Rio Grande Sports Information
    TWINSBURG, Ohio - University of Rio Grande women's basketball head coach David Smalley has announced the signing of Twinsburg High School's Nichole Mabry for the 2012-13 season.
    Mabry, a 5-foot-6 point guard, averaged 3.5 points, 2.4 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game for the Lady Tigers, who finished the 2011-12 season with a 25-3 record after capturing the second of back-to-back Ohio Division I state championships in March.    Head coach Julie Solis' club posted a 75-5 record during Mabry's three seasons as a member of the varsity squad and was undefeated against in-state foes each of the past two campaigns.
    "I'm extremely excited to continue my career," the three-year letter winner said. "Playing at the collegiate level has been a dream of mine ever since I started playing basketball."
    Mabry was twice named an All-Northeast Ohio Conference honorable mention selection, in addition to earning a spot on the 2012 Tri-County Coaches Association Senior Girls Basketball All-Star Team and the 2012 Greater Cleveland Coaches Senior Girls All-Star Team.
    In 2011, Mabry was also an Eastern Ohio All-Star and played in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chicago with fellow RedStorm signees Sarah Bonar and Taylor Hale.
    She also has enjoyed a measure of success in the classroom as well, earning a 4-year Certificate of Academic Achievement, the Silver Scholar Athlete Certificate and the 2012 Twinsburg Mayor's Scholarship, which recognized her dedication to community service and to helping others.
    "We're delighted to have Nichole joining our Rio family," Smalley said. "She brings a wealth of talent to us and she's one of the young ladies that I'm excited about adding to our program. She's a great person and a very solid student. As a player, she's type of kid who knows how to win and who's hard-nosed both offensively and defensively."
    Mabry, who will major in nursing, chose Rio Grande after also garnering interest from a handful of other schools including Wittenburg, Shenandoah, Lourdes, Mount Union and Ursuline.
    "The opportunities presented to me here at Rio are the reasons I chose to come here," said Mabry, whose community service includes serving as a mentor in the Basketball Little Sisters program and volunteering to assist students in a special needs classroom at her school for each of the past two years. "I know I can improve on becoming a better point guard, but I can bring a fast-paced, fundamental type of game to the program."
    Smalley said that RedStorm fans shouldn't be deterred by what some may perceive as unimpressive numbers from Mabry as a senior, noting that she went largely unnoticed on the floor while directing a team that included a pair of NCAA Division I signees in Malina Howard (Maryland) and LaShawna Gatewood (Appalachian State).
    "She's very, very solid defensively, she can push the ball up the floor and she has great floor vision and the ability to get the ball to an open teammate," he said. "She may not have put up a lot of big numbers in high school when it comes to scoring, but I think she will in our system. She does a lot of things well."
    Smalley said that Mabry's arrival, coupled with the return of Liz Badgett, whose freshmen season was cut short as a result of a knee injury, will allow some flexibility to the lineup.
    "I think having those two there might allow us to explore using Nik-Nik (Shardae Morrison-Fountain) at the (shooting) guard," said Smalley. "There are a lot of positives that come with adding Nichole to the program - both on the floor and in the classroom. We're looking forward to four great years with her in our program."
    Mabry's future goals are simply an extension of what has become natural for her.
    "My ultimate goal would be to win a title and to become the best player I can be," she said.
    Mabry is the daughter of Dan and Darlene Kosco of Twinsburg.