Feb. 15, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky women’s basketball signee Bria Goss has earned another prestigious honor as the a 5-foot-10 guard from Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis has been selected to play in the WBCA High School All-America Game presented by Nike, the association announced Monday.
Goss is one of 20 high school seniors dubbed as the top prep players selected to play in the game. The 20th annual All-America Game, which is held as part of the WBCA National Convention, will be played Saturday, April 2, 2011, at the Conseco Fieldhouse in her hometown of Indianapolis, site of the 2011 NCAA® Women’s Final Four®. Tipoff is 4:30 p.m. EST. The game will be played on the NCAA Women’s Final Four court for the second straight year.
“Indiana, the Hoosier state, is synonymous with high school basketball; so, it’s only fitting that the WBCA showcase its High School All-America Team there,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “What a great platform for this game to be held in Indianapolis.”
The players will be divided into two teams of 10 players each for the game, which will be played according to NCAA rules. The game is free to the public; however, a special VIP ticket package that includes preferred seating, a “chalk talk” by an NCAA® Women’s Final Four® coach and a complimentary flipchart can be purchased for $15 from the WBCA by downloading and submitting the order form available at wbca.org. The deadline for advance ticket orders is March 14.
The 20 players selected to participate in the 2011 WBCA High School All-America Game presented by Nike: Cierra Burdick (Butler HS, Matthews, N.C., Tennessee), Briyona Canty (Trenton Catholic Academy, Willingboro, N.J., Rutgers), Ariya Crook-Williams (L.B. Polytechnic HS, Los Angeles, Calif., Southern Cal), Krystal Forthan (Georgetown HS, Georgetown, Texas, LSU), Bria Goss (Ben Davis HS, Indianapolis, Ind., Kentucky), Taylor Greenfield (Ballard HS, Huxley, Iowa, Stanford), Justine Hartman (Brea Olinda HS, Fullerton, Calif., UCLA), Amber Henson (Sickles HS, Odessa, Fla., Duke), Morgan Jones (Lake Mary HS, Altamonte Springs, Fla., Northwestern), Betnijah Laney (Smyrna HS, Clayton, Del., Undecided), Samantha Logic (Racine J.I. Case HS, Racine, Wisc., Iowa), Ariel Massengale(Bolingbrook HS, Bolingbrook, Ill., Tennessee), Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (Mater Dei HS, Anaheim, Calif., Connecticut), Eliza Normen (Monarch HS, Louisville, Colo., Arizona State), Amber Orrange (Westbury Christian HS, Missouri City, Texas, Stanford), Shakena Richardson (Neptune HS, Neptune, N.J., Rutgers), Bria Smith(Christ the King HS, Massapequa, N.Y., Virginia), Kiah Stokes (Linn-Mar HS, Marion, Iowa, Connecticut), Alexyz Vaioletama (Mater Dei HS, Fountain Valley, Calif., Southern Cal), Elizabeth Williams (Princess Anne HS, Virginia Beach, Va., Duke).
Goss, who also was selected to play in the prestigious 2011 McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Game on March 30 in Chicago, is listed as the nation’s 17th overall player and the No. 4 guard in the country, according to ESPN HoopGurlz. She currently averages a team-high 21.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while leading Ben Davis High School to an undefeated 20-0 record this season. She also leads the team in assists (62) and steals (77).
As a junior, she averaged 15.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.1 steals per game last season and played a major role in her team winning back-to-back state titles. The heralded prep star was an All-America honorable mention selection by Sporting News Magazine and was a 2010 third-team Max Preps All-American.
After helping lead the Giants to a No. 2 national ranking in 2009-10, Goss was named first-team Indiana All-State (2010), first-team All-Metro Super Team (2010) and first-team AP Indiana All-State. She also is a two-time first-team All-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (2009 and 2010) choice and two-time first-team All-Marion County (2009 and 2010) selection.
During her prep career, Ben Davis High School has charted an impressive 103-2 record. The Giants are currently riding a 78-game winning streak.
Goss, along with fellow signee Azia Bishop, a 6-3 power forward/center from Start High School in Toledo, Ohio, make up the nation’s No. 10 recruiting class, according to ESPN HoopGurlz. It marks UK Hoops Coach Matthew Mitchell’s second consecutive top-10 recruiting class.
