George Washington University Athletics
Women's Basketball Signs Two to NLIs
11/17/2018 11:45:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Brown, Blethen set to join GW program in 2019
WASHINGTON - GW women's basketball head coach Jennifer Rizzotti announced on Friday the signing of Faith Blethen (Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region) and Essence Brown (Galax, Va./Galax), who will join the Colonials program beginning in the 2019-20 season.
"We are welcoming two outstanding young women into our family," Rizzotti said. "Faith and Essence are humble, hard working, high-character kids in addition to being really good basketball players. They embody everything about the culture we have been trying to build at GW."
Blethen, a 6-foot-1 forward, has been a four-year starter at Boothbay Region High School, where she helped lead the Seahawks to the Class C Western Region title in 2016. Blethen has been regarded as a versatile forward who is a threat in the paint and on the perimeter. She brings an aggressive approach on the defensive end of the floor and an intensity to both sides of the ball. Blethen is also a gifted cross country athlete, who has won three conference runner of the year awards and is a two-time regional champion in the sport.
"I've been recruiting Faith since before I started coaching at GW," Rizzotti said. "She's a great fit for our system - especially with the departure of Kelsi Mahoney - because she has a high IQ, she can play multiple positions and fill a lot of different roles for us. I love how invested she has always been in her team's success and how hard she plays on both ends of the floor."
Brown, a 5-foot-11 guard, is a highly-heralded player for the Maroon Tide of Galax High School. She was named first team All-State and both the Mountain Empire District and Region Player of the Year as a junior after earning All-Conference honors as a freshman and a sophomore. Brown, much like Blethen, stands out with her defensive intensity and has the ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor with her explosive ability to score from the perimeter and slash to the rim
"I love that Essence's talent matches her competitiveness," Rizzotti said. "She wants to impact the game in every way and her skill set will translate well to the college level. She'll give us another scoring option on the wing as well as a longer, athletic defender.
"Both players are versatile on both ends of the floor, they are energy givers and I believe the will impact our program immediately in a lot of ways."
"We are welcoming two outstanding young women into our family," Rizzotti said. "Faith and Essence are humble, hard working, high-character kids in addition to being really good basketball players. They embody everything about the culture we have been trying to build at GW."
Blethen, a 6-foot-1 forward, has been a four-year starter at Boothbay Region High School, where she helped lead the Seahawks to the Class C Western Region title in 2016. Blethen has been regarded as a versatile forward who is a threat in the paint and on the perimeter. She brings an aggressive approach on the defensive end of the floor and an intensity to both sides of the ball. Blethen is also a gifted cross country athlete, who has won three conference runner of the year awards and is a two-time regional champion in the sport.
"I've been recruiting Faith since before I started coaching at GW," Rizzotti said. "She's a great fit for our system - especially with the departure of Kelsi Mahoney - because she has a high IQ, she can play multiple positions and fill a lot of different roles for us. I love how invested she has always been in her team's success and how hard she plays on both ends of the floor."
Brown, a 5-foot-11 guard, is a highly-heralded player for the Maroon Tide of Galax High School. She was named first team All-State and both the Mountain Empire District and Region Player of the Year as a junior after earning All-Conference honors as a freshman and a sophomore. Brown, much like Blethen, stands out with her defensive intensity and has the ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor with her explosive ability to score from the perimeter and slash to the rim
"I love that Essence's talent matches her competitiveness," Rizzotti said. "She wants to impact the game in every way and her skill set will translate well to the college level. She'll give us another scoring option on the wing as well as a longer, athletic defender.
"Both players are versatile on both ends of the floor, they are energy givers and I believe the will impact our program immediately in a lot of ways."
Players Mentioned
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