CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga women's basketball team has rounded out the remaining few spots of the team's 2023-24 roster with the addition of four new transfers through the transfer portal, head coach Shawn Poppie announced on Monday.
The Mocs are set to welcome Jada Guinn, Joiya Maddox, Khyla Wade-Warren and Kailyn Farrell as the final pieces of the 2023-24 squad, which is set to open their Southern Conference Tournament title defense later this fall.
"I am super excited about the class our staff has put together for Mocs Nation," Poppie said. "Coming off of our SoCon Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, we had a busy spring adding the right puzzle pieces to our program."
"With the departures of key players like Yazz Wazeerud-Din and Abbey Cornelius, we needed to add some experience to our front-court along with some length on the perimeter. I believe we recruited not only the perfect fits on the court, but a group of young ladies that fit our culture off the court as well. These additions, along with our 2023 freshman class, give us a talented roster that now has depth at every position. I'm looking forward to working with this group, helping mold them into a sisterhood that can compete for another conference championship."
Jada Guinn comes to UTC having strung together a dominant four-year career at Tennessee Tech, where she not only finished her career sitting Top 10 all-time in program history in assists (395), but also led her team in assists and steals in each of her sophomore, junior and senior campaigns. Guinn is coming off a year in which she took home All-OVC Second Team honors, alongside becoming the first player in program history since 2000 to take home the OVC Tournament MVP award after leading the Golden Eagles to lift the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title.
A native to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Guinn saw vast amounts of success during her prep career at Oak Ridge High School, having been named a multi-time All-District and All-Region MVP as well as receiving All-State honors from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association. A finalist for the 2019 TSSAA Tennessee Class AAA Miss Basketball award, Guinn finished her career with the Lady Wildcats as the second all-time leading scorer in Oak Ridge history with over 2,000 career points to her name.
"Jada checked every box I was looking for when entering the spring," Poppie said. "She has a tremendous skill set that allows her to play multiple guard positions. She can play on and off the ball along with defend any guard position. Jada also has a maturity to herself combined with a work ethic that will allow her to help our team in a leadership role. Coming off her OVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player award and NCAA Tournament appearance, she also knows what it takes to compete for championships at this level."
"Jada and I clicked during our very first phone call this spring. She had visited Chattanooga coming out of high school which helped with our initial call. With that said, we formed a bond and relationship very quickly, one in which she believes in what we are doing along with me believing in what she wants to accomplish. I look forward to playing a part in continuing her growth on and off the court."
The first of two former Power Five additions to the UTC squad, Joiya Maddox comes to Chattanooga after playing her most recent season at Florida Atlantic, where she served as the Owls' second leading scorer by averaging 9.3 points per game along with chalking up a 3.0 rebounding average. Prior to FAU, Maddox saw two years of action at Rutgers where she played in 32 games and notched a total of 85 points, 32 rebounds and 21 assists during her time in New Jersey.
A product of Hoover, Alabama, Maddox was a focal point for the Hoover High School Buccaneers as she helped lead the team to two Alabama 7A State Championships in 2017 and 2019. With the team accolades came many individual ones for Maddox as well, as she received honors that included First Team USA Today High School All-USA Alabama Team, Alabama Sports Writers Association Super All-State Team, and 2019 ASWA Class 7A Player of the Year finalist, amongst many others. Maddox left Hoover as a three-star recruit according to ESPN, along with ranking as the 28th-ranked guard in the class of 2019.
"The third time is the charm for Joiya and I. I have been recruiting Joiya for the last six years, at different places and times of course," Poppie said. "After her telling me no the first two times, I wasn't going to let it happen for the third time. I am excited to finally have the opportunity to coach her in her last season."
"Joiya is a gifted scorer with great length, exactly what we were looking for this spring. With that said, I believe Joiya wants to continue to work and develop her game. Her natural ability along with her mindset is why she is another perfect addition to this class. I do believe she has a lot of room for growth on and off the court. The conversations we have had this spring combined with the length of time I have recruited Joiya, gives me the confidence that we can make great strides in one year. With our philosophy on relationships, development and style of play, I think we will see Joiya take off in her last season of eligibility."
Khyla Wade-Warren joins the Mocs program with three years of Power Five playing experience under her belt, having spent her freshman season at Texas Tech before transferring to play at Alabama the previous two seasons. The Selmer, Tennessee, native has seen 66 games of action in her three seasons with the Red Raiders and Crimson Tide, tallying a total of 205 points, 118 rebounds, 38 blocks, 19 steals and 15 assists in that time frame.
The rising senior was a force for McNairy Central High School in Tennessee, where she raked in numerous all-district, all-tournament, all-region and all-state designations over her playing career, most notably being named a finalist for the TSSAA Tennessee Class AA Miss Basketball award her senior year. That season, Wade-Warren averaged 23.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
"I've watched Khyla from afar for a long time now as we briefly recruited her during my time at Virginia Tech," Poppie said. "She obviously chose to go to Texas Tech out of high school and I haven't stopped following her career since. We had the opportunity to play against her this past year while she was at Alabama, and I believe her seeing our program up close gave her a lot of comfort when we made our call this spring."
"During our game at Alabama, Khyla knocked down a three during the first half as a 'post player'. I believe she will continue to develop that part to her game while in a Mocs uniform. Initially her size stands out as she will bring a physical presence to us inside. I look forward to building her up and having her play multiple positions inside and out. She is a perfect fit as her work ethic and personality matches this team. There is no doubt she will add to our culture, and I'm glad I will finally be able to coach her here at Chattanooga."
Rising junior Kailyn Farrell comes to Chattanooga with two years of playing experience at the NCAA Division II and NJCAA levels with a year at Auburn University at Montgomery followed by her most recent season at Walters State Community College. Farrell made her presence known this past season for Walters State, averaging 15.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game en route to leading the Lady Senators to a 26-5 record, winning the TCCAA/Region VII Championship and earning a spot in NJCAA Women's Basketball Sweet Sixteen. Farrell ended her sophomore year as a All-TCCAA First Team selection, as well as being named the TCCAA/Region VII Tournament MVP.
Farrell originally hails from Tullahoma High School in Tullahoma, Tennessee, where she was named a multi-time all-district, all-region and all-substate honoree alongside being a District and Tournament MVP for the Wildcats. Farrell ended her career with the Wildcats with over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds across her four years playing varsity basketball, alongside also earning all-district honors in volleyball and being a state-qualifier in shot put.
"Kailyn was the final puzzle piece to this class. I wanted to add depth inside at both of our post positions, and Kailyn does just that," Poppie said. "Kailyn stuck out to me, when watching her, as a natural athlete. She has a great feel for the game as she understands angles, has a great touch around the rim along with movements in the post. Her ability to shoot the 3 makes her that much more dangerous."
"Kailyn had a really good season this past year with Walters State as she helped lead them to a Sweet Sixteen appearance at the NJCAA Division I level. When talking with Kailyn she had a confidence and maturity to herself that I knew fit our culture well. She is driven and wants to be a part of something special. I am looking forward to getting her to campus this summer and building off the year she had."
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