Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball program, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Charlie Buscaglia, has announced the signing of four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI).
Jazmyne DeShields (Memphis, Tenn. / St. Charles / Elevate Elite), Alejandra Mastral (Zaragoza, Spain / The British School of Argon / Stadium Casablanca), Janeira Scott (Bridgeville, Del. / Woodbridge / First State Warriors), and Danielle Vuletich (Berlin Center, Ohio / Western Reserve / Team Huddle) will all join Robert Morris in the 2021-22 academic year.
DeShields, a guard out of Memphis, Tenn., has been named to the All-District First Team and All-Region Second Team over her high school career. At North Stafford High School, she captured a district title and broke the school single-season records for assists and three-pointers as a sophomore. Her cousin, Sherise Williams, played basketball at Mississippi State University and is currently enjoying a pro career overseas. A four-year honor roll student, DeShields plans to major in sports management.
"Jazmyne shows a great deal of potential," said Buscaglia. "Her continued academic progress and passion to develop is what separated her in the recruiting process. She has strong athletic ability with some untapped potential. With a great mindset to learn and a full heart to grow, Jazmyne can become a very strong student-athlete. We're very happy to have her joining the family."
Mastral, a guard from Zaragoza, Spain, adds to a Spanish pipeline that currently features senior Laura Carrasco, junior Esther Castedo, and freshman Yasmine Sifaoui. She competed in the Spanish National Championships from 2014-20, with her best finish of silver coming in 2017 at the U16 level. Mastral captured MVP honors at the 2019 MHL International Tournament, leading Stadium Casablanca to a championship. She was named the Best Female Basketball Athlete for Stadium Casablanca in 2016 and the Best Female Basketball Promise of the state of Aragon in 2017. Mastral competed for the Spanish National Team at the U12 to U16 levels, and also played for Basket Zaragoza. She plans to major in business administration.
"It was identified as a perfect fit very early in the process with Alejandra," said Buscaglia. "She has a very detailed mentality, and loves to push herself to be the best on the court and in the classroom. We have enjoyed our recruiting in Spain recently, and Alejandra is another strong talent that possesses an all-around type of game on both sides of the floor. We are projecting her to transition very well into our program."
Scott, a guard from Bridgeville, Del., is an All-State Second Team selection and was named to the Top 15 in the South list. She helped guide Woodbridge to four consecutive Division 2 championships and the 2020 conference title, and averaged 15 points, eight assists, seven steals, and five rebounds per game, while shooting 65 percent from the field. Scott's relatives Lovett Purnell and Emanuel Davis both played in the NFL, as Purnell played for the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens, while Davis saw time with the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Seattle Seahawks. She plans to major in psychology.
"Janeira's excitement and response to commit to our program immediately after our initial offer is something a coach never forgets," said Buscaglia. "Student-athletes' efforts both in the classroom and on the court is what makes an offer from our program possible, and Janeira showed a great focus in those areas during the recruiting process. She is a quick lefty guard who creates for herself and others. I'm looking forward to developing her into our system, and feel strongly that she has the ability to do very well with a steady work ethic."
Vuletich, a center from Berlin Center, Ohio, has earned a bevy of accolades over her high school career, including three All-State nods. She was the All County Player of the Year and OGBR Top 25 Junior in 2019-20 after averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds per game. Vuletich owns the Western Reserve records for single-game points (41) and rebounds (24), single-season points (515), rebounds (308), and blocks (94), and career points (1,287), and enters her senior season a rebound shy of topping the career mark in that category. She also owns the single-game rebounding standard at South Range High School, pulling down 18 as a freshman. Vuletich is the senior class president at Western Reserve, and is a two-time All-Conference and All-District selection in volleyball. Her cousin, Ross Matiscik, is a long snapper with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and she has other relatives who have played football at Rice University and Texas Christian University, and lacrosse at the University of North Carolina. Vuletich plans to major in nursing.
"We truly felt a great connection with Danielle and her family on her visit," said Buscaglia. "Her early commitment showed a great deal of certainty of her strong fit to our program. Danielle has shown a true passion to be a strong student-athlete and will fit our culture very well. She has a great deal of length and a strong work ethic, and we are very excited to have her coming to RMU and joining our family."
Scott will be the program's first player to hail from the state of Delaware, while DeShields is RMU's first Tennessee product since 2018 RMU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Sade Logan (2007-09).
Tabbed to finish fifth in its maiden Horizon League voyage, Robert Morris has met the 20-win standard in four consecutive seasons, winning each year's Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season championship. Since 2013-14 among mid-major programs, the Colonials rank second in conference tournament titles (4), third in NCAA Tournament appearances (4), fourth in regular-season titles (5), ninth in conference wins (101), 14th in conference winning percentage (.802), 15th in postseason appearances (5), 16th in overall wins (150), and 19th in overall winning percentage (.661). RMU has also thrived in the classroom, serving as the only Division I program to rank inside the top four of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Honor Roll four years running.
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