
Class Review: FSU
By Chris HansenNational Director of Scouting
Posted Mon, 11/19/2007 - 09:40 The Seminoles have two straight strong signing classes, including two top 35 players in 2008.
STORY BY CHRIS HANSEN; PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

Cierra Bravard and Chasity Clayton give FSU a special class
The Florida State Seminoles, under head coach Sue Semrau finished an amazing run in the 2006-2007 season which ended in the program’s first trip to the Sweet Sixteen and a 24-10 overall record. The Seminoles are a member of the hyper-competitive ACC Conference with the likes of Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland and North Carolina to name a few. The performance of the team spurred FSU to extend Coach Semrau’s contract this July through 2012 and her name was brought up for a number of open positions across the country.
The Seminoles 11-player roster this year has just one senior and, with two nationally ranked players in their four-player, 2008 signing class, the team’s future looks bright. The class is special not only for its top 10 ranking but because of several other factors.

Alexa DeLuzio
The class is special because it pits back-to-back classes with top-shelf talent in one of the toughest conferences in the country. FSU's 2007 class included crafty guard Courtney Ward and Georgia star Christian Hunnicutt. The Noles also capitalized on the coaching change at Florida which made another Georgia star player available in Antoinette Howard.
For the current signing class you have to start with Cierra Bravard, who was ranked No. 7 overall and the No. 2 post in the country by HoopGurlz.com. She is a gifted player who is ahead of her age and experience in playing the post. She is one of the most physical players on the interior to come out of high school in a long time. The Ohio native’s presence is always felt on the court. One of this 6-foot-4 post’s most outstanding attributes is her shot-making ability, quite simply she is a finisher and in the ACC conference where so many of the players are bigger, stronger and faster than most high school players imagine, she is equipped to succeed.
Chasity Clayton, a 6-1 wing from Thomas Edison High School in Alexandria, Va., ranked by HoopGurlz.com as the No. 8 wing in the country and the No. 32 overall ranked player, is a talented scorer and passer. She has a smooth way about her and can breakdown defenders and explode at the rim. She is a tremendous fit for the FSU three guard lineups.
The Seminoles also inked two other versatile perimeter players from the home state of Florida in three-star-rated Alex DeLuzio, one of the staples of the Orlando Comets AAU team, and Land O’Lake’s High School’s Kayli Keough. Both are 6-1 wing guards and are both incredibly versatile.
In the school's press release Coach Semrau said, "This is an exciting day for Florida State women's basketball. This class is an exceptional mix of talent. Each player has great strengths which compliment our basketball team on and off the court. Our staff, and Angie Johnson in particular, raised the bar Florida State recruiting classes to come."
Getting a trio of versatile wings with size and one of the country’s elite post players gives the Seminoles a truly special class.
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Chris Hansen is the National Director of Scouting for Women’s Basketball at HoopGurlz.com. He leads the panel that evaluates and ranks girl's basketball prospects nationally for HoopGurlz. Chris has been involved in the women’s basketball community since 1998 as a coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He can be reached at chris@hoopgurlz.com.
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