LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky women’s basketball head coach Matthew Mitchell added five talented players to his 2017 signing class Wednesday with Dorie Harrison (Nashville, Tenn.), Keke McKinney (Knoxville, Tenn.), Amanda Paschal (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Kameron Roach (Hopkins, S.C.) and Tatyana Wyatt (Columbus, Ga.) singing National Letters of Intent to play next season at Kentucky.
“We are so excited to welcome these five outstanding people to our family,” Mitchell said. “This class really fills all of our needs on the court, but most importantly, they are the type of people we look for at Kentucky. Each of them approach every day with great attitude and effort, which is very important to me and our staff. I cannot wait for these five to get to Lexington and be a part of this program.”
Below is a detailed look at all five players, including comments from Mitchell.
Dorie Harrison, 6-2, Post – Hillsboro High School/Nashville, Tenn.
A four-star post player by ProspectsNation.com, who ranks her the 13th best post player and 78th best overall player in the class … A three-star prospect by ESPN.com, who ranks her as the 14th best post in the class … ESPN.com’s player evaluation says Harrison is a “power-body with technique, soft touch, mobility in up-tempo game” … Missed her junior season due to injury … Averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and one steal per game her sophomore season at Hillsboro High School … Named to the Metro Nashville Basketball Coaches Association Class AAA All-Metro Team and Class AAA All-District Team her sophomore season … Played with the Tennessee Fight under coach Tom Insell … Younger sister of Isabelle Harrison, former star at Tennessee who currently plays in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury … Chose Kentucky over Tennessee, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Ole Miss.
Matthew Mitchell on Dorie Harrison: “Dorie is the type of player that every coach looks for when you hit the road recruiting. She is a special athlete that comes from a very athletic family. On the court, she is very agile in the post and will bring a physical post presence to our team next season. Our staff loves how she plays on the defensive end and that focus and intensity allows her to be an outstanding rebounder. What really makes her stand out is how confident and mature she is on and off the court, which we will feel will translate over to her being a tremendous leader for our program.”
Keke McKinney, 6-1, Wing – Fulton High School/Knoxville, Tenn.
An impressive wing prospect that averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks per game last season at Fulton High School under head coach John Fisher … Her strong junior season led Fulton High School to the Class AA state sectional for the third consecutive season … Was named the District 3 AA Co-Most Valuable Player and a Class AA All-State honoree by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association as a junior … Ranked as a four-star wing by ProspectsNation.com, which lists her the 62nd best player in the nation and the 11th best wing … Also a four-star prospect by ESPN.com, which tabs her the 88th overall player in the 2017 class, including the 17th best wing … Shined over the summer on the AAU circuit with the Tennessee Fight under head coach Tom Insell … ESPN.com’s player evaluation from the summer says she is an “athletic perimeter performer with quick interior game, active on glass, finishes in traffic; emerging offensive game extends to the arc” … Chose Kentucky over Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Wake Forrest.
Matthew Mitchell on Keke McKinney: “Keke is one of those players that checks all of our boxes and really stood out to us as a player we had to have here at Kentucky because of her competitiveness and toughness. She is an exceptional athlete that can play multiple positions offensively and can really defend the post or perimeter. She matches our style perfectly because she loves to play fast and get up and down the floor, which is very important.”
Amanda Paschal, 5-6, Guard – Chipley High School/Gulf Coast State College/Brooklyn, N.Y.
A quality junior college prospect that shined at Gulf Coast State College, where she helped the Commodores to the 2016 National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship, 2016 Panhandle Conference Championship and 2016 Florida College System Activities Association/NJCAA State Championship … Started all 33 games last season at GCSC, which went 32-1 overall to achieve one of the best winning percentages in school history … Averaged 11.2 points per game last season as a true freshman, hitting at a .469 clip from the field and .267 clip from beyond the arc … Also averaged 3.9 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game … Scored in double-digits 20 times during the season, including a season-best 19 points in three games … Shined down the stretch for GCSC, scoring in double-digits in five of the team’s seven postseason games, adding six or more assists in two games … Season best in assists came against Pensacola State with seven, while she had a season-best 10 rebounds against Tallahassee … Strong high school career, including 22.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 4.5 steals per game as a senior at Chipley High School … Also averaged over 20 points per game, seven rebounds per game and five assists per game as a junior in high school … Helped Chipley advance to two class A state championship games … Was named Class A All-State First Team her senior year by the Florida Association of High School Coaches.
Matthew Mitchell on Amanda Paschal: “Amanda comes from one of the best junior college programs in the country, where she won a national championship last season under Roonie Scovel, who is known for producing tough players with strong work ethic. Amanda is one of those players and we are thrilled she decided to be a Wildcat. The leadership skills she developed last season in junior college are going to pay dividends for her and for us. She is an athletic guard that creates for her teammates, but can also create for herself through her tough, hard-nosed play on both ends of the court.”
Kameron Roach, 5-6, Point Guard – Lower Richland High School/Hopkins, S.C.
Physical guard that is a four-star prospect according to ProspectsNation.com and three-star guard by ESPN.com … Tabbed as the 87th best prospect overall and 22nd best guard in the class by ProspectsNation.com and the 23rd best guard by ESPN.com … Played on the AAU circuit for Arne Morris and the Carolina Flames, where ESPN.com evaluated her as a “strong, athletic lead guard with a scorer’s mentality; penetrates under control, distributes; mid-range game creator moves to the arc; defends in pressure” … Participated in 2016 USA Basketball Women’s U17 World Championship Team Trials … Averaged over 10 points with 2.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.9 steals per game as a junior, helping the team to the state playoffs where she scored 16 points in the team’s first-round win … Had 11.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a sophomore, earning South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association All-State and All-Region honors … Strong shooter that hit 41% from the field as a sophomore and 45% from the field as a junior … Also played for Lower Richland’s varsity team as a freshman and eighth grader, averaging 6.4 points, 2.5 steals and 2.3 assists per game as a freshman and 4.3 points, 1.6 steals and 1.6 assists per game as an eighth grader … Chose Kentucky over South Carolina, Clemson, Furman and Charlotte.
Matthew Mitchell on Kameron Roach: “Kameron Roach is a special player and person that showed great loyalty to our program. She will enter our program with a high level of maturity and confidence, which is very important and will help her succeed on and off the court. Kameron is a physical guard that is very athletic and really plays with a purpose on the defensive end. Offensively, she is a play maker that can finish around the rim but also is a skilled passer with great court vision.”
Tatyana Wyatt, 6-3, Post – Columbus High School/Columbus, Ga.
A skilled post player that is ranked as the 63rd overall player in this class and 12th best forward by ProspectsNation.com … A three-star prospect by ESPN.com … Played AAU for FBC under head coach Alfred Motton, where ESPN.com evaluated her as a “quick and athletic interior prospect with off-the-charts potential; mobility, length and wingspan with developing offensive game” … Helped Columbus High School make the state quarterfinals last season, averaging over 20 points per game with 8.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, hitting an impressive 49% from the field … Hit 48% from the field as a sophomore, averaging 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.3 blocks … Was a key player on Columbus High School’s state runner-up team as a freshman, averaging 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game … Was named Georgia Sportswriters Association Class AAAAA Second-Team All-State as a junior … All-around athlete that was a star volleyball player at Columbus High School, where she had over 1,000 career kills leading the team to a state championship title her junior year, state runner-up title her sophomore season and a state semifinal appearance her senior season … Chose Kentucky over Vanderbilt, North Carolina and Georgetown.
Matthew Mitchell on Tatyana Wyatt: “Tatyana is an explosive athlete that can make plays all over the floor. She embodies everything that it means to be a Kentucky women’s basketball player and lives her life by our winning tools of honesty, hard work and discipline. She is a very versatile player that can play outside the post, but when she does go in the post she is physical and can finish. Her competitiveness and athleticism leads her to be a great rebounder and defend multiple positions. We are thrilled she is a Wildcat.”
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, or Kentucky Women’s Basketball on Facebook.
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