Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball at Miami (Ohio) on November 2, 2026 at TBA
WBB
TBA
James Madison
at Miami (Ohio)
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Women's Basketball Signs Four During Early Period
11/11/2015 12:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison women's basketball head coach Kenny Brooks announced the signing of four players to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday. Lexie Barrier, Devon Merritt, Kamiah Smalls and Kendyl Brooks will join the Dukes for the 2016-17 season.
"My staff did their due diligence and worked very hard to put together another successful class," Coach Brooks said. "We're looking forward to the young ladies joining our family and adding to the successes that we've had in the past. I think this class is very capable of that."
Lexie Barrier is a 5-10 guard from Ironton, Ohio. At Ironton High School, Barrier averaged 19.8 points per game her junior year on the way to being named the Southeast Ohio AP Poll District Player of the Year as the Tigers won the district championship. She scored her 1,000th point on Jan. 17 and was named to the All-Ohio First Team after back-to-back special mentions as a freshman and sophomore. An honor roll student, she tallied All-Ohio Valley Conference First Team honors as a junior while collecting the District 13 Coaches Poll co-Player of the Year award. A member of the WV Thunder AAU team, Prospectsnation.com rated her as a four-star recruit.
"We're extremely happy to get Lexie, we had to beat a lot of high major programs to gain her services," Brooks stated. "She's a very smooth guard who shoots the ball extremely well and has a high basketball IQ that I think will fit in perfectly with our team next year."
Devon Merritt is a 6-2 post player from Reading, Pa. At Berks Catholic High School, Merritt became the first female to reach the 1,000-point mark in school history during her junior year. Scoring 17.2 points per game, she was second team all-state in class AAA and led her team to the state semifinals in 2014-15. The two-time All-Berks County player played for the Lady Running Rebels AAU team, is a member of the National Honor Society and is a prolific volleyball player, amassing 1,000 kills and was selected all-state.
"Devon is a young lady that we targeted very early in the recruiting process, and the ceiling is very, very high for her," Brooks said. "She plays with a lot of passion, she's extremely athletic and I know her best basketball is ahead of her."
Kamiah Smalls is a 5-10 guard from Philadelphia, Pa. She helped Saint John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School to back-to-back Catholic League Championships and is rated as a three-star recruit by ESPN.com. The Saints went 30-0 and were ranked No. 1 in the nation her junior season, and Smalls earned the Sixth Man of the Year award for her team. She also played for the Philadelphia Belles AAU squad.
"When Kamiah comes into the room, she'll light up the room," Brooks stated. "She has a great personality and she's an extremely talented young lady. She has a winning attitude, she plays extremely hard and she's very versatile."
Kendyl Brooks is a 5-8 shooting guard from Rockingham, Va., and the daughter of head coach Kenny Brooks. Brooks played at Harrisonburg High School before transferring to Spotswood High School her junior year. She has earned First Team All-Conference 29 honors twice alongside two All-District honors. A four-year varsity basketball player, the honor roll student has also played volleyball and soccer throughout high school.
"I'm extremely proud and happy for Kendyl," Brooks said. "The most that's she's going to add to our program is knowledge. She knows our plays, knows our systems and understands what we need to do, so I think that will help her along in the process."
JMU tips off the 2015-16 season on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. when the Dukes host Longwood at the Convocation Center. Prior to tipoff, JMU will unveil the 2015 Colonial Athletic Association championship banner and 2015 NCAA Tournament banner.
"My staff did their due diligence and worked very hard to put together another successful class," Coach Brooks said. "We're looking forward to the young ladies joining our family and adding to the successes that we've had in the past. I think this class is very capable of that."
Lexie Barrier is a 5-10 guard from Ironton, Ohio. At Ironton High School, Barrier averaged 19.8 points per game her junior year on the way to being named the Southeast Ohio AP Poll District Player of the Year as the Tigers won the district championship. She scored her 1,000th point on Jan. 17 and was named to the All-Ohio First Team after back-to-back special mentions as a freshman and sophomore. An honor roll student, she tallied All-Ohio Valley Conference First Team honors as a junior while collecting the District 13 Coaches Poll co-Player of the Year award. A member of the WV Thunder AAU team, Prospectsnation.com rated her as a four-star recruit.
"We're extremely happy to get Lexie, we had to beat a lot of high major programs to gain her services," Brooks stated. "She's a very smooth guard who shoots the ball extremely well and has a high basketball IQ that I think will fit in perfectly with our team next year."
Devon Merritt is a 6-2 post player from Reading, Pa. At Berks Catholic High School, Merritt became the first female to reach the 1,000-point mark in school history during her junior year. Scoring 17.2 points per game, she was second team all-state in class AAA and led her team to the state semifinals in 2014-15. The two-time All-Berks County player played for the Lady Running Rebels AAU team, is a member of the National Honor Society and is a prolific volleyball player, amassing 1,000 kills and was selected all-state.
"Devon is a young lady that we targeted very early in the recruiting process, and the ceiling is very, very high for her," Brooks said. "She plays with a lot of passion, she's extremely athletic and I know her best basketball is ahead of her."
Kamiah Smalls is a 5-10 guard from Philadelphia, Pa. She helped Saint John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School to back-to-back Catholic League Championships and is rated as a three-star recruit by ESPN.com. The Saints went 30-0 and were ranked No. 1 in the nation her junior season, and Smalls earned the Sixth Man of the Year award for her team. She also played for the Philadelphia Belles AAU squad.
"When Kamiah comes into the room, she'll light up the room," Brooks stated. "She has a great personality and she's an extremely talented young lady. She has a winning attitude, she plays extremely hard and she's very versatile."
Kendyl Brooks is a 5-8 shooting guard from Rockingham, Va., and the daughter of head coach Kenny Brooks. Brooks played at Harrisonburg High School before transferring to Spotswood High School her junior year. She has earned First Team All-Conference 29 honors twice alongside two All-District honors. A four-year varsity basketball player, the honor roll student has also played volleyball and soccer throughout high school.
"I'm extremely proud and happy for Kendyl," Brooks said. "The most that's she's going to add to our program is knowledge. She knows our plays, knows our systems and understands what we need to do, so I think that will help her along in the process."
JMU tips off the 2015-16 season on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. when the Dukes host Longwood at the Convocation Center. Prior to tipoff, JMU will unveil the 2015 Colonial Athletic Association championship banner and 2015 NCAA Tournament banner.
Wednesday, March 11
Wednesday, March 11
Saturday, February 28
Saturday, February 28
