players who start a tournament well, but who finishes well - whether they've played one game or five games, they're going out there and giving it their all. She did that and really proved that to me. I knew then that we really wanted her and have her career here as a Colonial and it didn't take long for her to accept."
Davis is from Windsor, Ontario and adds to the Canadian pipeline that the Colonial coaching staff has focused on over the last few seasons. She plays point guard under head coach Christa Eniojvkan for Durham Prep, helping lead them to a trio of WECSSAA championships as well as titles in the ICG and SWOSSA. Davis was once named MVP of the WECSSAA and also participated in cross country, track & field, and volleyball. A three-time honor roll selection, she plans on studying business and sports management at RMU.
"Tiarra really impressed me a couple years back when I saw her in the spring," said Buscaglia. "What I liked about her was her knowledge of the game. She's someone who could play the one or the two and has a great ability to score she has the ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter, create her offense, and get us into things. I look for her to be the type of player that's very versatile offensively: gets in the lane, distributes the ball, and can put the ball in the basket for you as well. She can really pressure the ball and that gives you a whole new element to your defense when someone has to really work to get the ball up the floor. That's what really impressed me about her."
Ozzy-Momodu will be the Colonials' first player from England since 1,000-point scorer Mary Durojaye graduated in 2012. A six-foot-two center who plays under head coach Jackson Gibbons at the City of London Academy in Southwark, she won championships in the U18s National League and Division 2 and claimed both All-WEABL First Team and Cup finals MVP.
"One thing about our program that we've had consistently over the years is very talented, strong bigs and [Ozzy-Momodu] just adds to that list," said Buscaglia. "She's the type of player that really can do a lot of damage with her back to the basket and can finish very well with touch around the rim. She's the type of player that has gotten a lot of great coaching already to develop into her game. That's something that freshman year a lot of players with that kind of size don't possess right away. It was a real treat having her come over to visit with her mother, who did a great job of raising her. You could just tell the culture fit was strong for us.
"I always tell recruits when they come to visit us, they're recruiting us as much as we're recruiting them. So when we get that vibe that they're very appreciative of being up here and wanting to come back to our games – that really makes us feel that this player is appreciative of the two-way street that we've provided. This class really showed a lot of commitment. It wasn't a long grind of waiting and evaluating options – these are players who had other options and other offers, but when they got on campus, they felt it and it was a pretty quick commitment. These three we really feel strong about."
Robert Morris, who was picked second in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, opens up its season on Friday, Nov. 11 at 10:00 a.m. against Point Park University.
