Women's Basketball Signs Four to NLIs

Canisius College women's basketball coach Terry Zeh has announced the signing of four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Jennifer Lennox (Kitchener, Ontario), Jennifer Morabito (Binghamton, N.Y.), Jamie Ruttle (Burlington, Ontario) and Courtney VandeBovenkamp (Amherstburg, Ontario) will join the Golden Griffin women's basketball program starting in the fall of 2010.

“We are very, very excited to welcome such a talented, hard-working group of players to the Canisius family,” Zeh said. “There are players we've been recruiting for a very long time and are very confident that they can achieve a high level of success in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.”

Lennox spent a year with the National Elite Development Academy last season. The 6-foot-3 forward also was a member of the Team Canada squad, along with current Golden Griffin Stephanie MacDonald, that participated in the U19 World Championships in Thailand last summer.

“At 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-7 wingspan, Jen is a difficult matchup as she can post up and play on the perimeter,” Zeh said. “We're looking forward to taking advantage of those skills and using her in a variety of ways.”

A 5-foot-9 guard, Morabito led Binghamton High School in scoring in 17 of 20 games last season, averaging 19.5 points per game. Morabito earned 2008 STAC all-conference honors and has earned Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin all-Metro Team accolades.

“I've watched Jen's development during her career, and I've always been impressed with her tremendous work ethic and dedication to the game,” Zeh said. “She brings with her an outstanding skill package that will help us in a variety of ways.”

Ruttle, a 6-foot-3 forward, plays at Notre Dame in Burlington and averaged 22 points per game this season. The Irish recently advanced to the championship game of the OFSAA AAAA Championship. Ruttle had a game-high 17 points as Notre Dame earned the silver medal.

“Jamie has tremendous hands and great feet, and at 6-foot-3 it makes her very difficult to guard in the post,” Zeh said. “When you couple that with her improved ability to shoot the 3-point shot, we're excited to see her continued development.”

VandeBovenkamp has played four seasons at General Amherst. The 6-foot-1 forward was named league MVP in 2008 and 2009, averaging 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game as a senior. VandeBovenkamp is a captain for General Amherst, which recently won its seventh straight WECSSAA championship, the first at the AAA level.

“Courtney's skill package for her height allows her to score in a variety of ways,” Zeh said. “She has a craftiness about her game that is very mature for her age.”

Canisius (3-2), riding a three-game winning streak, returns to the court on Wednesday, when the Golden Griffins host Albany. Game time is set for 7 p.m. in the Koessler Athletic Center.

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