Lady Bobcats sign first-ever player from East Ridge High

The 2017 recruiting trail for the Georgia Northwestern Lady Bobcats’ basketball program have included signing at places where the Navy-and-Silver have never been before, and that trend recently continued across state lines.

Head coach David Stephenson’s latest recruit, Kyanna Kendrick, is the first player from East Ridge (Tenn.) High School to sign with the Lady Bobcats.

“I’m really excited about this being is our first-ever signing from East Ridge,” the veteran coach explained. “The coach here (LeBron Williams) is from down in our area and he’s really reached out to help us and his kids.

“We have wanted to get more in to the Chattanooga market to get some players and I hope this is the first step in doing more of that.”

Kendrick was joined at the signing ceremony by her family, friends and Lady Pioneer teammates.

“This day really means a lot because I really love basketball,” she said, flashing a huge smile. “I’ve been playing (basketball) since I was nine years old. When I met with Coach Stephenson, I was really happy and I really want to play for them. I think it will be a great opportunity.”

Kendrick said she’ll bring a positive personality to her new team.

“I’m a very happy person and I don’t like to bring people down,” she said. “(Georgia Northwestern) has a good nursing program and that’s what I want to major in. Plus, it’s not a big team (in terms of numbers), so I think I’ll be able to get in a little playing time instead of just sitting on the bench.”

Williams, a Ridgeland High School alum, said the Lady Bobcats “a great allaround young lady” in Kendrick.

“She’s an amazing young lady who is very academically-driven,” he said. “She’s very coachable and a great student. She’s a real ‘yes-sir, no-sir’ type of kid and she always has a smile on her face.

“Plus, she’s a good player too. She’s a great defender. She’s long, has great rebounding skills and a really nice 3-point shot. She’s got a good all-around game and I think she will be a good small forward for them.”

“We’ve got a lot of ball-handlers coming back so I see her playing a lot at the three-spot for us,” Stephenson added. “With what we’re trying to do and what we’ve got coming in, I think you’ll see us pressing a lot more next year and Kyanna will be a big part of that.”