UE Women’s Basketball announces signees

University of Evansville head women’s basketball coach Oties Epps has announced the signing of a pair of student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to begin play for the Purple Aces next season.

Headed to UE are a pair of Indiana natives – Kaylan Coffman and Macie Lively.  Coffman is currently attending Benton Central HS in Oxford while Lively is from Tipton where she plays for Tipton HS.

“We’re extremely excited to welcome Kaylan and her family to our program. Kaylan is a great student and she comes from a good family,” Epps said.  “She will give us size in the front court. However, her ability to run the floor, shoot from mid-range and from the 3-point arc will separate her from other post players that she will compete against. In addition to this, Kaylan is long and rangy and she possesses the ability to change shots around the basket. She is an excellent fit for our transition and pressing system.”

Coffman has had a strong career in her time at Benton Central, averaging double figures over her last two seasons.  As a junior, Coffman notched 13.7 points per game while grabbing 5.4 rebounds per contest.

A 2-time All-Hoosier Conference player, Coffman was also named to the Lafayette Journal & Courier All-Area First Team for the last two years.  As a sophomore, she was named the Journal & Courier Big School Player of the Year.  Hoosier Basketball Magazine named her a Second Team All-State player as a junior as she led her team to a 25-1 mark on their way to a sectional championship.  Prior to that, Benton Central posted records of 16-4 and 22-4.

Tipton High School player Macie Lively also signed her NLI and is a decorated scorer in her high school career.

“We are pleased and excited to welcome Macie and her family to our program. Macie comes from a good family and has strong character and is an excellent student. Macie will play the point guard position for us and we are confident that she will strengthen our program at that position,” Epps explained.  “She has a high basketball IQ and is a quick, tenacious defender. In addition to this, Macie is capable of scoring from 3-point range, mid-range and at the rim. She will be a welcomed addition to our back court.”

Lively is a 2-time All-Hoosier Conference player and has also been recognized by the IBCA in each of the last two seasons.  In 2015, she was an IBCA Underclass Small School All-State student-athlete while in 2014, she was an IBCA Underclass All-State Honorable Mention.  As a junior last season, Lively averaged 18.5 points per game, 3.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest.

As a junior, she was named the Kokomo Kiwanis Co-Player of the Year while garnering Kokomo Tribune 1^st Team All-Area accolades.  Lively also earned AP All-State Honorable Mention honors as a junior as she scored her 1,000^th career point that season.