Lady Toreros seek to add depth for next season

The abrupt end to the USD womens basketball season only made the team's wait for next year that much longer.  The thought of returning everyone but starting forward Morgan Henderson to the 2010-2011 campaign definitely has the team anticipating a much deeper run into March.  However, with four strong recruits arriving on campus next fall, it might be the players who aren't currently on the roster that give USD the ability to be a strong contender to Gonzaga, St. Mary's and the rest of the WCC.
"I am absolutely thrilled with this recruiting class," Head Coach Cindy Fisher said. "We have added size, speed, quickness and leadership to our program with the signing of these four amazing student athletes. All of these young ladies have strong character, are fantastic students and are talented athletes. My staff has done an outstanding job of evaluating and signing four incredible young ladies."
The four amazing student athletes Coach Fisher was referring to are Kameron Knutson (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson High School), Cheyenne Williams (Sacramento, Calif./Bradshaw Christian School), Nicole Ballestero (Orange, Calif./Villa Park High School) and Amy Kame (Grand Junction, Colo./Central High School).  Each of these young women come from different hometowns here on the West Coast and will look to bring a certain something special to their new hoops team next year.
Knutson is a 6'4" center who ESPN ranks as the 19th best player at her position.  She averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as a junior when she was named to the All-State team.
"Kameron's size and versatility will make an immediate impact in our program," Fisher said.
Williams, a 6'2" forward, also made a splash during her junior season where she was the Sacramento Metro League MVP after posting averages of 22.1 points, 17.5 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 5.2 blocks per game.
"Cheyenne is the total package as far as size, strength, quickness and athletic ability," Fisher said.
Ballestero is a 5'8" point guard who should be able to provide USD with the second floor general they need to help Dominique Conners.  ESPN ranks her as an 87 out of 100, and she was named All-CIF Division II as a sophomore, junior and senior.
"Nicole's ability to distribute the ball, as well as score, makes her invaluable as a player," Fisher said.
Amy Kame comes to USD as a 6'0" off-guard who went for 23 points and seven boards a night as a junior.   She doesn't just excel on the hardwood, however, as her 3.8 GPA earned her a spot on Colorado's First-Team All-State Academic squad as well.
"Amy is the ultimate competitor and has shown great leadership on all of the teams that she has been associated with. I expect Amy to make an easy transition to the next level and contribute right away," Fisher said.
On paper, USD could perhaps be getting one of the best recruiting classes in the program's history.  Coach Fisher is clearly having trouble hiding her optimism, but it will be up to the recruits as well as the current members of the team to take their games to the next level and gel with one another. Only time will tell, and the Lady Toreros, both present and future, will become all too familiar with time as they wait for this long offseason to come to an end.