RU tennis adds recruit
Radford University women’s tennis coach Jessica Giuggioli announced the commitment of Alexis Cramer to the 2019 recruiting class on Monday evening.
Cramer, who will begin her Radford career in the fall of 2019, transferred to Saddlebrook Preparatory/Tennis Academy her sophomore year to further develop her game as well as increase her focus on fitness. She ranked eighth on the Universal Tennis Rating, is the 426th Nationally Ranked Player, ranked 44th in Florida and made it to the Pennsylvania state finals in doubles her sophomore year.
Polite to national event
Radford University’s Senior forward Ed Polite Jr. has been selected to participate in the 2019 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, scheduled for April 5-7 at Minnesota’s Mall of America. Polite Jr. is one of four players selected from the Big South Conference and the full roster will be available at a later date.
The tournament is comprised of all-star teams of seniors, who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility, representing all 32 Division I conferences. The teams will compete for a $150,000 prize pool, with the champions taking home $100,000, double the prize money from a year ago. Additionally, the winners will earn the right to compete in the 2019 USA Basketball 3×3 Open National Championship later this spring.
Polite Jr. was a Preseason Lou Henson Award Watch List selection for the top Mid-Major player in the nation. He was named to the All-Big South First Team and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors after averaging a career-high 13.4 points per game including 14.8 during conference play. He led the Big South with 9.5 rebounds per game and ranked top-10 in the Big South for both steals per game (1.5) and blocks per game (1.2). The Lanham, Md. native became the top rebounder in program history and second in Big South history with 1,119 in his illustrious career.
All games of the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship will be carried live on Twitter or ESPN2.
Roanoke native in tourney
Russell Turner is leading his UC Irvine to another NCAA tournament. The Anteaters were scheduled to face Kansas State late Thursday night. The Roanoke native has guided the team to seven straight winning seasons and has served as the school’s head coach since 2010.
He graduated from Hampden-Sydney in 1992.
