Mercer Inks Five Future Bears in 2018-19 Recruiting Class

MACON, Ga. – Mercer Women's Basketball Head Coach Susie Gardner announced the signing of five individuals to National Letters of Intent on Thursday.

The Bears will graduate five players at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season before welcoming Amoria Neal-Tysor, Summer Pahl, Cierra Scott, Jaron Stallworth and Emily Stradling to the Mercer family.

"This is our largest class in three years and our coaches have worked extremely hard knowing that we are losing five seniors," said Gardner. "I think collectively, this class is going to be really special. We knew what we needed to sign, we went out and pursued that skill set in an athlete, but also I am really excited that we can be selective in the type of people that we bring in here. This class is full of quality individuals that will represent us well on the court and in the classroom, while also representing Mercer in the Macon community."

Amoria Neal-Tysor
Sanford, N.C.
Lee County High School
Guard
5-6

Amoria Neal-Tysor has been a member of the Lee County High School team for four years, playing point guard for head coach Jenee' Peace. In four years at Lee County, Neal-Tysor has been named to the Academic All-Conference team as well as being named MVP, 2017 All-Tournament, 2017 All-Conference, 2017 All-District and 2017 All-Region. Neal-Tysor has also played combo guard for two years for the Carolina Allstars under head coaches Ty Cox and Brian Norwood.

What Coach Peace Says about Amoria
"I believe that Amoria is an awesome player who shows massive dedication to getting better and making her teammates better. I think she will bring energy, effort and enthusiasm to the Mercer Women's Basketball program."

What Coach Gardner Likes about Amoria
"We targeted signing a point guard in this class and Amoria stood out in the AAU season. She has quickness, an ability to score and she really likes to play defense. She has a passion, excitement and hunger for the game and is always looking to improve. She can be a dynamic player here for us."

Summer Pahl
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
St. Mary's High School
Guard
5-10

Summer Pahl has spent four seasons playing the combo guard position for St. Mary's High School under coaches Roth and Mijic. Pahl guided her team to a runner-up finish in District 8 in 2015 and is a four-time District 8 First Team All-Star honoree. Pahl has been named team MVP three times in her career as well as twice being named Junior Girls Athlete of the Year. The Ontario native has played four seasons for the Tri-County Thunder and head coach Allan Bush, guiding the Thunder to three third-place finishes in Juel Prep. Pahl was named to the 2016 First Team All-Star squad, in addition to claiming a spot on the 2017 All-Star Second Team. Pahl excels both on and off the court as she was named to the Honor Roll in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

What Coach Bush Says about Summer
"What Mercer is getting in Summer Pahl is one of our best. She is the hardest worker I have seen over the years. She is a born leader, an unselfish player, great student and overall an awesome person. Summer has been the captain for every team she has played on. She will be a great addition and great ambassador for the school."

What Coach Gardner Likes about Summer
"Summer caught my eye because she was always around the basketball. She wowed me because she was always getting tips, diving on the floor, grabbing the rebounds. She is great at doing the little things that don't always show up in the stats. I was drawn to watching her and I think she will continue to develop as she begins her career in the states."

Cierra Scott
Louisville, Ky.
Sacred Heart Academy
Guard/Forward
5-9

Cierra Scott is a four-year letterwinner for Sacred Heart Academy, playing the guard position under head coach Donna Moir. Scott guided her team to the Sweet 16 in the 2016 State Tournament and has been named First Team Academic All-State each of her four seasons. Scott also plays volleyball and competes in track & field, earning fifth in state for high jump and leading her volleyball squad to the 2016 state championship. Scott has also played two seasons with Sky Diggs Elite under head coaches Shawn Sullivan and Keith Phillips. While with the Elite, Scott led the team to a first-place finish in the MYT Best of the Midwest Tournament. Scott also claimed Windy City Classic Tournament MVP honors.

What Coach Moir Says about Cierra
"I am really excited for Cierra to pursue her dream of playing college basketball at Mercer. Cierra is one of the best three-sport athletes to ever come through Sacred Heart Academy. She gives her all in everything she does and has tremendous ability to excel in whatever she chooses. She will be a great addition to Mercer both on the court and in the classroom."

What Coach Gardner Likes about Cierra
"Cierra comes from a great high school program in Sacred Heart coached by Donna Moir. They have had tremendous success and she has grown up winning and being well coached. She is an athletic three player and we are really excited about what she is going to add to the talent that we already have in our program."

Jaron Stallworth
Buford, Ga.
Collins Hill High School
Forward
6-0

Jaron Stallworth has played her previous two years at Collins Hill High School following a two-year stint at Mountain View. Stallworth currently plays for head coach Brian Harmon and has led her squad to the Final Four on one occasion. While at Mountain View, Stallworth saw tremendous success, taking her team to the sweet 16 and elite eight as a freshman and sophomore. Stallworth played for the GA Redstorm for five years under head coach Kelly Dougherty. Stallworth and the Redstorm claimed the 2016 PSB May Day Championship. Stallworth has also played two seasons for FBC, winning the 2017 Lake Point Showcase Championship and 2017 ASGR Deep South Classic Championship.

What Coach Harmon Says about Jaron
"Jaron gets up every day with a new effort towards her goal. She has a refreshing attitude and she will do well both on and off the court for Mercer."

What Coach Gardner Likes about Jaron
"Jaron was the first player in this class to verbally commit to us. She has been on board for a while. She comes from a very athletic family as her dad played football at Vanderbilt, her mom played basketball at Vanderbilt and her sister plays basketball at Princeton. I am sure that Jaron is ready to make her own name for herself. She comes from a great high school in Collins Hill High School coached by Brian Harmon. Jaron is a four player that is always working in the gym. We think she can be a rebounder and a scorer for us, maybe even face up a little bit. I think she is a great player but her best days are ahead of her."

Emily Stradling
Wales, UK
St. David's Catholic Sixth Form College
Guard
5-10

Emily Stradling played five seasons at Porthcrawl Comprehensive School in Wales under head coach Andrew Stradling. As a team, Porthcrawl claimed the 2012 U14 Mixed Cardiff and Vale Playoff Championship, 2013 U14 Girls Welsh Schools Championship, 2014 U15 Mixed Cardiff and Vale Playoff Championship and the 2015 U16 Girls South Wales Schools Championship. Stradling played for the U16/U18 Welsh National Teams, playing in six FIBA Europe DivC tournaments. Stradling was also the captain of the U18 team in 2016, following a bronze-medal finish in 2015. Stradling also played for head coach Stef Collins of the Cardiff Met Archers AAU team. While with the Archers, Stradling led her team to the 2015 Women's National Cup Championship and 2015 U16 Southwest League Championship.

What Coach Collins Says about Emily
"We are thrilled to see Emily continue her education and basketball journey at Mercer. She has worked very hard and shown great commitment to her studies and basketball over the past two years at St. David's College and the Archers Women's Basketball program. She is a bright and talented young lady who will undoubtedly continue to develop under the guidance of Coach Gardner and her staff."

What Ieuan Jones (Trainer) Says about Emily
"Emily is a great person. She is so positive and uplifting to be around both on and off the court. Her energy is something that she will bring with her to Mercer along with her work ethic. Emily is the hardest working player I've ever had play for me and I can't wait to see what she can achieve at Mercer both individually and collectively as part of the basketball family. Mercer is getting a first-class person and talent in Emily."

What Coach Gardner Likes about Emily
"Emily is an example of the beauty of the internet. Coach Morton received an email with some video of Emily and followed up on it. Emily ended up being a great shooter and played for her U18 National Team. Emily loves the game and is constantly working on her game. I respect people who have put time in the gym to hone their skill of shooting. I am excited to bring another international athlete to our program and I think that she will be a special addition."

Just Around the Corner
Mercer opens its season in Orlando, Fla., tomorrow at Central Florida. Tip-off is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. The Bears will then travel to Boca Raton, Fla., for a 2 p.m. showdown against Florida Atlantic on Sunday, Nov. 12.

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerWBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB(Facebook) and @MercerWBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.

Mercer Inks Five Future Bears in 2018-19 Recruiting Class

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