ELON, N.C. – Elon University women’s basketball coach Brenda Paul today announced the signing of two players to National Letters of Intent for the 2007-08 season. Paul has added Jess Luedtke (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge HS) and Julie Taylor (Columbia, Md./Atholton HS). With these additions, the Phoenix program will welcome four freshmen to next season’s roster.
Luedtke, a 5-11 forward, helped lead Bill Bradley’s Thunder Ridge program to an 18-8 record this season after averaging 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. She also averaged 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals per outing in her senior campaign. She leaves the program ranking in the top-10 in school history in scoring (10th, 406 points), assists (fifth, 166 assists) and steals (eighth, 138 steals). Luedtke has been a member of two state title teams (2004, 2005) and has been an all-conference and all-academic selection during her prep years. Thunder Ridge was ranked seventh in the nation by USA Today in 2005 and the program went 87-16 during Luedtke’s four years there. She has also played AAU basketball for the Colorado Hoopsters. Jess is the daughter of Joe and Michelle Luedtke.
Of Luedtke, Paul says, “Jess is a versatile swing player who possesses the ability to create off the dribble. She has the size to rebound offensively and should create mismatches on the defensive end. She has an aggressive mentality which will be a significant addition to our small forward position. Jess comes from one of the top programs in the state of Colorado; a program which has sent players to Duke, Virginia, Minnesota and Brown at the Division I level.”
Taylor, a 5-7 guard, has been a three-year first team all-county pick and was twice dubbed second team all-metro. She helped Maureen Shacreaw’s Atholton program to state, regional and county championships in 2007. The state title was the first in school history for the program. The team also captured the 2006 regional title. Taylor was named team MVP her senior year after averaging 17.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. She also had 109 steals and shot 56.7 percent from the field last season. Taylor leaves Atholton as the school’s all-time leading scorer, netting 1,450 points in her career. Julie is the daughter of Jeff Taylor and his wife Katy and Katherine and her husband Steve Frankel.
Of Taylor, Paul stated, “Julie is a hard-nosed, smart competitor who has the ability to make everyone around her better. She plays with poise and confidence under pressure and comes from a tremendous program which won a Maryland state title under her senior leadership.”
– ELON –