ST. JOSEPH - Missouri Western women's basketball head coach Candi Whitaker announced the addition of three transfers to the signing class for the 2020-21 season.Two of the three will come to MWSU after initially heading for the NCAA Division I level after high school.Brionna BudgettsG | So. | 5-7 | Central Arkansas/UMKC | Kansas City, Mo.Prospects Nation ranked Budgetts as the No. 22 point guard in the country coming out of Lincoln Prep Academy and the No. 120-ranked prospect overall. She earned All-State honors following her senior season and was a three-time first team all-conference selection. Budgetts did not see playing time her freshman year at Central Arkansas.Whitaker: "Brionna is a play-making guard who will help us play fast and up-tempo. She's proven she can score in a variety of ways as well as create for others. We are excited she's staying close to home and that we will have the chance to invest in her as a Griffon."Jelesa GrossF | Jr. | 6-0 | Butler Community College | Oklahoma City, Okla.Gross averaged 5.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season at Butler County where she started 30 games for a Grizzlies team that went 25-8 and claimed the NJCAA Region VI title for a second consecutive season. As a freshman at Butler, Gross shot 55.8% while averaging 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.Whitaker: "Jelesa joins us from a tremendous junior college program at Butler and knows what it takes to compete at a high level. She brings great length and versatility to our team and we are looking forward to getting her to campus and working with her."Asia McCoyG/F | Jr. | 5-10 | South Plains Community College / UMass | Atlanta, Ga.Another junior college regional champion, McCoy averaged 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as South Plains went 32-1 and claimed the NJCAA Region V championship. McCoy shot 60.4% from the field and 45.5% from 3-point range in her lone season at South Plains. She started 16 games and appeared in 26 as a freshman at UMass, averaging 4.7 points and 3.8 rebounds. McCoy prepped at Archer High School where she picked up All-State, All-Region and All-County honors helping her team to the Georgia Final Four.Whitaker: "Asia brings great experience to our team and has shown the ability to play multiple positions at a high level. Her rebounding ability on both ends of the court is something we are really excited about. We are thrilled to welcome Asia to the Griffon family."This trio joins Kelcie Hale to give Whitaker's second recruiting class at MWSU four total transfers and nine total after five incoming freshmen signed in November.Whitaker led the Griffons to a 21-8 record in her first season at Missouri Western, becoming just the second coach in program history to win more than 20 in year one.--- MWSU Athletics ---

Missouri Western women's basketball adds three transfers