University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Lady Eagles Add Lauren Gross to Roster
6/4/2019 1:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Southaven native returns to Mississippi to join the Lady Eagles.
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Joye Lee-McNelis and the Lady Eagle basketball staff have announced the addition of Lauren Gross to the roster.
Gross, who will come to Southern Miss as a sophomore, joins the squad after spending her freshman season with the North Florida Ospreys. The 5'9" guard is a native of Southaven, Miss. and returns to Mississippi to play for McNelis. She graduated from Northpoint Christian School. Due to the transfer policy, Gross will sit out the 2019-2020 season.
McNelis on Gross
"We are excited to have Lauren as a part of our Lady Eagle family. We recruited her out of high school, and therefore we have an understanding of her winning mentality. She's a winner in every aspect of her life. She's of high character, believes her faith in God will help her face challenges, and knows that a great education is something that will last a lifetime. She possesses a keen desire to be her best and is willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. She's a team player and wants to help her teammates become great. She has been a part of winning teams and understands that it takes a team to win championships. Lauren can flat out shoot the ball. She also has the ability to make reads with the ball to help others score. She's an offensive weapon that will be valuable to us."
While with the Ospreys, Gross was named Freshman of the Week by the ASUN conference after a week where she averaged 12.5 points and two rebounds per game. She finished her season playing in 23 of the team's 29 games, with 86 points, 10 assists, and 35 rebounds. She had a season-high 17 points against Charleston-Southern, where she went 5-for-8 from the line and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, as well as a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
At Northpoint Christian School, Gross was a two-time Tennessee Division 2A State Champion in 2016 and 2017, and made it to four-straight Division 2A Final Fours. She was named back-to-back to the State All-Tournament Team as well as a nod to the 2015 and 2017 West All-Region Team. Commercial Appeal named Gross a three-time Best of Preps player. She helped Northpoint record a 113-15 mark in her career with more than 1,200 points and 500 rebounds before her final season. She also played softball and golf at Northpoint, while maintaining a 4.11 GPA. She also was a member of club team Memphis Elite, coached by Eric Daniels.
Gross, who will come to Southern Miss as a sophomore, joins the squad after spending her freshman season with the North Florida Ospreys. The 5'9" guard is a native of Southaven, Miss. and returns to Mississippi to play for McNelis. She graduated from Northpoint Christian School. Due to the transfer policy, Gross will sit out the 2019-2020 season.
McNelis on Gross
"We are excited to have Lauren as a part of our Lady Eagle family. We recruited her out of high school, and therefore we have an understanding of her winning mentality. She's a winner in every aspect of her life. She's of high character, believes her faith in God will help her face challenges, and knows that a great education is something that will last a lifetime. She possesses a keen desire to be her best and is willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. She's a team player and wants to help her teammates become great. She has been a part of winning teams and understands that it takes a team to win championships. Lauren can flat out shoot the ball. She also has the ability to make reads with the ball to help others score. She's an offensive weapon that will be valuable to us."
While with the Ospreys, Gross was named Freshman of the Week by the ASUN conference after a week where she averaged 12.5 points and two rebounds per game. She finished her season playing in 23 of the team's 29 games, with 86 points, 10 assists, and 35 rebounds. She had a season-high 17 points against Charleston-Southern, where she went 5-for-8 from the line and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, as well as a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
At Northpoint Christian School, Gross was a two-time Tennessee Division 2A State Champion in 2016 and 2017, and made it to four-straight Division 2A Final Fours. She was named back-to-back to the State All-Tournament Team as well as a nod to the 2015 and 2017 West All-Region Team. Commercial Appeal named Gross a three-time Best of Preps player. She helped Northpoint record a 113-15 mark in her career with more than 1,200 points and 500 rebounds before her final season. She also played softball and golf at Northpoint, while maintaining a 4.11 GPA. She also was a member of club team Memphis Elite, coached by Eric Daniels.
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