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).
Rebecca Dwomoh (London, England / Nottingham Academy / Nottingham Wildcats), Phoenix Gedeon (Montreal, Quebec / Life Center Academy (N.J.)), Ashya Klopfenstein (Howe, Ind. / Westview / Dawson C.C.), and Simone Morris (Carson, Calif. / Long Beach Poly / GBL) will all join Robert Morris in the 2021-22 academic year.
Dwomoh, a guard out of London, England, brings FIBA experience to Moon Township after competing at the U16 and U18 European Championships for Great Britain. She averaged 5.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 18.3 minutes over eight Division B games at the U18 edition in 2019, and provided 7.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.9 steals, 2.4 assists, and 27.8 minutes in eight Division B contests at the U16 championships in 2018. Dwomoh was selected to the Team Black roster for the 2020 Hoopsfix U19 All-Star Classic, and competed for both Nottingham Wildcats and Femení Maresme as a prep player. She plans to major in psychology.
"Rebecca (Dwomoh) really won over our coaching staff with how much she showed a true connection to our program's culture," said RMU head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "She is the type of student-athlete who truly has the ability to play a position the program needs. We enjoyed watching her play for her country's national team and saw her match up against strong competition. She is naturally long and moves on the court with a great pace. Rebecca has been a joy to connect with, and we are excited to have her coming to RMU."
Gedeon, a forward from Montreal, Quebec, received awards such as MVP and Top Offensive Player during her high school career at Life Center Academy. She also played volleyball at the Burlington, N.J. institution and made multiple honor rolls. Gedeon plans to major in finance.
"Phoenix (Gedeon) is a student-athlete we have developed a very close relationship with as we have recruited her for a while," said Buscaglia. "I remember the first time watching her compete during the July recruiting period and was very impressed. One area very noticeable with Phoenix is that she is a physically strong athlete on both ends of the floor. She is a strong finisher around the basket and is progressing well with her face-up ability. We are very excited with her potential to grow in our program."
Klopfenstein, a center from Howe, Ind., will arrive in Moon Township with three years of athletic eligibility after playing two seasons at Dawson (Mont.) Community College. She collected NJCAA All-Region XIII and All-MON-DAK First Team accolades this past season after averaging 16.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game. As a freshman, she averaged 13.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.3 steals per contest and garnered Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America Honorable Mention plaudits. At Westview High School, she is one of seven 1,000-point scorers in school history and collected a trio of All-Conference and All-Area accolades. Klopfenstein plans to major in psychology.
"Ashya (Klopfenstein) showed an immediate connection with our program on the first phone call," said Buscaglia. "We truly enjoyed following all of Dawson's success and she served them very well. She has been recognized nationally for her efforts in Dawson's success, and it's all well deserved. Ashya is a great fit for our program in so many ways."
Morris, a guard from Carson, Calif., was nominated for the 2021 McDonald's All-America Game in February. She helped lead Long Beach Poly to the 2018 Nike Tournament of Champions and 2019 Troy Tournament titles, and the No. 13 state ranking in 2019-20. Morris is a two-time Moore League First Team pick as a sophomore and junior, and has averaged 10.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 3.6 steals per game over her varsity career. She also plays softball at Long Beach Poly and owns a 4.2 cumulative GPA. Morris plans to major in sports psychology.
"Simone (Morris) really continued to catch our attention while evaluating her games," said Buscaglia. "Some of the areas she shows great potential is her explosiveness on the first step, and the ability to create her own shot. We see great potential for her to be strong on both ends of the court. Simone shows an amazing positive attitude with a great desire to continue learning on and off the court."
The quartet will join November 2020 NLI early signees 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) as newcomers on the 2021-22 roster.
RELATED: RMU Signs Four to NLIs
RMU earned a pair of wins over Horizon League regular-season and tournament champion Wright State in 2020-21, and is slated to return its top three scorers in Nina Augustin, Esther Castedo, and All-Freshman Team selection Sol Castro. The Colonials won 20 or more games in five of their last six seasons, and are the only Division I program to rank inside the top four of the WBCA Top 25 Honor Roll four years running.
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