June 5, 2020 

Mississippi State WBB adds more talent

Nikki McCray-Penson has not missed a beat

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Graduate transfer Caterrion Thompson and freshman Charlotte Kohl from Germany are the latest additions to an already stacked Mississippi State Women’s Basketball Team. Kohl and Thompson join McDonald’s All-American Madison Hayes to make up State’s 2020 signing class.

Head Coach Nikki McCray-Penson announced the signings on Thursday via news release and a Twitter post.

“Both Caterrion and Charlotte are pieces l believe that fit into the championship puzzle that we are building at MSU,” said McCray-Penson.

“We are thrilled to have Caterrion join our Bulldog family. She has high character and a great work ethic. She fills an immediate need with her experience and ability to consistently knock down open shots. I am excited about the development potential of Charlotte. She also has a high character. Her size, length and skill put her in a position to have a bright future.”

Thompson, a graduate transfer guard from Bowling Green, is coming off a season where she averaged 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game. She posted in double digits a team-high 23 times — including eight games of 20 points or more and two double-doubles.

Known for her three-point shooting, Thompson knocked down 66 threes and shot 37 percent from beyond the arc last season, ranking 71st in the nation. In three seasons at Bowling Green, she hit 115 total 3-pointers.

Kohl, a center, was a member of the German National U16 and U18 Teams as well as the 3X3 U18 National Team. She guided her squad to a second-place finish at the 2017 national high school championship. An all-star at the 2015 FIBA Camp, she attended Theo Koch Schule in Grünberg, which cooperates with the Basketball Internat Grünberg, a basketball academy for girls.

Hayes, the 2020 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year, amassed 3,055 points,1,583 rebounds, 459 assists, 457 steals and 241 blocks during her four-year prep career.

Thompson and Kohl are just the latest blockbuster additions to State’s roster since McCray-Penson was named its eighth head coach on April 11th after Vic Schaefer left for the University of Texas.

On May 29, Knisha Godfrey, a 5-foot-9 point guard from Florida and one of the top high school basketball players in the country, committed to Mississippi State via a two-minute video posted to her Twitter account.

Godfrey is ranked as the No. 93 player in the country for her class, according to the 2021 HoopGurlz recruiting rankings posted on ESPN.com.

Back in 2019, Sidney Cooks, the former Michigan State standout, announced on Twitter that she would be transferring to Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs finished the season 13-3 and second in the SEC before play was cancelled due to the spread nationwide of the coronavirus.

Written by Dorothy J. Gentry

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