Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State Inks Three for 2011-12
12/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 2, 2010
The Fresno State women's basketball team is no stranger to looking far and wide for talent, but this time the Bulldogs hit paydirt in their home state, as head coach Adrian Wiggins announced the signing of three California natives on Thursday.
Madison Parrish (Hanford, Calif./Hanford HS), Raven Fox (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley HS) and Saidah Allen (Oakland, Calif. /Piedmont HS) will all join Fresno State for the 2011-12 season.
"We're extremely excited," Wiggins said. "We have three California players, and all three come from highly winning programs. Second to that fact, they're all great young ladies and good students. ... All three come from programs that run our offense, so they're very familiar with what we do."
Perhaps no one is more familiar with the Fresno State program than Parrish, whose sister, Amy, played for the Bulldogs and is currently in her third season as an assistant coach.
Parrish comes to Fresno State regarded as one of the premier point guards in Valley history. A three-time Fresno Bee All-Star and 2009 Player of the Year, Parrish led Hanford to its third consecutive Central Section title last season. She averaged 14.8 points, 7.2 assists, 4.5 steals and 3.4 rebounds for the Bullpups, which went 31-4 and were ranked No. 8 state ranking by Cal-Hi Sports.
Parrish also received interest from Idaho, Nevada, UCLA, Cal, Oregon State and Washington, but she made her decision early, giving the Bulldogs an oral commitment in October 2009.
"I just knew I wanted to go to that school," said Parrish, who plays AAU ball for Cal Swish. "I really liked the coaches, and their offense is similar to the one I've been playing my whole life. It just fit me."
The same could be said for both Fox and Allen, who bring a special, longstanding connection to Fresno State. Indeed, the two have been teammates at various levels since the fourth grade and currently play together on the Cal Stars AAU team.
"Raven told me she liked (Fresno State), and I started to wonder if it would be a good fit for us," Allen said. "We always thought it'd be cool to play together in college. When she told me she liked it, I was pretty sure I'd like it, too."
In Fox, the Bulldogs are getting a 5-8 combo guard who averaged 16.1 points and 3.6 steals per game as a junior at Deer Valley High. According to Wiggins, Fox is an "extremely aggressive and quick scoring guard" whose skills in the backcourt will be a nice compliment to Parrish.
Allen gives the Bulldogs a lift on the perimeter and in the paint. At 5-foot-11, she is a solid scorer who can take defenders inside and out. Allen averaged 22.3 points per game last season at Piedmont, the same program to produce former Oklahoma stars Courtney and Ashley Paris, and led the Highlanders in rebounds and blocks en route to their 24-9 finish.
"The coaching staff was very positive toward me," said Allen, who chose Fresno State over Oregon State. "They are all-around good people, and I wanted to be around a good coaching staff. ... (Fresno State) is building. I wouldn't want to go to UCONN or someplace like that where (success) is known. I'd rather make history instead of repeating it."
"We Are Your Team!" -- Fresno State's home game against TCU on Saturday is "Take a Kid to the Game Day" where kids 12-under get in free with a paid adult. The game will also serve as a toy drive for Toys 4 Tots. Bring in a toy and receive free admission. And be sure to stick around for a post-game autograph session!
