BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team is eager to get back on the court in a competitive setting with the disappointment of the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament and an upset loss to Wake Forest in Greensboro lingering as the last time the group played.
With two All-ACC players returning, the addition of seven newcomers on the court and two new faces on the coaching staff, head coach Kenny Brooks and the Hokies once again feel like they can be contenders in the ACC following a program-best 11 league victories a season ago.
The upcoming 2020-21 season will feature a later start date and fewer non-conference contests in part to make room for a 20-game ACC slate.
Fifteen players make up the roster for the 2020-21 season.
#0 MAKAYLA ENNIS
A sophomore guard/forward, Ennis came off the bench 15 times a season ago and logged 87 minutes, scoring six field goals. Known for her energy on the sideline and in the locker room, ‘Mak’ will look to make a bigger impact on the court this season.
#2 AISHA SHEPPARD
A first-team All-ACC guard in 2020, Sheppard could make some history in this, her senior season. Already the 28th Hokie woman to score 1,000 points, she will no doubt climb the ranks in the record book in that regard, but she could very well hold a school record of her own by the time the season draws to a close. She enters the season in second place all-time with 219 3-point field goals, just 50 behind Vanessa Panousis’ school record of 269.
Sheppard averaged 14.8 points per game in 2019-20, played more than 33 minutes per game, and she will be an integral piece to the Hokies’ success again this campaign.
She graduated with a degree in multimedia journalism in the summer and is enrolled in grad school.
#3 CHLOE BROOKS
A redshirt sophomore guard, Brooks has been hampered by injury to this point in her career. She saw action in five games last season, first entering the fray during the Hokies’ win at the Coqui Classic against Wichita State. Against Miami, she hit her first career field goal, a 3-pointer in transition.
#5 GEORGIA AMOORE
A freshman guard, the Aussie is finally ready to hit the floor after enrolling at Tech in January of 2020. Although she was eligible, did not suit up for the remainder of the season. She has now had a spring and summer of training in which to learn Coach Brooks’ system and her teammates, and the point guard could have a breakout season.
#10 DA’JA GREEN
After a three-year career at Wofford where she was an All-Conference performer, Green, a redshirt senior guard who owns a psychology degree, joins the Hokies’ backcourt. She averaged 12.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists with the Terriers in 2019-20. Her 435 career assists rank third all-time at Wofford.
#11 D’ASIA GREGG
A junior forward and no stranger to the ACC, Gregg began her career at Georgia Tech in 2018-19 before spending a year at Gulf Coast State where she averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Gregg shot 47% from the floor in 2019-20.
#12 SHELBY CALHOUN
Freshman Calhoun is a guard hailing from Louisville, Ky., where she was a 2A State Champion (2019), and earned State Tournament MVP honors along the way. She was also named the NAAPS Region 4 Kentucky Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2018. She guided her AAU team, Indy Gym Rats, to the 2018 EYBL Final Four and earned a spot on the 2018 EYBL All-Tourney team.
The versatile guard was an AP second-team All-State honoree in 2018. Calhoun earned All-District, All-Region and All-Metro honors each season in high school at Christian Academy of Louisville. In addition, Calhoun has been an Academic All-State selection three times.
Calhoun scored more than 1,800 points and grabbed more than 1,200 rebounds in high school. She was recognized as honorable mention All-State in 2017 and AP second-team All-State in 2018.
#15 AZANA BAINES
A sophomore guard, Baines transferred from Duke where she started four of 29 games averaging 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. She posted five double-digit scoring performances including a 12-point effort at sixth-ranked Texas A&M.
#21 SHAMARLA KING
A freshman 6-foot guard from Hartford, Conn., King played club ball for CT Heights. At the Watkinson School, King has won three varsity letters, winning MVP awards in 2016 and 2017. Last season she collected the Coaches Award.
#22 CAYLA KING
Sophomore guard King saw action in all 30 contests in her freshman season, coming off the bench and playing 13.8 minutes per game. She averaged 2.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. King was third on the squad in 3-pointers made, knocking down 26 and shooting 32.5% from beyond the arc.
#23 ASIAH JONES
A redshirt senior, Jones sat out last season as a transfer and is set to make her Virginia Tech debut. An athletic 6-foot-3 forward, she figures to be quite the complementary figure in the post to center Elizabeth Kitley.
Jones played for three seasons at Southern Cal where she saw action in 54 games and once recorded eight blocks in a single game, at the time the most at the school since Lisa Leslie had eight in 1993.
#31 NEVAEH DEAN
A 6-foot-2 freshman forward from Hamilton, Ohio, Dean will add depth to the frontcourt for the Hokies. She earned four varsity letters at Lakota West High where she has been named honorable mention All-State and First Team All-District. She also played for Sports City U, which is annually one of the top club teams on the AAU circuit.
#33 ELIZABETH KITLEY
After a 27-point debut, Kitley, a sophomore center, set the bar for her freshman season fairly high, and she lived up to expectations, winning ACC Freshman of the Year after averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Together with Aisha Sheppard, the two represent the second-highest scoring duo (27.3 points per game) to return to the ACC this season.
#35 TAYLOR GEIMAN
A sophomore guard/forward, Geiman’s freshman season ended in January with an ACL injury, but her recovery has gone well and she will be back on the court with her teammates this season.
In 11 contests in 2019-20, she averaged 2.1 points in 11.9 minutes per game.
#40 ALEX OBOUH FEGUE
Redshirt senior center Obouh Fegue returns after her debut season in Blacksburg where she led the team in field goal percentage at north of 56%. She averaged 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in 17 games played, scoring 16 points against Saint Francis in her first game.
