Nov. 12, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - The University of Memphis women's basketball team added three early signees for the 2009-2010 season Head Coach Melissa McFerrin announced Wednesday. The three signees, Ashley Robinson from Millington Central High School, Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir from Springfield, Mass. and New Leadership High School and Nicole Dickson from Greeneville (Tenn.) High School make up a class that was recently ranked No. 60 in the country by Allstar Girls Report.

"It gives me great pleasure to welcome Ashley Robinson, Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir and Nicole Dickson to the University of Memphis family," McFerrin said. "This trio brings with them a track record of leadership and success that will allow them to make an early impact on our program. They come to the University of Memphis with a firm belief in and commitment to our vision of becoming the Class of Conference USA. Tiger fans should be very excited about these three student-athletes."

Local signee Ashley Robinson makes up one-third of the new class. Robinson, a 6-0 forward from Millington Central High School, is the No. 25 ranked power forward in this year's class according to Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. Robinson's high school team is currently ranked No. 29 in the country according to ESPN Rise Girls' Basketball Fab 50 Preseason rankings and is coming off a 37-2 record last season in which they were the state runners-up in their first state trip in 14 seasons. Robinson averaged 11.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals as a junior at Millington Central for head coach Stanley Gatlin, and was a 14-AAA All-District honoree and a Commercial Appeal Best of Preps nominee. A two-time Commercial Appeal Player of the Week, Robinson helped her team win the 14-AAA Tournament, the Region 7-AAA Tournament, the MLK and the Dragonfire Tournament, earning Tournament MVP honors at the Dragonfire Tournament.

Millington Central's Ashley Robinson is one of three signees for the 2009-2010 season.

Robinson, the daughter of Roderick and Patricia Robinson, also played with the Team Memphis Elite basketball program and participated in the 2008 Top Ten All-American Camp and the Nike Phenom Camp in both 2006 and 2007. She choose Memphis after also being recruited by Ole Miss and Southern Miss.

"Ashley is a significant addition to our program because she is a national caliber player who is accustomed to playing on the big stage," McFerrin said. "She loves to win and is willing to invest the time to reap the rewards. These intangibles combined with her athleticism and versatility makes her a perfect fit for our program. Welcoming Ashley to our basketball family gets the attention of local and national basketball fans alike."

A familiar face to Robinson from a triple overtime game in last year's TSSAA tournament will be 6-0 forward Nicole Dickson out of Greeneville High School in east Tennessee. Dickson is a two-time All-State selection by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association and was a finalist for the Tennessee Miss Basketball Award as a junior. She helped her team to a Region 1 championship, a 31-6 record and a fifth consecutive trip to the TSSAA Class AAA State Tournament. Dickson averaged 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game last year, scoring 24 points with 10 rebounds in the state tournament game for Greeneville Head Coach Stacia Crumbley.

"Simply put, Nicole Dickson is a winner," McFerrin said. "Whether in high school or club basketball, Nicole's teams always seem to finish near the top. This trend is not a coincidence as Nicole's diverse skill set and competitive drive helps her make significant contributions to any team. Her track record speaks for itself, which is why we are so excited that Nicole is a Tiger."

Nicole Dickson is a two-time All-State player and was a Tennessee Miss Basketball finalist last season.

A three-time all-conference, all-region and all-sectional player, Dickson ranks second in career points and rebounds at Greeneville High School. She has already scored 1,768 career points with 874 rebounds heading into her senior season. She also played basketball with the Tennessee Flight AAU program coached by Tom Insell.

Dickson, the daughter of Demetress Dickson, was also recruited by Eastern Kentucky, Western Carolina and the College of Charleston. She was also ranked one of the top 12 players in the state of Tennessee by the Rick Bolus High Potential Basketball Recruiting Service.

The women's coaching staff returned to the Northeast and the home of basketball for a new addition at point guard for 2009-2010, inking Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, a 5-3 guard out of New Leadership Charter School in Springfield, Massachusetts.

"When I think of the quintessential point guard, I think of Bilqis," McFerrin said. "She is a fiercely competitive leader with the unique ability to always make the "right" play. Her impact on the game is felt on both ends of the floor, thanks to her quickness and tenacity. Point guards in our system must manage an up-tempo style of play and Qisi is definitely up for that challenge."

At New Leadership, Abdul-Qaadir has already scored 2,184 career points. Playing for Head Coach John Williams, the Springfield native was a first team, all scholastic honoree last season and helped her team to an 11-9 record and the sectional semifinals while averaging 29.3 ppg.

Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir will join Memphis at point guard next season. She has already scored over 2,000 career points in her prep career heading into her senior campaign.

She also played for the Springfield Sparks AAU team, helping her team to the 2006 15-Under Super Regional Championship in New Jersey and a 15-under USJN Hershey Park College Showcase Runner-Up finish.

Also recruited by Louisville and Boston College, Abdul-Qaadir plans on a pre-med major with an interest in cardiac surgery.

The University of Memphis women's basketball team opens its first regular season under McFerrin on Friday, against Northern Arizona at 7 p.m. (CT) in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse on the University of Memphis campus.