Fressle, Seabrook To Play For Buffs

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BOULDER - Alyssa Fressle and Julie Seabrook have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball and continue their education at the University of Colorado in 2008-09, CU head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller announced Friday during the NCAA signing period.

"The addition of Alyssa and Julie meets our immediate needs for next year," McConnell-Miller said. "With Jackie (McFarland) and Susie (Powers) graduating, we will need to replace great leadership, scoring and rebounding. The two players we have added will be able to come in and make an immediate impact."

Fressle, a 5-10 guard from Highlands Ranch, Colo., is getting set to begin her senior season at two-time defending Class 5A state champion Highlands Ranch High School. She was a 2007 All-Colorado pick by both the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News and the lone junior on that elite squad as she helped the Falcons to a 25-3 overall record and the program's fifth state title in the last eight years. Fressle averaged 17 points per game as a junior and scored 18 in the Falcons' 69-54 win over Legacy in the 2007 state championship game, en route to All-Tournament team honors. She is a two-time All-Continental Conference first team selection and received honorable mention to the 2006 all-state team as a sophomore. Fressle is rated as the 14th best point guard in the country, and 76th player overall, by HoopGurlz.com.

"Fressle is a difference maker," McConnell-Miller said. "She is as versatile as any player in our program. I feel in her career as a Buffalo she will develop into a go-to player. She's mentally tough and has been challenged at every level and is a proven winner from her AAU experiences to her experience at Highlands Ranch. She has been successful following many great players like Ann Strother and Susie Powers leading Highlands Ranch to championships and we expect her to be able to do the same at this level.

"We are very fortunate that Alyssa has stayed home to compete for her state university. Our staff is thankful to (Highlands Ranch) coach Caryn Jarocki, (former CU assistant and AAU Boulder Rockies) coach Kim LaLonde Thompson and especially her family for supporting her decision."

Seabrook, a 6-3 forward from North Vancouver, B.C., is playing her senior season with Canada Basketball's National Elite Development Academy (NEDA), a national training center program in Hamilton, Ont. Prior to joining the NEDA program, she played for St. Mary's High School in North Vancouver where she was the Provincial MVP in 2006 and the Lower Mainlands MVP in 2007. She is a three-year member of the British Columbia Provincial team, highlighted by a gold-medal performance at the 2006 U17 National Championships.  Her playing experience moved to the international stage this past summer as she was a member of the Canadian Junior National team that participated at the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women in Slovakia. She saw action in six of eight games, scoring a high of five points in a win over Brazil, as Canada placed ninth with a record of 3-5.

"Julie is competing at the highest level for her country," McConnell-Miller said. "She has a great excitement about coming to Colorado. She is extremely versatile; a finesse player. She can hit the ?3', post up or put the ball on the floor. With (NEDA) coach Christine Stapleton she will spend the next 10 months developing and competing for her country. She's already had to make some sacrifices (moving from Vancouver to Ontario) to be with the national team and this will prepare her to compete and get ready for Big 12 play."

Colorado will open the 2007-08 season tonight, at the University of San Francisco. The Buffaloes will also play the University of Southern California on Sunday, Nov. 18, before opening the home schedule with the 21st Annual Coors Classic, Nov. 23-24.