MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University women’s basketball coach Mike Carey announced today the addition of three future Mountaineers who signed their national letters of intent to attend WVU next year.

Giving the coach signatures were Brooke Hampton (Colts Neck, N.J./Colts Neck), Jessica Harlee (Fallston, Md./Fallston) and Taylor Palmer (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Mt. Vernon).

“We are very excited about this class,” Carey says. “All three are very athletic and I like that they’re all students of the game. They are great workers and they will be a nice blend and addition to our team next year with our returning players. Also, they’ll be great assets to this program both in the classroom and on the court.”

The class is ranked the 42nd-best nationally by All-Star Girl’s Report.

Hampton, a 5-9 guard at Colts Neck High and ranked the 100th-best player in the country by Dan Olson’s Collegiate Basketball Report, is a 2009 second team all-state, first team all-group, first team all-county and first team all-Shore performer who averaged 13 points, 4.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per contest last year while starting all 33 games. She helped the Cougars to a 29-4 overall record, including an undefeated 12-0 mark in conference play. Playing for coach John Truhan, last year Hampton helped the Cougars to the conference championship, the KBA Walt Disney Christmas tournament championship and the Group 4 state title where she was named the MVP in the championship.

As a sophomore, Hampton guided the Cougars to a 28-2 record, an 11-1 conference mark and a Shore Conference championship. She started all 30 games that season, averaging 15 points and 5.7 assists per contest. She also shot 80% from free throw range and her 171 assists set a new single season school record. And for her efforts she garnered first team all-Shore and all-county and second team all-state group 4 accolades.

As a freshman, Hampton set the single season scoring record at Colts Neck with 469 points. She garnered second team all-Shore accolades and was named first team all-county and second team all-state group 4 for her efforts that included 18 points and 3.7 assists per game. Colts Neck went 19-7 and 10-2 in conference that year.

For her career, Hampton averages 14.9 points and 4.7 assists per game and she plays for the New Jersey Sting, coached by her father Don, in AAU.

“Brooke is a coach on the floor and has a great understanding of the game,” Carey says. “She can shoot the three and play either the point or shooting guard positions. She’s extremely versatile and handles the ball very well. She will be a joy to coach and we’re excited she’s going to be a Mountaineer.”

Harlee, a 6-0 perimeter player at Fallston High and rated the 154th-best player in the country by All-Star Girl’s Report, is a 2009 Baltimore Sun All-Metro first-team selection and the Digital Sports Baltimore Metro Co-Player of the Year. A member of the 2009 AAA Maryland State championship team, Harlee averaged a team-best 15.8 points, 14.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists for the Cougars as a junior last year. So far, for her career, she has averages of 13.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest.

Through three years at Fallston, Harlee has tallied 1,086 career points with 816 career rebounds and was a 2008 Examiner All-Metro first team, 2007-08 Baltimore Sun Player of the Year for Harford County and All-Metro second team. A three-time North Carroll County Holiday Tournament MVP (2006-08), Harlee averaged 15.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest as a sophomore and 12 points and 7.5 rebounds.

She also plays for coach Aggie McCormick-Dix for the Fairfax Stars, one of the nation’s premier AAU teams.

“Jessica is another versatile player who can play several perimeter positions for us,” Carey says. “She really pushes well on the break and is very athletic at multiple positions and is extremely active on both sides of the floor on offense and defense. She will be a great Mountaineer on and off the floor in this program.”

Palmer, a 5-7 guard at Mt. Vernon High and the 90th-best player in the country according to Dan Olson’s Collegiate Basketball Report, plays for Patrice-Wallace Moore, wife of former WVU men’s basketball player and WVU Hall of Fame member Lowes Moore. She averaged 16.2 points and 4.0 assists per game as a junior and is a two-time all-league and all-section selection, which included the top 55 players in a five county area in 2008 and only the top 35 in 2009.

She was also a sixth team all-state selection and a second team all-Journal News performer in 2009. While at Mt. Vernon, Palmer has helped the team to a 2009 sectional championship and was an all-tournament tournament recipient for efforts in the class 1AA (the highest class in the section in New York). She also garnered sixth team all-state accolades.

Palmer plays AAU basketball for the New York Gauchos, under the direction of Will Rampersant.

“Taylor is a great shooter that can also play the point or shooting guard positions,” Carey says. “She’s extremely active on defense and has great knowledge of the game. We’re excited she’s going to be a Mountaineer next year.”



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