Deacs Sign Two to National Letter of Intent
11/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWBB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest women's basketball head coach Jen Hoover and her coaching staff have signed two players to National Letters of Intent in Gina Conti of Grove City, Ohio, and Maya Banks of Chandler, Az.
"We are extremely proud to announce the signing of these two outstanding young ladies and we welcome them and their families into our program," Hoover said of the signings. "Gina and Maya are not only very talented, but they are focused, driven and hungry and we as coaches are excited to add them to the program. Both players bring a lot of passion, a blue-collar work ethic and unselfishness that we believe will fit very well with our program's culture. They already have a strong sense of how special it is to be a Demon Deacon and we anticipate them making a significant impact as we move forward."
Conti joined the Demon Deacons from Grove City High School in Ohio. She has been named an All-Ohio Capital Conference honoree each of her first three high school seasons, which includes earning First Team honors as a junior while being named OCC Player of the Year. Last season as a junior, Conti led Grove City in points with 17.3 per game and rebounds with 9.1 per game while also being the team leader in assists and steals. Ranked as the No. 83 player in the nation by Blue Star Basketball and No. 97 by Prospect Nation, as well as the 22nd-ranked guard in the nation, Conti played AAU for the Capital City Comets and won seven tournaments, including the 2015 Ohio AAU State Championship.
"Gina is one of the savviest basketball players we've recruited in our time at Wake Forest," Hoover said. "She has a high basketball IQ and an instinctive feel for the game that allows her to see plays develop ahead of time to read, react and make all the right plays. She is an elite passer that can score inside and out and has great attacking mentality going to the hoop. Her leadership, contagious enthusiasm and well-rounded skill set is going to make a tremendous impact on our program and she's sure to become a fan favorite in her time as a Demon Deacon."
Banks comes to Winston-Salem from Arizona, where she has played for Hamilton High School. Named an All-Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) First Team honoree both as a sophomore and junior, Banks helped Hamilton to the state title in 2015 and was named the Finals MVP for her performance. Along the way, Banks has also been named Second Team All-State twice, All-Section Honorable Mention, and First Team East Valley Tribune. Banks also played AAU basketball for AZ Fire and coach Karen Self, where she participated in tournaments like Nike Oregon Trail, Nike Chicago, Nike Atlanta and adidas Atlanta. Joining the Demon Deacons in 2017, the 6-4 forward is ranked No. 151 in the country by Blue Star Basketball.
"Maya is a very active and long post player," Hoover said. "She is a beast on the boards, great on the move and has a developing skill set with her back to the basket. Her length and athleticism are attributes that are going to give opposing players nightmares on the defensive end and she has great timing when it comes to blocking shots. She has a very high ceiling and we are excited to watch her develop over the next four years in Black and Gold."
The two will join a team that is set to lose just three players at the end of the 2016-17 season in Milan Quinn, Clarisse Berranger and Kelila Atkinson.
"We want to thank both the Conti and Banks families for believing in us and for raising these two ladies to become great young leaders with strong values," Hoover said. "We also want to thank their coaches for their investment in their development through the years. Both of these young ladies have a passion for excelling on the court and off as they strive to be the best at everything they do. They will fit in very well with our team and community and we couldn't be more proud to officially call these ladies Demon Deacons.
"Our coaching staff has worked extremely hard in signing these two ladies and I cannot thank them enough," Hoover continued. "Their tireless work ethic and commitment to integrity and our program's success is evident in all they do. Wake Forest is a special place because of the people and I would be remiss if I did not express sincere appreciation for the time and support from every member of the Wake Forest family."
Wake Forest's 2016-17 season continues Wednesday evening, Nov. 30, when the Demon Deacons face Illinois at 8 p.m. ET in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Big Ten Network +. The Demon Deacons are 2-5 in the Challenge to date and 0-2 against Illinois all-time with both games coming in the Challenge. The game marks the second in a three-game road swing. The Deacs topped Elon 78-68 on the road on Saturday, Nov. 26, and will close the stretch on Sunday, Dec. 4, at Seton Hall.
