USI Women’s Basketball announces early signings

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University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball announced that four incoming freshmen have signed national letters of intent to compete for Head Coach Rick Stein‘s Screaming Eagles in 2019-20. The list includes 5-foot-4 point guard Addisyn Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana), 6-foot-0 power forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio), 6-foot-0 power forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri) and 5-foot-11 shooting guard/small forward Lexi Thompson (Lafayette, Indiana).

Blackwell is currently a senior at Bloomington South High School in Bloomington, Indiana, where she earned varsity letters in basketball, golf, softball and track & field. She was named honorable mention All-State by the Indiana Basketball Coaches’ Association (IBCA) as well as an IHSAA Top 100 Underclassman as a junior in 2017-18 and also was an Indiana Junior All-Star

A three-time All-Conference Indiana and Herald Times All-Area selection, Blackwell was named the All-Area Player of the Year last season after leading BSHS in scoring, assists, steals and free throw percentage.

Haithcock is finishing her final year of prep basketball at Washington High School (Ohio) where she has earned varsity letters in basketball, track & field and volleyball.

A multiple-time All-District and All-Conference honoree in both basketball and volleyball, Haithcock garnered All-Ohio Division II Special Mention on the basketball court as a junior in 2017-18 after averaging 17 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game.

Robbe is in her final year at Lafayette High School (Missouri), where she has earned varsity letters in basketball and volleyball.

A two-time All-Conference and All-District performer, Robbe was named LHS’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 and the team MVP in 2018. She averaged 13.6 points per game as a junior in 2017-18 and has led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists the previous two seasons.

Thompson is currently a senior at Lafayette Central Catholic High School (Lafayette, Indiana), where she has earned varsity letters in basketball as well as first-team All-Hoosier Conference honors after averaging 12.4 points per game throughout her first three years of high school basketball. Thompson averaged 14.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a junior in 2017-18 after averaging 14.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per appearance as a sophomore two years ago.

A member LCCH’s IHSAA Class 2A championship team as a freshman in 2016 and its sectional championship team in 2018, Thompson, who has recently surpassed the 1,000-point plateau for her career, has made 43 percent of her shots from behind the arc during her first three years, including 48 percent when she knocked down 79 of her 165 three-point attempts last season.

“We are excited to add these four young women to our family here at USI,” Stein said. “Every year, we lose great seniors and this year is no different. We have to fill needs at about every position and this class definitely helps do that.

“Addy, Tara, Hannah and Lexi all have had great success on the court and in the classroom and no doubt will make a huge impact here at the University of Southern Indiana,” Stein concluded.

USI returns to action December 18 at 6 p.m. when it travels to Warrensburg, Missouri, to take on defending national champion and current No. 7-ranked University of Central Missouri. The Eagles concluded their non-conference slate December 30 when they host 2017 national champion and current No. 1-ranked Ashland University.