On November 8, DME Academy celebrated a momentous National Signing Day as six exceptional student-athletes officially committed to continuing their academic and athletic journeys at esteemed institutions.
Jaylen Robinson, a 6’6″ forward, chose the University of Richmond’s academics and men’s basketball program over a distinguished list of finalists, including Princeton, Mercer, Yale, Penn, and Columbia. Matt Panaggio, Director of Men’s Basketball at DME Academy, expressed his pride in Jaylen, stating, “I am very proud of Jaylen and excited to see his future at the University of Richmond. He’s very unselfish, coachable, and hardworking.”
Olivia Schmitt, a 5’5″ point guard from Staten Island, is heading back to her home state to study and play women’s basketball at Syracuse University. Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said, “She has a certain toughness about her. She can pass that ball; she can shoot that ball, and one thing I love about her is she has no problem going in with the trees and trying to make things happen.”
Keira Scott, a 6’1″ four-star forward and daughter of Syracuse football alum George Scott, will be joining DME teammate, Olivia Schmitt, at Syracuse University. Legette-Jack said, “Once we learned how incredibly gifted she was both academically and athletically, and she’s also got a connection to being Orange, it was a no-brainer that we were going to go after her as if she was the best player in the world.”
Tahj Bloom, a highly rated 6’3″ forward for DME Academy, signed with Mississippi State University as a four-star recruit, ranking No. 41 overall and No. 9 among forwards by Premiere Basketball and espnW HoopGurlz. Head Coach Sam Purcell said of Bloom, “She brings a dynamic skill set and competitive mentality each time she steps on the floor. Most importantly, Tahj comes from a great family and will be a great addition to the culture we are building at Mississippi State.”
6’2″ forward from Melbourne, Australia, Tabitha Betson, signed to the University of Colorado. A four-star recruit, Betson holds the No. 80 spot on ESPN.com’s top 100 list. Colorado head coach, JR Payne, said, “Tabs is one of the most skilled and well-rounded players we have recruited here at Colorado. Her basketball IQ is off the charts and will be a perfect fit for our offensive system.”
Ines Goryanova, a 5’8″ point guard from Sofia, Bulgaria, chose Baylor University. Ranked No. 49 on ProspectsNation and No. 71 on espnW, Goryanova impressed Baylor head coach Nicki Collen with her exciting guard abilities, deep shooting range, and the overall toughness cultivated through her mother’s extensive professional basketball background.
Michael Panaggio, Director of Girl’s Basketball at DME Academy, commemorated the day as historic for the program, stating, “We have 5 extremely special young ladies who are headed to the power 5 level. I am very proud of their individual success thus far and I’m excited to see what they can accomplish together during their senior year.”
DME Academy looks forward to witnessing the continued success of our class of 2024 basketball student-athletes, both academically and athletically. Congratulations to these outstanding student-athletes on this remarkable accomplishment.
