Nov. 12, 2008

CHICAGO - Loyola University Chicago head women's basketball coach Shannon Reidy and her staff have announced the signing of four players to National Letters of Intent in the early signing period. Forwards Abby Skube (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) and Satavia Taylor (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) and guards Monica Albano (Park Ridge, Ill./Trinity) and Catie O'Leary (Janesville, Wis./Parker) will join the Loyola family next year and be eligible for competition beginning with the 2009-10 season.

"The young ladies in this group are top performers on the court and in the classroom," said Reidy. "They epitomize the meaning of the word student-athlete and I am very proud we had the ability to bring in such talented players along with young ladies who are coming to Loyola to earn a top degree. On paper, this could be one of the top recruiting classes Loyola has had in years as they are very balanced in talent and position. These four will be key leaders for this program down the stretch. Each of them is listed as one of the top elite players in their respective states and they have all competed on the National AAU level and have represented the top AAU programs in their respective states. This class will make an immediate impact as they are scorers, athletic, smart and extremely strong and mentally tough. It was important to recruit two top guards, Monica and Catie, that can run our motion offense as multi-threat scorers. Both can bring the ball up the court, both can shoot from deep range and both players are aggressive off of screens. In our offense, all three of our guards need those skills. It was also imperative to balance our inside game with more athleticism and strength. Satavia brings a great deal of hard work and success to Loyola as a top player from a nationally ranked high school program. She is fast, smart, very motivating and can mix up her game from the perimter to anywhere in the paint. Abby fills a very important forward role for us as a multi-threat post player that can bang on the blocks and rebound but can also mix up her game from the high post as a very good passer and shooter from the arc. Next season, all four classes of players will be "system-recruited" players by our coaching staff. We will have experienced upperclassmen and deep talented underclassmen. Our staff worked extremely hard to bring in this top recruiting class and we are very proud to welcome Satavia, Catie, Monica and Abby, as well as their families, into our Loyola Family. Today, Loyola's future just got very, very bright."

Monica Albano
5-8 ◊ Guard
River Forest, Ill. (Trinity)

Emerging as one of the state's top seniors after a breakout junior season ... Excellent two-way player who excels on both ends of the court ... Averaged 19.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game last season for a team that lost to eventual Class 3A champion Marshall in the sectional final ... Shot 83% from the free throw line and knocked down 78 three-point field goals while shooting 39% from the arc ... Second Team All-State selection by Illinois Basketball Services ... Also named Class 3A Second Team All-State by the Associated Press and earned Special Mention All-State honors from the Chicago Tribune ... Three-time all-conference selection who has scored over 1,200 points in her three seasons ... Hit seven three-pointers en route to career-high 29 points in 60-55 loss to nationally ranked Whitney Young last season ... Academic all-conference pick each of her three seasons ... Played at Trinity High School under head coach Ed Stritzel and AAU for Full Package Lady Lightning under Ralph Gesualdo, Mike Seberger and Jason Nichols.

Reidy on Monica: "One of Chicago's own, Monica Albano, adds to the importance of us recruiting top players from the city and state of Illinois. Monica brings in an immediate perimeter focus to our team, similar to the way current junior Maggie McCloskey has impacted our team from beyond the arc since she was a freshman. Monica has a quick release and high-percentage perimeter game and will clearly be one of the top shooters and scorers in the Chicagoland area this season. She has great court vision and has experience at both the point guard and shooting guard positions with her high school and AAU teams and is a solid penetrator that has very instinctive change of direction moves. She is very unselfish and teammates love to play with a guard that sees the entire floor so well and delivers the ball so intelligently. Adding Monica to our lineup next year clearly puts our team in a position to have one of the deepest and most talented backcourts in the conference."

Catie O'Leary
5-10 ◊ Guard
Janesville, Wis. (Parker)

One of the top players in the state of Wisconsin ... Complete player who can shoot the ball from distance or take it to the basket ... Averaged 18.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.7 steals per game as a junior ... First Team All-State choice by the Associated Press and Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association ... Named Player of the Year by the Wisconsin State Journal ... Two-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year (sophomore and junior seasons) ... State's top scorer in Division I ... Led team in points, rebounds, assists and steals last year ... Earned honorable mention all-state honors after her sophomore year ... Listed as one of Wisconsin's Top 50 Seniors by the Wisconsin Girls Basketball Yearbook ... Terrific athlete who is a two-time all-conference performer in cross country and an honorable mention all-conference soccer player ... Member of the National Honor Society and ranks in top 5% of her high school class, academically ... Played at Parker High School under head coach Tom Klawitter and AAU for Wisconsin Fast Break under Paul Biddick.

Reidy on Catie: "Listed as one of the top guards in the entire state of Wisconsin the last two years, Catie most certainly will be making a quick impact on our program. Catie is a triple-threat guard, who can run the point as well as either 2 or 3 guard position in our motion offense. She is fearless off of ball-screen actions, has very deep 3-point range and is a brilliant full-court passer who pushes the ball in transition. It was important to recruit a guard who can mix up her game in so many different ways and she has a unique toughness on both ends of the court and a very steady mental edge during competition. She remains focused and is very smart in her decision making. You just do not see Catie O'Leary make many mistakes during a basketball game. Catie's talents will be displayed very quickly next season for us. She has had success at both the high school and AAU levels so her mental edge to winning will be very important to our team."

Abby Skube
6-0 ◊ Forward
Chesterton, Ind. (Chesterton)

Versatile player who can score inside or outside ... Will give Loyola some added height and versatility ... Named Second Team All-Area last season by the NWI Times ... Averaged 11.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a junior ... Two-time all-conference and all-area selection ... Earned preseason all-area accolades for 2008-09 season ... Beginning her third season as team captain ... Named team's defensive most valuable player after her sophomore and junior seasons ... Helped team to its first sectional title in 19 years her freshman year ... Two-year letterwinner in volleyball as well, earning team's defensive MVP award and setting single-match and single-season records for block touches ... Played at Chesterton High School under head coach Jack Campbell and AAU for Indiana Elite under Danny Riego.

Reidy on Abby: "We are extremely excited to add the talents of Abby, from the great basketball state of Indiana, to our lineup next year. Abby is a very athletic forward who has the ability to mix up her low-post and high-post game. It is imperative that our post players are quick, athletic and have both an inside and outside game. One of Abby's most impressive attributes is that she plays with so much positive energy and emotion. She is active on both ends of the court, is tirelessly competitive and can run the floor as well and as hard as most guards. Abby can face the basket and attack off the dribble, she can shoot from beyond the arc and she has very good back-to-the-basket that she can finish with either hand. She sees the floor well and knows how to work with her perimeter players as well. I am also very excited about her knowledge and effectiveness within the high-low game, which was evident with her Indiana Elite AAU team this past season. Abby fits in perfectly to our offense and her talents will be seen very quickly in the Gentile Center next year."

Satavia Taylor
6-0 ◊ Forward
Bolingbrook, Ill. (Bolingbrook)

Terrific all-around player for one of Illinois' top high school programs ... Key contributor and leader on a Bolingbrook team that is ranked No. 2 in the ESPN RISE Fab 50 national girls' preseason poll ... Second-leading scorer (10.8 ppg) and leading rebounder (6.0 rpg) last season for team that finished second in Class 4A state tournament ... Named Orange Bowl Tournament's Most Valuable Player last year, helping team to three wins over teams from Florida and Virginia ... Has helped Bolingbrook to one Class AA state title (2005-06) and two runner-up finishes in her three seasons ... Scored season-high 18 points in wins over Lincoln-Way East and Neuqua Valley last season ... Played at Bolingbrook High School under head coach Tony Smith and AAU for Dream Team under Mike Henry.

Reidy on Satavia: "We recruited a `winner' in Satavia Taylor. Hailing from one of the top nationally ranked high school teams in the country, Satavia knows what it takes to be successful. The preparation that she is receiving at Bolingbrook is very collegiate-like and she will be prepared to step right into the Division I basketball scene and be impressive from the start. Satavia can play in the high post, shoot and attack the rim with ease. She is also an excellent slasher and up-tempo player whose vocal leadership and daily drive is what is most impressive about her. Satavia is only used to preparing to win so her work ethic and confidence will be extremely beneficial to our entire program. Defensively, she brings an enourmous amount of athleticism and speed to our team. We will be able to run more up-tempo and fullcourt defensive looks next year with Satavia in the lineup. I can foresee Satavia playing a number of positions for us over the course of her career at Loyola because she has that much potential and upside to her game. We do not have a player like Satavia in our program so our fans will see a lot of her on the court next year!"