LA JOLLA, Calif. ? UC San Diego women's basketball head coach Charity Elliott announced that basketball standouts Lauren Freidenberg, Anna Corinne Platten, Jenelle Conklin, Kristen Cabral and Leilani Martin will be joining the Tritons for the 2008-09 season. The newcomers have had successful careers all over, including Seattle, Sweden and both northern and southern California.
“Combining these five signees, with the three freshmen we signed early, I believe we have laid the groundwork for a tremendous future for UC San Diego women's basketball,” said head coach Charity Elliott. “We've added some phenomenal young ladies...both on the court and off, and I expect great things from each of them. As a group, they are extremely competitive and driven to succeed and I'm looking forward to seeing them mesh with our returning players, who will be ready to communicate the expectations that they have already established here at UCSD. I'm excited and honored that they have chosen to join the Triton family.”
Lauren Freidenberg will join the UCSD program from Seattle, Washington where she lettered at Interlake HS. The 6-foot forward averaged 15 points per game and 15.4 rebounds per game in her senior year. The 15.4 rebounds ranked second in the state, while also finishing third in the state with 4.5 blocks per game. She earned First-Team KingCO 3A honors, high school team MVP and Most Inspirational.
"Lauren is a phenomenal athlete who is relentless on the boards and can run the floor in transition,” said Elliott. “She will be joining her sister down here at UCSD who will be a freshman on the volleyball team. We are thrilled to have her join the Triton family and are expecting great things from her!"
Anna Corinne Platten becomes a Triton after spending her prep career as a guard/forward in Sweden. Platten played for Eos Club, the highest amateur division in Sweden. She also played for the Swedish National 16-under and 18-under teams.
"Corinne is an extremely intelligent basketball player who can play the point guard position or the small forward position,” said Elliott. “She plays a lot on instincts and as soon as we get her in the weight room and teach her our system, I think she will be a tremendous asset to our program. She already plays so smoothly for her age and does things naturally that are difficult to teach."
Jenell Conklin comes to UC San Diego as a transfer from Ventura Community College. The 5-foot-7 shooting guard helped Ventura CC capture the Western State Conference Championship and make a State Elite Eight appearance. She averaged 12 points and four rebounds, along with 50 percent field goal shooting and 42 percent from behind the arc.
"Jenelle is just a flat scorer...she's can shoot or drive and has a nice pull-up jumper,” said Elliott. “What excites me most about Jenelle is her passion for the game and willingness to do the dirty work...like taking charges! Jenelle is a fighter and comes from a great program where she is used to winning!"
Kristen Cabral joins the Trion family as a transfer from Fullerton Community College. The 5-foot-10 forward earned First-Team All Orange Empire Conference honors, earning all-conference and ranked No. 1 in field-goal percentage. Last year Fullerton CC went 21-14 as Cabral averaged 11.1 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game in conference action.
"Kristen is a very fundamental hard working power forward who rebounds and posts extremely well,” said Elliott. “She is also a relentless post defender and will bring a lot of fire to the court!"
Leilani Martin comes to UCSD as a transfer from Foothill College. The 5-foot-9 guard helped Foothill to a secomd-place finish in the state of California. As a freshman, Martin was named first-team all-conference. She can play the one, two or three positions.
"Leilani is a big guard who can play point guard, shooting guard and even small forward as needed,” said Elliott. “Her steady court demeanor is one of her greatest assets as well as her court vision and decision making. We are very excited to have Leilani join our family!"
Last year the Tritons went 25-10 and advanced to the NCAA West Region semifinals. The 25 wins was the second highest total in school history. The 2008-09 Tritons will return two starters from that team, including first-team All-CCAA Michelle Osier.
