By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech women's basketball coach Jim Davis has announced the signing of two new Golden Eagles who will jojn the team for the 2016-17 season. The newest signees are Tennessee products Akia Harris from Chattanooga and Makenzie Iles out of Crossville.
"Akia is a tremendous athlete," Davis remarked about the addition of Harris to the team. "She gives us a point guard with a true point guard mentality. She distributes the basketball well and likes to get her teammates involved in the play. She shoots the three-ball well and is, more important, a quality person."
A native of Chattanooga, Tenn., Harris is currently in her senior year at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, after previously attending the Girls Preparatory School (GPS) for her eighth grade to junior seasons. While at GPS, Harris began her basketball career as an eighth grader, and also participated in soccer and track.
"When I came to Tennessee Tech, the coaches and players made me feel at home and I felt like I can help the team reach goals that they have set," Harris said about her choice of Tech.
Harris started at point guard her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons on the GPS Bruisers team. She averaged 19 points and four assists per game, and led the city of Chattanooga in steals, averaging 4.9 per game in 2014. She tallied 1,075 career points and scored a season-high 35 points against Northwest Whitefield in November of 2014. She led her team to a state championship, and was named to the All-State team three times. Harris was ranked 10th on the Rick Bolus Tennessee players list as a sophomore and was selected by the Chattanooga Times-Free Press as first-team Best of Preps her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Harris also participated in AAU basketball playing for Team Elite (Atlanta, Ga.) and TN Xtrema. She has helped her AAU teams to reach numerous national championship games, including an AAU 12U National Champion Runner-up in 2011, AAU 13U National Championship in 2012, and an AAU Disney Showcase National Championship in 2013 and 2014.
"I look forward to getting a great education," Harris continued. "I want to win our conference and play for a national championship."
The daughter of Steve and Adriane Harris, she is undecided on her major.
Makenzie Iles comes to Cookeville from Cumberland County High School where she is a guard on the basketball team. She has played on her high school team all four years and has received numerous athletic honors in addition to being named a three-time member of the all-district, all-tournament, and all-region teams.
"Makenzie is good at scoring the basketball in a variety of different ways," Davis said. "She is good with the dribble-drive and an excellent three-point shooter off the bounce. She also has great size and length for a guard and I think she will also be a great defender and rebounder for us with her size. The future looks bright for Tennessee Tech women's basketball."
Iles was also named the 2013-14 6AAA Player of the Year and was a 2014-15 Miss Basketball Nominee. She was named the MVP of her team for her sophomore and junior seasons and the Offensive Player of the Year for all three of her seasons thus far (senior season still in progress).
"Coming into high school, the realization that I may have the ability to play basketball at the collegiate level became more and more apparent," Iles said. "By sophomore year, I had decided that my goal was to play at a Division I school near my hometown, so as my junior season approached, I started talking to the coaching staff at TTU and my mind was made up. With Tech only 45 minutes from my home, an incredible coaching staff, and the chance to attend one of the best nursing schools in the nation, I was determined to work harder and pray that I would achieve the goal. My hard work and prayers were answered, I committed to TTU and I could not be more excited to join Coach Davis and the Golden Eagles to continue my basketball career."
Midway through her senior year, Iles has accumulated 1,814 career points, averaging 15.7 points per game. She shoots 49 percent from the field, 37 percent from the three-point range, and 79.2 percent from the line. She has totaled 294 career assists, 382 career steals, and 440 career rebounds.
Iles is the daughter of Brandon Letner, Leslie Letner and Porter Iles and plans to major in nursing.
(Makenzie Iles signing day photo by Kim Tabor)
