Women’s Basketball Welcomes Alyssa Fisher, Jenna Jordan, Jada McMillan & Melody Van Ness to 2019

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY – St. Francis Brooklyn women's basketball head coach Linda Cimino announced today the additions of Alyssa Fisher, Jenna Jordan, Jada McMillan, and Melody Van Ness to the 2019-20 roster. "Our staff was tasked with an incredible challenge to replace seven outgoing seniors. I think that we did a good job bringing in the pieces that we need to build this program and to go further. Fortunately, we have three key pieces returning in Abby Anderson, Ally Lassen, and Jade Johnson. It's not easy to bring in so many players in one class, but our staff worked really hard, we left no stone unturned, we were in gyms all over the world, and hopefully, we'll reap the benefits of our hard work," said coach Cimino. Fisher is a native of Baton Rouge, LA and currently attends University Laboratory High School. The 5-foot-7 guard averaged 20.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.3 steals per game during her four-year run on the school's varsity team. She was named to the USA Today/American Family Insurance All-USA Louisiana Girls Second Team. Additionally, she earned First Team All-State and First Team All-Metro honors and reached the 1,500 points plateau. While apart of the varsity team for her respective high school, her squad went 24-14 during the 2015 season, which sealed their fate as State Champions. During the 2016 season, Fisher led her team to the State semifinals to defend their title. In her junior year, she brought the team back to the Championship game. As a senior this past season, the guard guided her team to the State semifinals. "Alyssa Fisher is a combo guard from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her sister plays Division I college basketball, so it's in her blood. She's athletic, very quick, and she's a good shooter. She has a really good first step, and she's going to be able to help us early on in the backcourt with pressure defense and scoring on offense," noted Cimino. Jordan is a native of Valley Cottage, NY, and attends Saddle River Day School. The 6-foot forward comes to Remsen Street having earned All-County honors twice and received an All-State First Team selection as well. In addition to the accolades, she averaged 11.1 points and 14.2 rebounds per game during the 2017-18 season as a junior. With these accomplishments, Jordan would lead her squad to a Non-Public B title, and the Tournament of Champions semifinals as a junior. As a member of Saddle River, she earned her way onto the dean's list throughout high school and was a member of the community service club. "Jenna Jordan is a steal for us. After originally committing to Long Island University and due to a coaching change we had the opportunity have her stay in Brooklyn and come play for us here at St. Francis. She's a solid, strong, physical post-player, who can score in multiple ways. I anticipate that she's going to be a top rookie in this league, and we're very fortunate that things worked out the way they did," said coach Cimino. McMillan is a native of Concord, NC, and attends CFA Academy. During her high-school tenure, she was named Conference MVP in her final three seasons. McMillan led the team in rebounds, steals, blocks, and surpassed the 1,500-point plateau. During her senior season, she was named All-State in North Carolina. She was also nominated as a top player in Charlotte, NC. Professional ties are connected to the incoming freshman, as relative Lorinza "Junior" Harrington played in the NBA and overseas in Ukraine. She played AAU ball for the Lady Phoenix Dynasty. While at St. Francis College, she intends to study Business Management. "We call Jada McMillan, Mcbuckets. She's a tremendous athlete who is very good at getting to the basket. She has the ability to play the point and the wing, and is a very good defensive player. One thing that really impressed me during the recruiting process was her work ethic as she worked two jobs to pay for her high school tuition," added coach Cimino while discussing the addition of McMillan. Van Ness is a native of Somerville, NJ. While in high school, Van Ness earned First Team All-Area, First Team All-Conference, and an All-State honorable mention. The 5-foot-7 guard also finished as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,732 career points. She was tabbed to NJ.com's 2015-16 All-Group 3 Second Team, along with the outlet's All-Junior Girls Third Team. Van Ness played for Team Miller Lightning in AAU. In four appearances for UMBC, the Somerville native tallied 7.3 points per game, averaged 2.3 assists per contest, and converted 31.0 percent from the field. "Melody started as a freshman at UMBC in the America East. She's a floor general, composed at the point, and she's somebody who can run the offense and score. Her experience is going to be invaluable to all the other players coming in especially the young guards. She can defend, control the pace of a game, and will have to make an immediate impact for us early on,"