Bears Formally Announce 2024-25 Newcomers

MACON – Mercer women's basketball head coach Michelle Clark-Heard and her staff formally announced their 12- member class of newcomers on Tuesday afternoon. The list of additions includes five freshmen, as well as seven transfer student-athletes.

"Our staff has hit the ground running and put together an incoming class that will be exciting to watch," Coach Heard said. "We have added tremendous length and athleticism that will give us the ability to be a versatile team on offense and defense. I am excited about this group not only because of their basketball abilities, but also because of their belief in this coaching staff, as well as their passion to become Bears and represent Mercer University."

JANIA AKINS

Fr., 5-11, Guard
Chicago, Ill. / Norcross (Ga.) HS

SCOUTING REPORT: Akins is an all-state and two-time all-region combo guard who averaged more than 19 points as a senior at Norcross High School for coach Ashley Clanton. She led the Blue Devils to a cumulative 53-9 (.855) record across her last two seasons on the prep level, including a pair of deep runs in the state tournament. Akins shot nearly 75 percent from the free throw line last season.

COACH HEARD ON AKINS: "Jania is a scoring combo guard that does it all! Her ability to play on and off the ball is really valuable. We are so excited to add a highly touted recruit from the state of Georgia to the Mercer family. Our staff is looking forward to watching her grow."

CHELSY BAUTISTA

Jr., 6-1, Forward
Santo Domingo, D.R. / Carol Morgan School (Odessa College)

SCOUTING REPORT: Bautista comes to Macon from Odessa College where she raked in all-conference and all-region accolades after helping pace the Wranglers to a 30-5 clip and a spot in the NJCAA Elite Eight. She was also crowned with defensive player of the year honors by the Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC).

COACH HEARD ON BAUTISTA: "Chelsy is a high-motor post that loves defense and is a relentless rebounder. She gives us a post that can defend every position on the floor, and takes pride in being a defensive stopper. Her toughness and aggressiveness are unmatched, and she will be leading the charge for us defensively with her intensity."

ARIANA BENNETT

Jr., 6-1, Forward
Edwardsville, Ill. / Cardinal Ritter College Prep (Southwestern Illinois)

SCOUTING REPORT: Bennett treks to Macon from Belleville, Ill., where she spent the 2023-24 season at Southwestern Illinois College for head coach John Denney. Bennett earned all-region laurels as a sophomore after leading the Blue Storm to 18 wins and a berth in the NJCAA Region 24 Tournament. She started in 31 games for Southwestern Illinois last season and averaged a team-best 13.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

COACH HEARD ON BENNETT: "Ariana is a long, athletic and versatile post that creates the ability, defensively, to play interchangeably. She also gives us a post that can score inside and out. Ari is a tremendous person whose poise and leadership will be vital for us. She is always willing to do whatever it takes for the team."

NAHAWA DIARRA

Sr., 5-9, Guard
Barcelona, Spain / IES Miquel Biada (New Mexico)

SCOUTING REPORT: Berthe spent the 2023-24 season as a key contributor on a 21-win squad at New Mexico. She played her first two collegiate seasons at Odessa College in west Texas. The Spaniard played in 50 games (49 starts) across two seasons at Odessa, and registered career averages of 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game in 27.1 minutes an outing on the floor.

COACH HEARD ON DIARRA: "Nahawa is a big, athletic wing that gets after it defensively. She gives us a wing that can defend multiple positions on the floor, and she will be able to create problems with her size and athleticism. Nahawa is also a tremendous asset in transition because she uses her speed and explosiveness extremely well. Her ability to get to the rim and finish through contact will be incredibly valuable for the incoming senior."

ALIYAH COLLINS

Jr., 5-5, Guard
College Station, Texas / College Station HS (Incarnate Word)

SCOUTING REPORT: Collins played an integral part of the success of Incarnate Word for the last two seasons. She was one of two student-athletes to rake in All-Southland Conference laurels for the Cardinals at the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign. She averaged a team-best 12.2 points, 2.5 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals an outing last season as UIW registered a 19-11 mark and a fourth-place finish in the final SLC regular season standings.

COACH HEARD ON COLLINS: "Aliyah is an extremely quick guard that is a proven scorer. She can get in the lane to score or create for others, but her energy and passion is going to be huge for us. She is a great communicator whose experience and leadership will be relied on."

TALIA HARRIS

Fr., 5-8, Guard
Fishers, Ind. / Fishers HS

SCOUTING REPORT: Harris turned in a stellar prep career at Fishers High School in central Indiana where she was a three-time all-conference standout and member of the Indiana All-Stars. A 24-game starter for the Tigers and head coach Lauren Votaw, Harris averaged 14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game in pacing Fisher High School to a 17-7 clip as a senior. She connected on nearly 43 percent of her field goal attempts.

COACH HEARD ON HARRIS: "Talia is a high-IQ point guard that has a tremendous basketball pedigree. Her ability to score at all three levels while making others better will be extremely valuable for us. I have had the privilege of knowing Talia for a long time, and have built a great relationship with her. Our point guard has to be an extension of me, and Talia is going to be a great example of that."

ASTRID MUKULUMPE

Fr., 6-4, Forward
Orleans, France / Lycée Marguerite de Flandre

SCOUTING REPORT: Mukulumpe ventures to Middle Georgia from central France where she played prep-level basketball for Lycée Marguerite de Flandre and coach Kevin Fauchois. She averaged 12.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in a recent stint at the France U18 National Championships, and helped guide her ESBVA-LM squad to a third-place finish at the event.

COACH HEARD ON MUKULUMPE: "Astrid gives us a post player that has elite level size, determination and experience. Her passion and desire to become a great player is inspiring. She has also competed at high levels internationally which will be extremely valuable to add to our team. We fell in love with Astrid's great energy and personality just as much as her game."

ZENIA PALASKA

So., 6-2, Forward
Athens, Greece / Platon School (Vermont)

SCOUTING REPORT: Palaska helped pace Vermont to a 25-win season and a berth into the postseason WNIT in 2023-24. The Athens, Greece, recently played a stint in Europe with the Greece U-20 National Team.

COACH HEARD ON PALASKA: "Zenia is a highly-skilled post that is a mismatch creator. She gives us a post that can take advantage of opposing defenders because of her mix of size and skills. She also has a lot of basketball experience as she has competed at the highest of levels both domestically and international. Her experience will give her the ability to be extremely productive immediately."

KAYLA SMITH

Jr., 5-11, Guard
Lakeland, Fla. / Winter Haven HS (Prairie View A&M)

SCOUTING REPORT: Smith played her first two collegiate seasons at Prairie View A&M. She played in 26 games as a freshman, and saw action in 22 games off of the bench for the Panthers last season. She erupted for a career-best 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting in Prairie View A&M's win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in February.

COACH HEARD ON SMITH: "Kayla adds length and athleticism and has the ability to shoot the 3 from long range which is vital for stretching the floor. She is such a versatile defender who has a tremendous motor and takes pride in being able to guard multiple positions."

IOANNA STEFANAKI

R-Fr., 5-10, Guard
Crete, Greece / Aristoteleio College (Idaho State)

SCOUTING REPORT: Stefanaki redshirted in her lone season at Idaho State in 2023-24. She has played seven-straight seasons with the Greek national team, making her debut as a part of the U-14 team in 2018. She made quite a splash as a member of the U-18 squad, finishing that stint with a U-18 single-season record for 3-pointers, while also concluding with the third-most points ever scored by a member of Thessaloniki.

COACH HEARD ON STEFANAKI: "Ioanna is a big wing shooter that can really space the floor. She gives us a long lefty shooter that will add length, athleticism and scoring on the perimeter. Her basketball IQ and pedigree is unmatched, and will be extremely impactful for our program."

STACY UTOMI

Fr., 5-10, Guard
Detroit, Mich. / Arbor Preparatory HS

SCOUTING REPORT: Utomi turned in a great high school career at Arbor Preparatory High School, earning all-state and all-division recognition as a junior. Stacy, along with her twin sister and Mercer teammate, Stephanie, led the Gators to third second state championship in three years as a senior. She averaged 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.9 steals per game as a junior, while also shooting 55.8 percent from the floor.

COACH HEARD ON UTOMI: "Stacy is a high-motor athletic wing that plays with a relentless pursuit of the basketball. She comes from a championship program and understands the intensity that it takes to win at a high level. Her energy and intensity will be extremely important for us in the upcoming season."

STEPHANIE UTOMI

Fr., 5-11, Guard
Detroit, Mich. / Arbor Preparatory HS

SCOUTING REPORT: Utomi was a three-time all-state player at Arbor Preparatory High School, and picked up Associated Press state player of the year laurels as a senior. Stephanie, along with her twin sister and Mercer teammate, Stacy, led the Gators to third second state championship in three years as a senior. Stephanie turned in 12.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.1 steals, 2.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per game across her final prep season.

COACH HEARD ON UTOMI: "Stephanie is an aggressive and athletic forward that plays the game with tremendous passion. Her energy and effort are contagious and that makes our team better daily."

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