Women's Basketball 5/8/2024 11:00:00 AM

Women's Basketball Signs Six Transfers for 2024-25 Season

RADFORD, VA. – Radford Women's Basketball Head Coach Mike McGuire has announced the exciting signing of six Highlanders for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

Taylor Napper, a 6'0 forward transferring from St. Bonaventure, Laila Acox, a 6'0 forward transferring from North Carolina A&T, Makayla Firebaugh, a 5'10 guard transferring from Rider, Cate Carlson, a 5'10 forward transferring from William & Mary, Adriana Shipp-Davis, a 5'10 guard from Longwood, and Kirah Dandridge, a 5'10 guard from St. Bonaventure round out the six new Highlanders who will be making their red and white debuts next season.

"Overall, I am thrilled with the spring additions to our women's basketball program," commented McGuire. "We had specific needs on our roster, and I believe our coaching staff did an outstanding job of identifying young ladies that will have the opportunity to impact our program on and off the court right away. We wanted experience, versatility, size, and scoring. We addressed those areas. We also have quite a few signees from the Commonwealth of Virginia, so it is great to have some in-state talent on our roster as well as one of the best players from South Carolina. We have talked to each one of our signees about what we are looking for, what we expect, and our expectation to win here. Their enthusiasm to be at Radford is exciting to say the least."

Taylor Napper
Forward | 6-0 | Lorton, Va. | St. Bonaventure TaylorNapperSigned

Appeared in 87 games over three seasons with the Bonnies totaling 1,763 minutes played
Made starts in 28 of 29 games during her juinor season, a career-high after starting in 27 games during her sophomore season
Scored 350 points averaging 4.0 per game while pulling down 223 rebounds for an average of 2.6 per game
Set a season-high for points in 2023-24 with 16 at Saint Louis
Prior to the collegiate scene, was ranked the No. 178 power forward and a WCA all-conference honorable mention
Daughter of Steve and Tracy Napper

MCGUIRE ON TAYLOR: "Taylor is a versatile 6'0 forward/post from Virginia that we recruited heavily out of high school. Taylor will be bringing immediate versatility, athleticism, and experience at the forward position. She played in the Atlantic 10 at St. Bonaventure and has competed at a high level for most of her playing career. We expect her to be able to come in and help us right away as a senior. She has a great personality and I think our fans will enjoy watching how hard she plays."

TAYLOR ON WHY SHE CHOSE RADFORD: "I chose Radford University because of the strong sense of family I felt from the coaches. I fell in love with the school itself - the campus, the community and the opportunities it offers. Radford provides an environment where I can thrive academically, on the court, and personally. I am confident that this is the perfect place for me to grow as a student athlete and as an individual."

Laila Acox
Forward | 6-0 | Blythewood, S.C. | North Carolina A&T LailaAcoxSigned

Played two seasons with North Carolina A&T and one season with East Carolina prior to transferring to Radford totaling 64 games played and 866 minutes
Scored over 100 points in each of her seasons with the Aggies averaging 5.3 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game
During the 2023-24 season she set personal bests with 155 points and 92 rebounds while shooting 45% from the floor
Set a career-high with 15 points in a contest against Monmouth shooting 5 for 6 from the field with five made free throws and eight rebounds
Prior to the collegiate scene she was rated one of the top recruits coming out of South Carolina after reaching career marks of 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds
Was named to all-region teams four times, all-state teams three times and 5A Player of the Year once

MCGUIRE ON LAILA: "Laila is another young lady we recruited out of high school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Laila was arguably the top player in South Carolina in the 2021 class. Laila is 6'0, strong, skilled, and brings energy to our team. Laila's versatility will allow our team to do different things on both ends of the floor. She is also experienced as she has played at East Carolina and North Carolina A&T. She comes from a basketball family and is a welcomed addition to our program."

LAILA ON WHY SHE CHOSE RADFORD: "I chose Radford because of the family environment. Coach McGuire and I had already built a relationship while I was in high school, so it means a lot to play for him with my last year. The campus and facility was amazing also, a lot of things that will help me on and off the court."

Makayla Firebaugh
Guard | 5-10 | Winchester, Va. | Rider MakaylaFirebaughSigned

Was a premier scorer for Rider throughout her career averaging double-digit points across all four seasons scoring over 1,000 career points
Over four seasons she appeared in 116 games earning 112 starts while shooting an impressive 36% from the floor including a 30% mark from three-point range
During the 2022-23 season she set career-highs for points (444) and rebounds (145)
Was a member of the MAAC all-academic team for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons
Named MAAC co-Rookie of the Year during her freshman campaign and third-team all-conference
Scored 10 or more points 69 times with Rider and eclipsed 20 or more points 12 times
Prior to Rider, Firebaugh played at James Wood High earning 2019 VHSL first team all-state honors and 2019 VHSCA first team 4A all-state while also being tabbed Winchester Star player of the year, District player of the year, and Regional co-player of the year

MCGUIRE ON MAKAYLA: "Makayla is coming to us as a grad transfer from Rider. She is a 5'10 guard from Winchester, Virginia. Makayla is someone we always followed closely out of high school and I am excited to be able to work with her during her final collegiate season. Makayla had a fantastic career at Rider scoring over 1,300 points and receiving multiple all conference honors. Makayla is a proven scorer at the collegiate level and we will need impact from her as soon as she steps on the court. She is competitive and expects to compete at a high level."

MAKAYLA ON WHY SHE CHOSE RADFORD: "I chose Radford University because of the relationship with the coaching staff and academic/basketball standards."

Cate Carlson
Guard | 5-10 | Virginia Beach, Va. | William & Mary CateCarlonSigned

Played her freshman season with William & Mary appearing in 19 games totaling 154 minutes played
Scored 46 points including a season-best of 10 in a game at Navy
Scored seven points in 12 minutes of action against fellow Big South foe Longwood
Prior to William & Mary, she was a three-time Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools (TCIS) player of the year, two-time all-state member, two-time TCIS Tournament MVP and three-time TCIS conference champion

MCGUIRE ON CATE: "Cate is a 5'10 guard transferring to us from William & Mary. Cate is from Virginia Beach, Va. and was a top 5 player in the 2023 class in Virginia coming out of high school. Cate is a scorer. She is offensive minded and can score in multiple ways. Her combination of skill, size, and determination will be a huge addition to our program. Cate is a sophomore so we are excited about her immediate and future impact in our program. She has a bright future."

CATE ON WHY SHE CHOSE RADFORD: "I chose Radford because it felt like the best place for me to succeed on and off the court and for the chance to be able to contribute to the team's success while pursuing my academic goals."

Adriana Shipp-Davis
Guard/Forward | 5-11 | Chesapeake, Va. | Longwood ShippDavisSigned

Was a prolific scorer for the Lancers over her four seasons in Farmville totaling over 1,000 points while averaging 8.8 per game
As a redshirt junior in 2022-23 was named to the Big South second-team all-conference after competing in all 30 games totaling a career-high 418 points (13.9 ppg), pulled down 163 rebounds (5.4 rpg) and dished out 43 assists (1.4 apg)
Was named to the preseason all-conference team prior to the 2023-24 season
In her senior season of 2023-24 she appeared in all 30 games once again averaging 22.6 minutes per game while totaling 288 points, 94 rebounds, 31 assists and 23 steals
Scored 10 or more points in 49 games with Longwood including 20 or more points in 9 games
Set her career-high of 26 points at UNC Asheville in 2022-23 on an efficient 9-14 shooting performance with a pair of three's and perfect mark from the charity stripe
Prior to Longwood, Shipp-Davis was a four-year letter winner with Deep Creek High School being named to the all-tidewater honorable mention team, first-team all-conference and first-team all-district
Daughter of Jemal Davis and Catherine Davis with one sibling, Danny Shipp

MCGUIRE ON ADRIANA: "Radford fans will be very familiar with Adriana as she will be transferring to us from Longwood. At Longwood, Adriana had an outstanding career scoring over 1,000 points, securing over 500 rebounds, and winning a Big South Championship. Adriana also received multiple all-conference recognitions during her time at Longwood. Needless to say, we are fired up to have such an experienced and proven player like Adriana join our program. Adriana loves the game and wanted to be at Radford. She is another in-state addition coming to us from Chesapeake. Adriana will be someone that can play multiple positions and has proven herself in the Big South Conference. I am excited that she will be in a Highlander uniform this season."

ADRIANA ON WHY SHE CHOSE RADFORD: "I chose Radford University because I am excited to be a part of a winning program. Ready to start a new chapter and play some competitive basketball."

Kirah Dandridge
Guard | 5-10 | Richmond, Va. | St. Bonaventure KDSigned

Had a breakout campaign in her sophomore season of 2023-24 setting new career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals
Appeared in all 30 games last season making 10 starts and averaging 26.4 minutes per game
Her mark of 130 rebounds averaging 4.3 a game was second-most on her team with a single-game high of 10 against Canisius
Consistently dished the ball out finishing her sophomore campaign with 62 assists, most on the team, recording an assist in all but two games during the season
Has shot the ball from three-point range in her career with 21 makes over two seasons with 235 total made shots from the floor
Prior to her time at St. Bonaventure, played at New Hope Academy in Maryland, spending her freshman and sophomore seasons at Riverdale Baptist

MCGUIRE ON KIRAH: "Kirah is an athletic guard from Richmond, Va. that will bring energy and toughness to our program immediately. She takes pride in having an impact on both ends of the floor and she will be a strong two way player for us. She also has the ability to attack downhill and play through contact on drives. She played in the Atlantic 10 for two seasons so she is familiar with what it takes to prepare and compete at the Division I level. I also believe KD will be great for our daily culture and how we do things at Radford. We are excited to have her."

KIRAH ON WHY SHE CHOSE RADFORD: "Choosing Radford University was a natural decision for me because it's closer to home, which allows me to stay connected with my family and support system. Throughout the recruiting process, the basketball staff at Radford have been incredibly genuine and supportive, making me feel valued and respected as a potential player. I envision myself making a significant impact on this basketball program, both on and off the court, and I see Radford as more than just a university - it's a home where I can cultivate my skills, grow as an athlete, and contribute to the success of the team. Joining the Radford basketball family feels like the perfect fit, and I'm eager to bring my dedication and passion to the court every day."

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