Nov. 10, 1999

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.–- The defending national champion Purdue women's basketball team took a big step toward making the NCAA Women's Final Four a routine destination by signing three players to National Letters-of-Intent today, the first day of the early-signing period. Cherrise Graham, Shalicia Hurns and Beth Jones signed on to become Boilermakers and will join the program as freshmen in the fall of 2000. The trio is part of head coach Kristy Curry's first recruiting class at Purdue.

Cherrise Graham

"We are extremely excited about these three young ladies because they are great people and great players," Curry says. "They also epitomize what a student-athlete should be. It will be fun to watch this group lead us into the 21st century."

Highlighting today's signees is Graham, a 5-foot-7 guard out of Conshohocken, Pa. Graham was named to Street & Smith's preseason All-America first team and is ranked as one of the top five players in the nation by both Fast Break (No. 3) and Blue Star Report (No. 4). Graham, a lefty, averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a junior at Archbishop Carroll High School. She shot 60.0 percent from the field and 48.0 percent from three-point range. Graham has outstanding speed, quickness and jumping ability to match her penetrating and shooting skills. She chose Purdue over Virginia, Rutgers and Michigan.

Shalicia Hurns

"In my opinion, Cherrise Graham is the most versatile and athletic guard in the country," Curry says. "Her ability to play both the 1 and 2 positions equally well makes her special. I hate to compare players, but she is a clone of Ukari Figgs. She will be part of an outstanding backcourt throughout her career at Purdue."

The Boilermakers tapped the best player in the state by inking Hurns, a 6-foot-3 forward from Indianapolis. Hurns, ranked 47th by Blue Star, averaged 13.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.9 steals per game as a junior at Broad Ripple High School. She chose Purdue over Georgia, Indiana, De Paul, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

"Shalicia is the best player in this year's senior class in the state of Indiana," Curry says. "Her size and athleticism will allow her to play both inside and on the perimeter, and she will be tough to defend. She has benefited from outstanding high school and AAU coaches. It will be a joy for them to see her compete at this level."

Jones, a 5-foot-9 shooting guard from Mason, Ohio, may be the sleeper in the bunch. She has been a three-year starter for Mason High School, which is currently ranked the No. 3 girls' team in the nation by Street & Smith's. She averaged 11.0 points per game last season for Mason, helping lead her team to a Division I state runner-up finish. Jones earned AAU All-America honors last summer while competing for the Dayton Hoop Stars.

Beth Jones

"Beth is a pure shooter," Curry says. "She has tremendous leadership skills and will give us instant depth on the perimeter. Another great thing about Beth is that she comes from a winning high school program. She knows what it takes to be successful."

Purdue anticipates the signing of three more players before Nov. 17, the final day of the early-signing period.

Curry, who was named the seventh head coach in Purdue women's basketball history April 2, 1999, needed to sign a large class after the Boilermakers brought in just three players in the classes of 2002 and 2003. Purdue will graduate seven players, currently juniors, in 2001.

With the addition of the three players expected to sign within the week, this Boilermaker recruiting class will likely be ranked at least in the nation's top five, and could be ranked as high as No. 1. Purdue's last No. 1 recruiting class was the class of 1995, with Stephanie (White) McCarty, Ukari Figgs, Summer Erb and Alison Edgar. McCarty and Figgs led Purdue to the 1999 NCAA national championship in their senior season.

Purdue Women's Basketball National Letter-of-Intent Signees, as of Nov. 10, 1999

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Hometown (High School)
Cherrise Graham	G	5-7	Conshohocken, Pa. (Archbishop Carroll)
Shalicia Hurns	F	6-3	Indianapolis, Ind. (Broad Ripple)
Beth Jones	G	5-9	Mason, Ohio (Mason)

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