Whittier one of 3 expected signees for UM

Katie Whittier of Gray-New Gloucester High School is among three players who were expected Wednesday to sign National Letters of Intent to accept basketball scholarships from the University of Maine for next season.

Kara Hickman of Huntingtown, Md., and Abby Schrader of Point Pleasant Boro, N.J., are expected to join Whittier on the Black Bears’ 2002-03 roster.

Second-year UMaine coach Sharon Versyp declined to comment on the signings Wednesday evening. She explained the university will officially announce the names today.

The players’ participation at UMaine is contingent upon their admission to the university and compliance with NCAA initial eligibility requirements.

Whittier, a 6-foot-2 center, averaged 16 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocked shots while leading the Patriots to an 18-4 record and the Western Maine Class A championship last season. She had verbally committed to attend UMaine in February, just prior to the start of the WM tournament.

Gray-New Gloucester coach Ken Butler compared Whittier to UMaine standout Heather Ernest of Temple, saying she’s strong in the post and has a nice outside shooting touch.

Schrader is a 6-1 center who last season was the focal point of her team at Point Pleasant Boro High. Her former coach, Travis Crozier, said she is excited about committing to UMaine.

Crozier said Schrader averaged approximately 17 points, 12 rebounds, and five or six blocked shots during her junior season.

“We pretty much centered the offense around her,” Crozier said. “We posted her up and she was able to develop low-post moves. She does have a soft touch from outside.”

Crozier projected Schrader as more of a forward than a pure post player as she makes the jump to Division I ball.

Hickman, who plays at Calvert High School in Prince Frederick, Md., was a Southern Maryland Athletic Conference first-team selection last season.

The versatile 5-8 guard averaged 15.4 points, eight assists, and five rebounds while leading coach Frank Moore’s Cavaliers to the Maryland 3A South Region final last season.

Hickman, who attended the Adidas All-American Top Ten Camp in July at the University of Pittsburgh, was listed by Women’s Basketball Journal as having verbally committed to UMaine. She was ranked as one of the top 100 juniors in the country by the Women’s Basketball Journal All-Star Report.

The Black Bears lose only two seniors off this season’s team. They are shooting guard Tracy Guerrette of St. Agatha and center Eva Moldre.

High school writer Jessica Bloch contributed to this report.