Three Highly-touted Hoop Recruits Headed to Monmouth

Release Date: June 7, 2002

MONMOUTH, Ill. - Women’s basketball coach Dennis Mann believes he has filled three holes in his squad with the addition of recent recruits Lisa Curry of Stark County, Courtney Scherrer of Hononegah and Karissa Murray of Oak Lawn.

“These three are all pretty solid players and fill spots that we needed to fill,” said Mann, who lost All-Midwest Conference point guard Carrie Yerkey to graduation. “Scherrer is a play-making point guard from a very solid program at Hononegah, and we haven’t had a true center like Curry in the last four years. Murray is a shooting guard and will be as complete a perimeter player as we’ve had here lately.”

Curry’s Stark County team reached the supersectionals, and the 6-foot center earned honorable mention All-State honors. She’s also slated to play in the annual IBCA all-star game this summer.
“She brings the size and strength we’ve been lacking,” said Mann. “She’ll provide a lot of help for us defensively in the middle, and she’ll help us match up better against the North Division schools in the conference.”

Mann said that Scherrer has had “a lot of experience playing against the best guards in Illinois” during her time at Hononegah, where the 5-foot-7 all-conference performer focused only on basketball. Last season, Scherrer’s team was ranked first in its sectional complex and reached the Sweet Sixteen in Class AA. The year before, Hononegah was knocked out in the supersectional round by Galesburg.

“Courtney is a tough competitor and an excellent floor leader,” said Mann.

Murray, meanwhile, was a three-sport star at Oak Lawn, excelling in volleyball and badminton as well as hoops. She recently won four matches at the state badminton tournament, reaching the quarterfinals of the consolation bracket.

“She was named the top senior female athlete in the school, which is no small feat at a school the size of Oak Lawn,” said Mann.

“She’s an excellent athlete, and she can shoot the three and go in and score inside. I was very impressed by a tape of her scoring in double figures against a Marian Catholic team that took second in the state in Class AA.”

Women's Basketball