Wake Forest Signing Class
Women's Basketball Adds Four on National Signing Day
11/13/2019 5:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest women's basketball coach Jen Hoover today announced the signing of four student-athletes who will join the Demon Deacons for the 2020-21 season.
The four include Nevaeh Brown, a 5-8 guard from Charlotte, N.C., Demeara Hinds, a 6-2 forward from Douglasville, Ga., Aliah McWhorter, a 6-1 guard from Cincinnati, Ohio, and Jewel Spear, a 5-10 guard from The Colony, Texas.
Hoover and her staff are pleased with their incoming freshman class.
"They are proven winners and hungry competitors who, during the recruiting process, saw our vision, understood our culture, and believed in it," said Hoover. "Nevaeh, Demeara, Aliah and Jewel are all ready to embrace how unique and special Wake Forest is.
"Like every recruiting class, this was years in the making," continued Hoover. "We identified them, evaluated their performances, and got to know each one of them and their families on a personal level to ensure that they were the perfect fit for our Wake Forest program. Not only are they outstanding players on the court but they are also extremely confident young women who embody Wake Forest's core values. Their versatility, athleticism, and drive to win will further fuel our already dynamic roster. It's hard not to like the grit and winner's mentality that these four bring every time they step out on the floor. I believe this class has the capability to do great things and I am excited to see the impact they make when they arrive on campus next year."
All four incoming student-athletes signed on the first day of the National Letter of Intent signing period. All will be freshmen when they enroll in 2020.
NEVAEH BROWN
Brown is a Charlotte native who helped lead Davidson Day to a 22-6 record and the NCISAA 2A state championship in 2019 while earning all-state honors. She was named All-Mecklenburg County and was selected to the All-Charlotte Observer team as a junior while earning State Defensive Player of the Year honors. Brown, who will play her senior year at Mallard Creek, averaged 14.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 steals per game as a junior. For her career, Neveah has posted averages of 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.2 steals. She enters her senior season just 44 points away from 1,000 for her career.
"Nevaeh is a dynamic guard who has the quickness and speed that allows her to attack on the offensive end and be very disruptive defensively," said Hoover. "Her work ethic and passion for the game are contagious. She will defend, get out in transition, and attack downhill putting a lot of pressure on defenses. We are excited about what Nevaeh brings on both sides of the ball. She possesses a nice skill set with her ability to get to the rim and get to her pull up jumper, as well as knocking down the open three. Nevaeh is a basketball junkie who is constantly working on her game and Deacon fans will enjoy watching her develop during her Wake Forest career."
Mallard Creek coach Clarence Johnson said "Nevaeh is a very hard playing guard. She has a very high basketball IQ and will be very successful in college. Mallard Creek is blessed to get a student athlete like Nevaeh who is dedicated to the game."
Melvin Heggie, who coached Nevaeh in AAU basketball, said "Nevaeh Brown plays with the type of energy that brings life to the other four players on the court and everyone on the bench. She can spark a run all by herself."
Ashley Rivens, Neveah's AAU coach, said "It has been a joy coaching and watching Nevaeh grow as a player this last season. Wake Forest is receiving a true competitor and hard worker. She has the ability to affect the game in so many ways. I'm excited to see her as a Demon Deacon"
DEMEARA HINDS
Hinds, out of Douglasville, Ga., Lithia Springs High School, was an honorable mention all-state selection in Class 5A by the Atlanta Journal Constitution last season and earned a spot on the GHSA preseason all-state team this year. Heading into her senior season, Hinds is on her way to scoring 1,000 points, grabbing 1,000 rebounds, getting 250 blocks and 250 steals in her career. As a junior, Hinds led Lithia Springs to a regional title and participated in her third straight state tournament. She averaged a double-double as a junior with 13.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
"Demeara has proven she is a powerful force in the paint with her tenacious rebounding and physical presence," said Hoover. "She is very active and a strong and powerful post player. She is explosive on the boards and as she continues to advance her inside scoring ability, it will help solidify our team's inside scoring capability. Her strength and athleticism are attributes that are going to give opposing players nightmares in the paint on both ends of the court. Having only played competitive basketball since ninth grade, we are excited to continue her development over the next four years in Black and Gold."
"Demeara is a wonderful representative of what every coach would hope for in their athletes," said Lithia Springs head coach David Mills. "Since coming to us as a ninth grader, having not played organized ball, she has turned herself from 'a soccer player' into one of the top players in Georgia. We are so proud of her and appreciate the fact that she has called Lithia Springs High School her home for four years. On the court she has become a physically imposing menace to every team we play. As a junior, she faced double and triple teams almost every night and still managed to average a double-double. She is a difference-maker on both ends of the floor. She is one of the few players who command a defensive game plan to account for her at all times every single night. Still, her brightest days in the game are ahead of her! We can't wait to watch her grow."
Hinds' AAU coach, Dorian Williams, said "It was an absolute pleasure coaching Demeara. Watching her go from a kid that knew absolutely nothing about the game of basketball to the nation's most physical post player was amazing. She is not only a great player but an even better person. She has only been playing basketball for four years, so the sky is the limit for Demeara Hinds. A player that takes rebounding personally is a rare thing. She is a one of a kind type of player and she will definitely be missed."
ALIAH McWHORTER
McWhorter was named to the All-Southwest Ohio District team last year while leading Cincinnati Sycamore High in scoring with an 11.6 average. A first team All-Greater Miami Conference selection as a junior, McWhorter is Sycamore's all-time leader in blocked shots. She helped Sycamore to the semifinals of the Princeton 1 sectional in the state tournament last year while earning All-Academic Greater Miami Conference honors.
"Aliah is a long and skilled player that can excel at multiple positions and pose mismatches for opponents," said Hoover. "She can score in multiple ways and her length and athleticism make her a great rebounder and defender. Aliah has earned her success through her determination and drive to be the best. She will add more size on the perimeter and will be able to defend multiple key opponent's players. She is a smart versatile player that has a great understanding of the game and does all the little things that contribute to winning."
Cincinnati Sycamore head coach Derek Christerson said "Aliah has been a pleasure to coach. She is a very gifted basketball player, but above all that she is a great person. Aliah has been a four-year starter for our program and has been an all-league player every year. It has been a pleasure watching her grow over the past four years from a mental standpoint and physically. She is by far the most talented player to come through Sycamore in a long time and she will be truly missed ."
Aliah's AAU Coach Charles Williams said "Aliah started with us in seventh grade. Every year she has grown on and off the floor. She is not only a talented basketball player but a great student, teammate, daughter and mentor to the young players in our program. Every challenge I laid out in front of her she has accepted. There were days we would have two workouts in a day with our teams. She would always arrive 20-30 minutes early to shoot or work on her ball handling. We have families from an hour away and she has gone out of her way to make them feel a part of our club family. Be it inviting them to her house for parties or sleepovers, or attending their high school basketball games, birthday parties or special occasions. She comes from a great family. I can't express how much we stress the importance of having solid families in our program. They have raised a talented, thoughtful, intelligent daughter. Not by handing her everything or holding her hand. When things got tough for her in basketball, they allowed us to coach her to push the best out of her. She is only scratching the surface on the person and player she will become. I can't wait to watch her play in that Demon Deacon uniform."
JEWEL SPEAR
Spear, a 5-10 guard, is the top-rated recruit in the 2020 class at No. 88 by ESPN Hoopgurlz. She was rated No. 61 nationally by ASGR and is the No. 10 recruit in Texas.
Spear averaged 24 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with 116 three-pointers as a junior and earned District 8-5A MVP honors while leading The Colony to the 5A state semifinals. She was an all-region and all-state selection as a junior and participated in the John Lucas Top 160 camp over the summer. Spear has already surpassed 2,000 career points and set the Dallas-Fort Worth area record for three-point field goals in a season.
"Jewel is an incredibly skilled scorer and an even better all-around playmaker," said Hoover. "She has the ability to defend, create off-the-dribble, and knock down shots from all over the court. Jewel can run the show as a point guard or score like a shooting guard. Initially what drew us to Jewel, and what I think will ultimately give her a chance to have a special career as a Demon Deacon, is her competitive mindset. She is just one of those kids you want on your team. Her versatility and determination will be instrumental to our success in the future. Wake fans will love watching her complete skill set when she's wearing Black and Gold."
The Colony head coach Colby Davis said "Wake Forest is getting a phenomenal basketball player, but an even better person. Jewel is a program-changing kid. She's as hard working and of as high character as they come. Jewel will be greatly missed at The Colony, but we are so excited to support her in her next chapter as a Demon Deacon."
Her AAU coach, Patrick Hinson, said "Jewel is one of those kids who is a coach's dream. She works hard, loves her teammates, and is a sponge for knowledge. She will not stop till she understands the game inside and out. While she has played some great basketball for her high school and AAU team, I believe her best basketball is in front of her and I cannot wait to see her grow as a Demon Deacon!"
The four include Nevaeh Brown, a 5-8 guard from Charlotte, N.C., Demeara Hinds, a 6-2 forward from Douglasville, Ga., Aliah McWhorter, a 6-1 guard from Cincinnati, Ohio, and Jewel Spear, a 5-10 guard from The Colony, Texas.
Hoover and her staff are pleased with their incoming freshman class.
"They are proven winners and hungry competitors who, during the recruiting process, saw our vision, understood our culture, and believed in it," said Hoover. "Nevaeh, Demeara, Aliah and Jewel are all ready to embrace how unique and special Wake Forest is.
"Like every recruiting class, this was years in the making," continued Hoover. "We identified them, evaluated their performances, and got to know each one of them and their families on a personal level to ensure that they were the perfect fit for our Wake Forest program. Not only are they outstanding players on the court but they are also extremely confident young women who embody Wake Forest's core values. Their versatility, athleticism, and drive to win will further fuel our already dynamic roster. It's hard not to like the grit and winner's mentality that these four bring every time they step out on the floor. I believe this class has the capability to do great things and I am excited to see the impact they make when they arrive on campus next year."
All four incoming student-athletes signed on the first day of the National Letter of Intent signing period. All will be freshmen when they enroll in 2020.
NEVAEH BROWN
Brown is a Charlotte native who helped lead Davidson Day to a 22-6 record and the NCISAA 2A state championship in 2019 while earning all-state honors. She was named All-Mecklenburg County and was selected to the All-Charlotte Observer team as a junior while earning State Defensive Player of the Year honors. Brown, who will play her senior year at Mallard Creek, averaged 14.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 steals per game as a junior. For her career, Neveah has posted averages of 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.2 steals. She enters her senior season just 44 points away from 1,000 for her career.
"Nevaeh is a dynamic guard who has the quickness and speed that allows her to attack on the offensive end and be very disruptive defensively," said Hoover. "Her work ethic and passion for the game are contagious. She will defend, get out in transition, and attack downhill putting a lot of pressure on defenses. We are excited about what Nevaeh brings on both sides of the ball. She possesses a nice skill set with her ability to get to the rim and get to her pull up jumper, as well as knocking down the open three. Nevaeh is a basketball junkie who is constantly working on her game and Deacon fans will enjoy watching her develop during her Wake Forest career."
Mallard Creek coach Clarence Johnson said "Nevaeh is a very hard playing guard. She has a very high basketball IQ and will be very successful in college. Mallard Creek is blessed to get a student athlete like Nevaeh who is dedicated to the game."
Melvin Heggie, who coached Nevaeh in AAU basketball, said "Nevaeh Brown plays with the type of energy that brings life to the other four players on the court and everyone on the bench. She can spark a run all by herself."
Ashley Rivens, Neveah's AAU coach, said "It has been a joy coaching and watching Nevaeh grow as a player this last season. Wake Forest is receiving a true competitor and hard worker. She has the ability to affect the game in so many ways. I'm excited to see her as a Demon Deacon"
DEMEARA HINDS
Hinds, out of Douglasville, Ga., Lithia Springs High School, was an honorable mention all-state selection in Class 5A by the Atlanta Journal Constitution last season and earned a spot on the GHSA preseason all-state team this year. Heading into her senior season, Hinds is on her way to scoring 1,000 points, grabbing 1,000 rebounds, getting 250 blocks and 250 steals in her career. As a junior, Hinds led Lithia Springs to a regional title and participated in her third straight state tournament. She averaged a double-double as a junior with 13.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
"Demeara has proven she is a powerful force in the paint with her tenacious rebounding and physical presence," said Hoover. "She is very active and a strong and powerful post player. She is explosive on the boards and as she continues to advance her inside scoring ability, it will help solidify our team's inside scoring capability. Her strength and athleticism are attributes that are going to give opposing players nightmares in the paint on both ends of the court. Having only played competitive basketball since ninth grade, we are excited to continue her development over the next four years in Black and Gold."
"Demeara is a wonderful representative of what every coach would hope for in their athletes," said Lithia Springs head coach David Mills. "Since coming to us as a ninth grader, having not played organized ball, she has turned herself from 'a soccer player' into one of the top players in Georgia. We are so proud of her and appreciate the fact that she has called Lithia Springs High School her home for four years. On the court she has become a physically imposing menace to every team we play. As a junior, she faced double and triple teams almost every night and still managed to average a double-double. She is a difference-maker on both ends of the floor. She is one of the few players who command a defensive game plan to account for her at all times every single night. Still, her brightest days in the game are ahead of her! We can't wait to watch her grow."
Hinds' AAU coach, Dorian Williams, said "It was an absolute pleasure coaching Demeara. Watching her go from a kid that knew absolutely nothing about the game of basketball to the nation's most physical post player was amazing. She is not only a great player but an even better person. She has only been playing basketball for four years, so the sky is the limit for Demeara Hinds. A player that takes rebounding personally is a rare thing. She is a one of a kind type of player and she will definitely be missed."
ALIAH McWHORTER
McWhorter was named to the All-Southwest Ohio District team last year while leading Cincinnati Sycamore High in scoring with an 11.6 average. A first team All-Greater Miami Conference selection as a junior, McWhorter is Sycamore's all-time leader in blocked shots. She helped Sycamore to the semifinals of the Princeton 1 sectional in the state tournament last year while earning All-Academic Greater Miami Conference honors.
"Aliah is a long and skilled player that can excel at multiple positions and pose mismatches for opponents," said Hoover. "She can score in multiple ways and her length and athleticism make her a great rebounder and defender. Aliah has earned her success through her determination and drive to be the best. She will add more size on the perimeter and will be able to defend multiple key opponent's players. She is a smart versatile player that has a great understanding of the game and does all the little things that contribute to winning."
Cincinnati Sycamore head coach Derek Christerson said "Aliah has been a pleasure to coach. She is a very gifted basketball player, but above all that she is a great person. Aliah has been a four-year starter for our program and has been an all-league player every year. It has been a pleasure watching her grow over the past four years from a mental standpoint and physically. She is by far the most talented player to come through Sycamore in a long time and she will be truly missed ."
Aliah's AAU Coach Charles Williams said "Aliah started with us in seventh grade. Every year she has grown on and off the floor. She is not only a talented basketball player but a great student, teammate, daughter and mentor to the young players in our program. Every challenge I laid out in front of her she has accepted. There were days we would have two workouts in a day with our teams. She would always arrive 20-30 minutes early to shoot or work on her ball handling. We have families from an hour away and she has gone out of her way to make them feel a part of our club family. Be it inviting them to her house for parties or sleepovers, or attending their high school basketball games, birthday parties or special occasions. She comes from a great family. I can't express how much we stress the importance of having solid families in our program. They have raised a talented, thoughtful, intelligent daughter. Not by handing her everything or holding her hand. When things got tough for her in basketball, they allowed us to coach her to push the best out of her. She is only scratching the surface on the person and player she will become. I can't wait to watch her play in that Demon Deacon uniform."
JEWEL SPEAR
Spear, a 5-10 guard, is the top-rated recruit in the 2020 class at No. 88 by ESPN Hoopgurlz. She was rated No. 61 nationally by ASGR and is the No. 10 recruit in Texas.
Spear averaged 24 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with 116 three-pointers as a junior and earned District 8-5A MVP honors while leading The Colony to the 5A state semifinals. She was an all-region and all-state selection as a junior and participated in the John Lucas Top 160 camp over the summer. Spear has already surpassed 2,000 career points and set the Dallas-Fort Worth area record for three-point field goals in a season.
"Jewel is an incredibly skilled scorer and an even better all-around playmaker," said Hoover. "She has the ability to defend, create off-the-dribble, and knock down shots from all over the court. Jewel can run the show as a point guard or score like a shooting guard. Initially what drew us to Jewel, and what I think will ultimately give her a chance to have a special career as a Demon Deacon, is her competitive mindset. She is just one of those kids you want on your team. Her versatility and determination will be instrumental to our success in the future. Wake fans will love watching her complete skill set when she's wearing Black and Gold."
The Colony head coach Colby Davis said "Wake Forest is getting a phenomenal basketball player, but an even better person. Jewel is a program-changing kid. She's as hard working and of as high character as they come. Jewel will be greatly missed at The Colony, but we are so excited to support her in her next chapter as a Demon Deacon."
Her AAU coach, Patrick Hinson, said "Jewel is one of those kids who is a coach's dream. She works hard, loves her teammates, and is a sponge for knowledge. She will not stop till she understands the game inside and out. While she has played some great basketball for her high school and AAU team, I believe her best basketball is in front of her and I cannot wait to see her grow as a Demon Deacon!"
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