Women’s basketball adds three players in early signing period
Three high school standouts have signed national letters of intent to play for the Winthrop women’s basketball program beginning in the 2016-17 season.
The three signees include two point guards, 5-foot-6 Miquela Santoro from Clarksville, Ohio, and 5-foot-5 Danyeal Goodhope of Virginia Beach, Va., as well as 6-foot-2 power forward Zaria McBride of Whitehall, Ohio.
Santoro stars at Clinton-Massie H.S., where she averaged 17.5 points last year while being recognized as a Top 100 player in Ohio and was named to the All-District 15 team. She also played AAU basketball for the Cincinnati Angels and was selected as an All-South Central Ohio League first-team selection.
“Miquela is an extremely hard worker and a traditional pass first point guard,” said Winthrop head coach Kevin Cook. “We like her ability to defend the entire court. She will provide depth at the point guard position.”
Goodhope plays for Princess Anne H.S., a powerhouse program that has won three 5A championships during Goodhope’s career. She also plays for the Boo Williams-Norfolk Express AAU club team and averaged 12.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds and shot 50.3 percent from the floor last season. Additionally, she was chosen on the All-Atlantic Conference first team and was a second-team All-Region and second-team All-State selection last year.
“Danyeal has combined leadership abilities with her athleticism to help lead her school to three straight high school championships,” said Cook. “She will bring a very high work ethic to Winthrop and is someone who will immediately compete for playing time next year.”
McBride played for Columbus Academy in Gahanna, Ohio, as a sophomore where she averaged 15.1 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals per game. She sat out half of her junior year after transferring to Whitehall Yearling H.S. She was picked as one of the Top 100 players on Dan Olson’s Collegiate Girls’ Basketball Report/ESPNW ratings.
“Zaria is a jumping jack post player who is very athletic and runs the court extremely well,” said Cook. “She can really rebound her position and will become an inside-out scoring threat with the ability to become a stretch four. We believe Zaria has a bright future at Winthrop.”
Men’s golf adds two
Men’s golf coach Kevin Pendley signed two standout players to national letters of intent during the NCAA early signing period.
The pair includes Zak Butt of Ashley Ridge H.S. in Summerville, and Tyler Koch from La Plata High School in Issue, Md.
“We are very pleased Zak and Tyler have signed with Winthrop,” said Pendley, who says both are outstanding individuals with great character and great academic backgrounds. “Both are extremely talented and accomplished on the golf course. “They will make a big impact on our team for years to come.”
Butt has enjoyed a successful career that includes a South Carolina Interscholastic Golf Association ranking of seventh in the class of 2016. His accolades include capturing the 2013 South Carolina Class 4A state championship, the 2014 Golfweek Southeast Invitational Champion, and four top-10 finishes in prestigious tournaments during 2014 and 2015.
“Zak is someone we have been following for quite a while,” said Pendley. “He is a great young man and exceptional student who is fundamentally sound and a great competitor on the course. Zak has a very bright future and I’m excited to have him in our program.”
Koch’s list of accomplishments include a No. 4 ranking in Maryland AJGA Polo rankings, the 2015 Frank Emmet Schoolboy Champion and advancing to the sectional qualifying for the 2015 US Open. He has had four top-10 tournament finishes this year, including a second place finish at the 2015 Maryland Public Links Championship.
“I am very excited about Tyler and what he brings to Eagle golf,” said Pendley. “He is a great competitor and has a very positive approach to the game. Tyler has a strong build, is fundamentally sound in all facets of his game and is just scratching the surface for what he can become as a player.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Women’s basketball adds three players in early signing period."