FULLERTON, Calif. – Head coach Daron Park announced Wednesday that four high school seniors have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball at Cal State Fullerton. Lakyn Gulley, Dashayla Johnson, Portia Neale, and Daeja Smith will enroll at Cal State Fullerton at the beginning of the 2014-15 academic school year.
"I'm absolutely thrilled with the quality of character in these four individuals," Park said. "I'm very happy with my staff for putting in the time to cultivate relationships with these student-athletes and for all the work they put in to get up to speed on the recruiting trail. These are exceptional young women and high character student-athletes, and they are going to be the cornerstones of Cal State Fullerton Women's Basketball.
"It's very exciting to have these four individuals join our family. They all possess the same goals and vision that we are trying to accomplish here at Fullerton. It means the world to me to have them on our team and it will be a very special recruiting class for this University."
Three recruits played at California high schools (Johnson, Neale, Smith) and one recruit (Gulley) played high school in Indiana.
Lakyn Gulley | G| 5-7 | South Side High School | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Three-year varsity starter for South Side High School in Fort Wayne, Ind...averaged 7.3 points, 2.0 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game as a junior...during her junior year, Gulley helped lead the Archers to a 24-4 overall record, a perfect 10-0 league mark, and a trip to the Indiana State Championship game before eventually falling to Bedford North Lawrence 54-51…recorded a career-high 18 points when she knocked down 6-for-7 from three-point range vs. Fort Wayne Canterbury on Nov. 28, 2012…contributed a career-high six steals vs. Fort Wayne Bishop on Dec. 27, 2012…named to the 2012 all-conference team...had eight double-digit scoring games and 15 games with at least two three-point field goals…plays for Pal Elite Fort Wayne AAU team.
From coach Park: "Lakyn is an absolute shooter with a quick release and great range. She will be an impact player right away because of her perimeter shooting, which is a threat that every team needs. Coming out of Indiana, Lakyn adds an out-of-state player to our roster, which shows we are competing not only locally, but nationally to come to Cal State Fullerton."
Dashayla Johnson| G| 5-8 | Tulare Western High School |Tulare, Calif.
Averaged 24.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.6 steals per per game as a junior at Tulare Western High School before suffering a foot injury that ended her season…is a three-year varsity letter winner…scored a season-high 37 points: once against Hoover High School (12/5/2012), and second vs. Bullard High School (12/6/2012)...recorded 15 double-digit scoring outings as a junior, including 12 games with at least 20 points…helped lead the Mustangs to a 20-9 overall record and 7-3 mark in league play in 2012-13...in 67 career high school games, Johnson has averaged 21.3 points, 4.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 5.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game...during her sophomore campaign, she was named to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Basketball third team after averaging 24.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 5.5 steals per game.
From coach Park: "Dashayla Johnson is an incredibly quick point guard. She can handle the ball; she has great size, and great skills. Her athleticism allows her to see the floor well and push the tempo. She's just a flat out scorer. Dashayla is a player that will challenge and push the players we already have here, which will make our program better."
Portia Neale| G| 5-9 | Clovis West High School |Fresno, Calif.
Three-year varsity letter winner for Clovis West High School in Fresno, Calif…averaged 11.4 points per game while being named to the CIF Central Section Team as well as the All-Fresno Bee Girls Outstanding Defensive Player as a junior...helped lead the Golden Eagles to a CIF Central Section title during her junior season after a 23-6 overall record and an undefeated (10-0) conference mark...during Clovis West's playoff run, Neale's defensive presence helped the Golden Eagles knock off two-year defending Section Division I champion Hanford (57-39) in the semifinals, and top-seeded Stockdale (53-38) for the title…produced 17 double-digit scoring games…Tri-Rivers League honorable mention during her sophomore campaign.
From coach Park: "Portia is everything you would want in a student-athlete. She's an amazing student with an incredible work ethic, which makes her a fantastic teammate. I love the energy and enthusiasm she plays with each time out on the court. Portia has an incredible motor on the floor and she does all the little things which will help us win basketball games. She will be a perfect fit for the culture that we are trying to establish at Fullerton."
Daeja Smith| F/C| 6-3 | Etiwanda High School |Etiwanda, Calif.
Averaged 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds (2.75 offensive rebounds) in 28 games as a junior at Etiwanda School…a two-year varsity letter winner…recorded seven double-digit scoring performances…pulled down 129 rebounds last season…poured in a career-high 21 points on Nov. 30, 2012 vs. Carter High School after shooting 8-for-12 from the field and 5-for-8 from three-point range…recorded 17 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Rancho Cucamonga...helped lead Etiwanda to a 28-4 overall record, 14-3 league mark, and a trip to the CIF Division I championship game.
From coach Park: "Daeja is a local kid and comes from an exceptional high school where she was well coached. She is long, athletic, and runs the floor well. She has great hands, rebounds well, and can stretch the floor. Daeja has great size and has a huge ceiling; she's just now learning how special of a player she can be. She's going to bring something very special and unique to Cal State Fullerton which we have never had."