CALIFORNIA (May 6) – The California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball program announced its recruiting class for the upcoming 2020-21 campaign on Wednesday.
These individuals have either signed national letters of intent (NLIs) or institutional letters expressing their desire to play women's basketball at Cal U. This year's class features two recruits from Pennsylvania, one from New Jersey and one from Ohio.
"I"m really looking forward to getting this incoming class on campus and getting to work. They all bring something a little different to the team, but share in their intensity and the way they play the game with maximum effort and heart." said head coach
Jess Strom. "They are special young people who work hard in the classroom and I"m confident they will represent Cal U and our program in the most positive way."
The Vulcans finished last season with a 21-9 overall record and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth-consecutive year.
The recruits are listed in alphabetical order:
| Name |
Position |
Ht. |
Hometown / High School / Previous School |
| Juliana Burris |
Guard |
5-7 |
Dublin, Ohio / Dublin Coffman |
| Azatah Lawrence |
Guard/Forward |
5-10 |
Bloomfield, N.J. / Immaculate Conception |
| Ciaira Loyd |
Guard |
5-5 |
Scranton, Pa. / Scranton / Lackawanna |
| Dejah Terrell |
Forward |
6-1 |
Reading, Pa. / Berks Catholic / Albright (Pa.) |
Juliana Burris I Guard I 5-7 I Dublin, Ohio I Dublin Coffman
HIGH SCHOOL
Played at Dublin Coffman under head coach Adam Banks … received all-state honorable mention as a senior … tabbed first-team all-league in 2020 … earned Columbus Dispatch all-metro honorable mention as a senior … named second-team all-league and all-district honorable mention as a junior … member of four league championship teams … received Celebration of Excellence Award … featured on Honor Roll … member of Principal's Advisory Council
PERSONAL
Daughter of Brian and Lisa Burris … has one brother … played AAU for Score More Athletic Club
STROM ON BURRIS - "Juliana is the ultimate worker with a very high basketball IQ. She is a crafty guard with the capability to finish against bigger defenders. A very unselfish player, Juliana gets the ball to the right person at the right time. I love the tenacity she plays with on the defensive end of the floor. I'm looking forward to seeing her work ethic lead to great things for her individually and our team as a whole."
Azatah Lawrence I Guard/Forward I 5-10 I Bloomfield, N.J. I Immaculate Conception
HIGH SCHOOL
Played at Immaculate Conception under head coach Jimmy Kreie … received first-team all-conference honors as a junior … earned second-team all-conference in 2019 … member of African American Club
PERSONAL
Daughter of Kent and Tracey Lawrence … has three brothers and three sisters … played AAU for New Jersey Sparks
STROM ON LAWRENCE - "I'm thrilled to add Z to this recruiting class! She is going to bring a physical presence to our team on both ends of the floor. She possesses the ability to score from anywhere on the court. In addition to being a tremendous rebounder, Z is a big guard who can post up smaller defenders or shoot from deep. She has exceptionally quick hands on the defensive side of the ball and will be fun to watch for the next four years as a Vulcan."
Ciaira Loyd I Guard I 5-5 I Scranton, Pa. I Scranton
Played two seasons at Lackawanna in NJCAA Division III under head coach Joya Whittington …
2019-20: Named a NJCAA Second-Team All-American … chosen Region XIX Player of the Year … tabbed First-Team All-Region XIX … selected EPAC Player of the Year … started all 31 games … averaged 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game … finished third in NJCAA Division II in assists per game … collected double-digit assists seven times … named team captain … scored a career-high 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting and added five points and six assists against Monroe … registered a career-high 12 assists versus Raritan Valley …
2018-19: Appeared in 27 games with 15 starts … averaged 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game … scored in double-digits 13 times … tallied a season-high 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting against Morris … set a season high with 10 assists and added 12 points and four rebounds versus Mercer County
HIGH SCHOOL
Played at Scranton under head coach PJ Hughes … set the school's all-time scoring record with 1,319 points and 110 three-pointers made … named League MVP as a senior … chosen first-team all-league in 2016 and 2017 … holds single-season school record for points and three-pointers made … member of district championship team as a senior
PERSONAL
Daughter of the late Robert Loyd and Marla Loyd … has one brother and one sister
STROM ON LOYD - "Ciaira has seen a ton of success at the junior college level and I'm excited for her to bring that experience along with her leadership to our team. She's an aggressive guard that can score from all three levels and has an uncanny ability to see the floor. Ciaira is a player who makes everyone on the court around her better and I can't wait to see that translate to our team next season."
Dejah Terrell I Forward I 6-1 I Reading, Pa. I Berks Catholic
Played two seasons at Albright (Pa.) in NCAA Division III under head coach Janice Luck …
2019-20: Received WBCA All-America Honorable Mention …chosen D3hoops.com Third-Team All-American … named D3hoops.com First-Team All-Region … tabbed ECAC Player of the Year … chosen to All-ECAC First-Team … selected to All-MAC Commonwealth First-Team … started all 28 games … averaged 21.7 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 1.5 steals per game … led MAC and finished third in the nation with 21 double-doubles … paced conference in points, rebounds and blocks per game … finished as league leader in field-goals attempts, field-goals made and free-throw attempts … registered a career-high 26 rebounds and scored 27 points against Hood … set a career-high 41 points on 15-of-28 shooting and added 15 rebounds, three assists and three blocks at Messiah …
2018-19: Appeared in 15 games with six starts … averaged 9.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game … recorded a pair of double-doubles … scored a season-high 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting against Montclair State … posted 15 points and a season-high 12 rebounds at Alvernia
HIGH SCHOOL
Played at Berks Catholic … member of a state finalist and two county championship teams
PERSONAL
Daughter of Darin Terrell and Laurette Alston … has three brothers and one sister
STROM ON TERRELL - "Dejah is a gifted athlete that brings us some length in the post position. She can play inside and outside with the ability to run the floor in transition, finish strong at the rim and also step out and shoot the three. Dejah will fit into our defensive system right away and be a mismatch problem on the offensive end. I'm excited to see her grow and develop over the next two seasons."
