POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Marist women's basketball head coach Brian Giorgis has announced that four recruits have signed letters of intent to join the Red Foxes. Madeline Blais, Sydney Coffey, Delaney Hollenbeck and Eileen Van Horn will all arrive to the Marist campus next fall as members of the class of 2016.
Madeline Blais - 6-1 - Forward/Guard - Exeter, N.H./New Hampton School
Blais comes to the Red Foxes as the top-ranked player out of the state of New Hampshire. She was a First Team All-NEPSAC selection after her junior season when she averaged 18.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 blocks per game and four assists.
Sydney Coffey - 6-0 - Guard - New Hope, Minn./Hopkins High School
Coffey was a two-year captain at Hopkins, where she was also two-time All-Conference and 2011 AP and Coaches Association All-State selection. Her high school team ranked as high as second national and Coffey led Hopkins to the 2011 Minnesota AAAA State Championship and earned the honor of Tournament MVP. As a junior, she averaged 10.7 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals per game and is the fifth-ranked member of the class of 2012 coming out of Minnesota.
Delaney Hollenbeck - 6-5 - Center - Alpharetta, Ga./Alpharetta High School
Hollenbeck comes to Poughkeepsie as the 27th-ranked high school center in the country. She was a three-time All-Region choice and was selected to the 2011 Georgia Athletics Coaches Association North/South All-Star Game. As a junior, she nearly averaged a double-double with 10.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and adding an astounding 6.3 blocks per game. Last season Hollenbeck set the Georgia state record for blocked shots in a single season with 177 and has twice recorded 12 blocks in a game, good for second all-time in Georgia.
Eileen Van Horn - 5-8 - Guard - Waukesha, Wis./ Waukesha South High School
Van Horn joins the Red Foxes, having been a two-year captain at Waukesha South High School and a three-time All-Conference selection. She was named her team's MVP last season after averaging 12 points and six rebounds per game. She also contributed three assists and three steals per game.
"This is one of the finest classes that we have ever brought in the Marist Women's Basketball Program," Giorgis said. "With three of the four recruits being over six feet tall, we have dramatically improved our length that will help us defensively and on the boards. In addition, they bring a skill set that will help us in many areas offensively and a mindset that is team-oriented and passionate. All four recruits are outstanding young ladies both on and off the court and are proven winners in the classroom and on the court. They fit the mold of what has made us successful over the past decade and will help us carry on the tradition of excellence that we have attained over the years here at Marist."
