The women's basketball program at Shawnee State has brought in another group of strong talents for the 2024-25 season -- as a total of seven players have joined the roster to add to what is expected to be terrific depth for DeWayne Burroughs' program this coming season.
Overall, the roster features three Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) stars, a fourth former Kentucky high school talent that has NCAA Division II playing experience, two Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) standouts and a junior college transfer that started 43 games for Union (N.J.) College in her two seasons there.
No. 1 -- Laken Williams, 5-4 Fr. G, Williamson, W. Va./Martin County (Ky.) HS
A native of Williamson, W. Va. -- just across the Kentucky-West Virginia border, 5-4 freshman guard Laken Williams is among several in the class who have the potential to be a dynamic scorer.
Throughout her four years at Martin County, Williams averaged double-figures -- and led Martin County in scoring in all four seasons of her high school career, averaging the following numbers en route to scoring 2,131 points during her four years with the Cardinals:
- Freshman ('20-21): 13.2 points, 3.1 rebounds
- Sophomore ('21-22): 17.5 points, 3.3 rebounds
- Junior ('22-23): 21.2 points, 4.6 rebounds
- Senior ('23-24): 19.2 points, 4.4 rebounds
Martin County won KHSAA 57th District Championships in Williams' sophomore and junior seasons and advanced to the 15th Region Semifinals in each of Williams final three years of high school competition. The Cardinals accumulated a record of 83-36 over Williams' four seasons of high school basketball -- with Martin County averaging 20.75 wins a season behind Williams' leadership.
In addition to the above, Williams held a terrific 3.96 GPA at Martin County -- and won the 2024 Donna LJ Murphy Award for her efforts in the classroom. Williams was named as a WYMT All-Tournament Team member in 2020 and 2023 and was honored as a 15th Region Coaches Association All-Region team member three consecutive seasons in 2021, 2022, and 2023
No. 3 -- Miyoshi Ellis, 5-3 Jr. G, Harlem, N.Y./Kipp College Prep/Union (N.J.) College
A lead guard who is as quick as a hiccup, Miyoshi Ellis has already appeared in 58 collegiate games and started in 43 of those contests at Union (N.J), a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II program.
Ellis averaged 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game as a freshman while appearing in 27 games and making 12 starts, then, as a sophomore, started and played in all 31 contests while averaging 6.9 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals per affair on 44.8 percent shooting.
Behind Ellis' play as a sparkplug guard, Union went 48-12 over Ellis' two seasons in the lineup, going 23-6 with a NJCAA Region 19 Championship appearance as a freshman, then improving to 25-6 with a NJCAA Region 19 Championship crown and an appearance in the 2024 NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.
No. 5 -- Jonilyah Chambers, 5-8 Fr. G, Huber Heights, Ohio/Huber Heights Wayne HS
A microwave scorer of sorts, Jonilyah Chambers is a true freshman who -- much like Williams -- can get going from a scoring standpoint in a hurry.
At the ultra-competitive Huber Heights Wayne High School just outside of the Dayton metro area, Chambers averaged 7.9 points, four rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals per outing as a junior, but upticked that mark to 12.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals as a senior.
Chambers was ultimately named as a Second-Team All-Greater Western Ohio Conference honoree as a junior and upticked those honors to First-Team All-GWOC as a senior. Huber Heights Wayne went 28-22 in Chambers' final two seasons in the starting lineup, after going 7-15 the year prior to Chambers appearing in the starting lineup.
No. 10 -- Addison Edmondson, 5-7 Fr. G, Bedford, Ky./Trimble County HS
A five-year varsity basketball player -- as middle school-aged players can play high school basketball in the KHSAA beginning with the seventh grade, Addison Edmondson is an accomplished scorer who was Trimble County's main threat for each of the final three seasons of her high school career.
Averging 2.9 points as a freshman, Edmondson nearly quintupled her points per game average by posting a 10.2 point-per-game average as a freshman to finish second on the unit in scoring. Edmondson then proceeded to lead the Shawnee State women's basketball program in scoring throughout her final three seasons of high school basketball, averaging over 13 points and 4.5 rebounds in each of her last three seasons with the Raiders.
- '19-20 (8th): 2.9 points, 1.1 rebounds (58 points)
- '20-21 (Fr.): 10.2 points, 3.2 rebounds (264 points)
- '21-22 (Soph.): 13.2 points, 4.6 rebounds (357 points)
- '22-23 (Jr.): 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds (391 points)
- '23-24 (Sr.): 15 points, 5.5 rebounds (465 points)
Behind the above totals, Edmondson ultimately posted 1,535 points during her high school at Trimble County -- with 1,477 of those coming over her final four seasons of play. Trimble County improved drastically from 3-24 in Edmondson's sophomore season to 16-15 in her final year. It marked the Raiders' first winning season since the 2016-17 campaign.
No. 15 -- Lauren Hawthorne, 6-0 Jr. F, Hebron, Ky./Conner HS/Glenville State/Purdue-Northwest
A versatile player with great promise, Lauren Hawthorne joins the Shawnee State women's basketball program after two seasons of experience at the NCAA Division II level.
Back at Conner High School in the ultra-competitive KHSAA Ninth Region, Hawthorne averaged 8.2 points and 8.2 rebounds as a junior for the Cougars, then averaged 13.8 points and 6.5 rebounds as a senior with Conner during the 2021-22 season. Hawthorne led Conner to a 22-4 overall record during the 2021-22 campaign.
No. 25 -- Molly Howard, 5-6 Fr. G, Sandy Hook, Ky./Elliott County HS
A seven-year talent for Elliott County High School after appearing in the Lions' lineup since middle school, freshman guard Molly Howard brings a proficient shooting stroke to the table for the Shawnee State women's basketball program.
Howard ultimately scored 1,102 points over the course of her career with Elliott County, and showcased strong three-point marksmanship over her final three seasons of play as indicated below:
- '21-22 (10.1 points, 38.3 percent three-point field goal shooting)
- '22-23 (13.5 points, 39.9 percent three-point field goal shooting)
- '23-24 (14.3 points, 36 percent three-point field goal shooting)
No. 30 -- Jaden Tucker, 5-6 Fr. G, Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central HS
A member of a highly-competitive OHSAA Division I program out of Pickerington Central, Jaden Tucker's stats weren't readily available by Central Ohio media outlets, but the guard has experience playing inside a program with large depth that made OHSAA Division I Regional Semifinal appearances in all four seasons of her high school career and won OHSAA Division I Regional Championships in Tucker's junior and senior seasons to advance to the OHSAA Division I Final Four.
Additional
For more information on Shawnee State women's basketball throughout the season, visit www.ssubears.com.
