Brandt Announces Signing of Harris and Martin

AIKEN, S.C. – University of South Carolina Aiken head women’s basketball coach Mike Brandt announced the signing of Kayla Harris and Porsha Martin to National Letters of Intent on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

“I am thrilled, to say the least, to have locked down not only two great players, but two great students and people as well,” noted Brandt. “They are ideal USCA women’s basketball players – well-rounded on and off the court. It will be exciting to see how each player develops during their senior year of high school.”

Harris comes to USC Aiken out of Wakefield High School in Raleigh, N.C.

Last season, Harris averaged 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per games. She was almost a 50 percent shooter from the field, ending her junior campaign having connected on 48.1 percent of her shots from the floor.

Harris’ exploits on the hardwood led to her being a first team All-Conference selection. Harris helped lead Wakefield to its fifth consecutive conference championship and its fourth straight conference tournament championship. Wakefield, which was a sectional finalist, concluded the year with a 26-3 record overall.

Harris is not just strong on the court, but in the classroom as well where she is a member of the National Achievers Society and the National Society of High School Scholars.

Martin joins the USC Aiken women’s basketball program out of South Paulding High School in Douglasville, Ga.

Martin enters her senior campaign as a three-year letterwinner. The Pacer to be has already netted 904 points in her career. She is well within reach of joining the prestigious 1,000-point, 500-rebound club as she begins her final year of high school basketball with 470 career rebounds. She has also made 220 free throws in her illustrious prep career.

A three-time Paulding County Athlete of the Week, Martin is the South Paulding team captain. A two-sport star at South Paulding, Martin was chosen to the volleyball All-Region team after the conclusion of the 2008 season.

Martin is also strong in the classroom where she has been a member of the All-A honor roll in all three of her previous years of high school. She is currently the Secretary of the Beta Club and the President of the Spanish Society. She has been a member of the National Honor Society for the past two years.

Harris and Martin join a women’s basketball program at USC Aiken that accomplished something that had never been done in program history prior to last year when they claimed their third consecutive 20-win campaign. The Pacers' 20th win of the season on senior night against PBC rival Georgia College & State in late February also happened to be the 500th win in program history.

The Pacers built on the momentum of their regular season-ending win over GCSU to advance all the way to the PBC Tournament championship game. The Pacers dropped their bid for their first PBC Tournament championship, but they were awarded for a strong 2008-09 season with a trip to the their third ever NCAA Division II Tournament.

USC Aiken eventually bowed out in the first round of the tournament to regional finalist and PBC rival Francis Marion. Despite the loss in the first round of USC Aiken's second trip to the Division II Tournament under Brandt, the Pacers' 2008-09 season was one of the brightest in school history.

USC Aiken enters the 2009-10 campaign looking to claim their fourth consecutive 20-win season. The Pacers graduated four key seniors off of the 2008-09 Division II Tournament squad, but nevertheless another 20-win year is not out of the realm of imagination in a program on firm footing Brandt, who is in his eighth year as head coach.

Brandt and the Pacers return two starters from the 2008-09 team, including local product Kendra Chandler (Aiken, S.C./Aiken), who has the ability to be was chosen to the preseason All-Peach Belt Conference women’s basketball team.

Chandler is joined back in the starting lineup by Triahna Harris (Springfield, Va./West Springfield). Harris started in and played in every game in the 2008-09 season.
The upperclassmen tandem will form one of the most potent backcourts in all of Division II.

USC Aiken overall welcomes back eight letterwinners to a 2009-10 team that coupled with seven newcomers should once again keep the Pacers at the top or near the top of the PBC.