University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Lady Eagles Ink Two for the 2023 Class
11/9/2022 6:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss women's basketball announces the signing of two student-athletes for the 2023 signing class. The Lady Eagles are adding a pure shooter in Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla. // H.B. Plant HS) and an all-around, versatile guard in Elle Blatchford (Canton, Ga. // Sequoyah HS).
"Both of these young ladies are expected to help make difference in our program," said 19th-year Lady Eagle head coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "Both of them have been in our camps where we've had the opportunity to work with them one-on-one. The camps provided us with an in-depth look at who they are and at their passion to get better every day. Both of them showed all-out effort during each segment and because of this, we knew they were truly fits for who we are at Southern Miss: guts and grind."
Read more about each signee below.
Morgan Sieper // Guard // Tampa, Fla. // H.B. Plant HS
Hailing from the deep in the sunshine state, Morgan Sieper brings a shooting element unlike any other in her class to the Lady Eagles. In three years with the H.B. Plant (Tampa, Fla.) Panthers, Sieper has played in 84 games, all on the varsity level and averaged 5.8 points per game on 15.9 minutes.
She set career bests last season in every statistical category. In 28 games, she played 23.8 minutes and averaged 10.8 points per game, leading the Panthers in both categories.
Against Gaither (11/30) and Miami Christian (12/30), Sieper broke the 20-point plateau, finishing with 21 in each contest, a career-high.
She shot an effective 44.3 percent from the floor on 114-of-257 shooting on the season and was also 35-of-117 from beyond the arc for a 29.9 percent clip.
Thanks to her hot shooting and effective scoring potential, the Panthers finished the regular season 20-4 and sitting atop the Class 7A District 6 girls' basketball standings.
The Panthers eventually fell to Gulf Coast HS in the FHSAA 7A Semifinals.
As a sophomore, the Panthers swept their way to a state title, clipping Miami in the championship game to secure the 7A title. Plant also finished as the 7A runners-up in her sophomore season.
Her efforts have thus far earned her two All-Conference awards.
Sieper also enjoys a prolific career on the travel ball circuit, highlighted by a 6th place finish out of 1400 teams at the 2022 Run 4 the Roses 17U Platinum.
Over the course of the 2022 Girls 17U Under Armour Circuit, she finished as the 3rd best jump shooter in the league after shooting 60 percent over the season.
In her free time, Sieper also writes for the PHS News and is also a member of the Beta Club, Speak Up Club, Science Honor Society, Principal's Honor Roll and National Honors Society. Her commitment to the game of basketball is only match by her diligence in the classroom as she holds a 3.95 GPA.
Basketball runs in the Sieper family as along with Morgan, her older sisters Kayla and Ashley both play collegiately. Kayla is currently a redshirt freshman at Florida Southern (Lakeland, Fla.) after spending two seasons at Loyola Maryland (Baltimore, Md.). Ashley plays for Boston University (Boston, Mass.).
When arriving at Southern Miss, Sieper plans on pursuing a degree in business.
Sieper joins Emma Wallhoff (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. // Westminster Academy), Femi Funeus (Plantation, Fla. // Seton Hall) and Morgan Dillard (Sanford, Fla. // Seminole HS) as the fourth Lady Eagle on next year's squad from the Sunshine State.
"I am so excited to have a shooter like Morgan Sieper join our program," said head coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "She has had the opportunity to play a high level of club ball and has competed and been very successful on the road against some of the best. Not only can she shoot the three-ball, but she can also attack with her mid-range pullup. Her offensive skills will be an asset to our program.
Morgan's feel for the game and overall basketball knowledge will add depth on the offensive side, but she must continue to work on other aspects of her game, which we know she will do based on her love for the game and tremendous work ethic. Morgan is a great person. She loves people and most importantly loves making a difference and watching others succeed. She will fit into our Southern Miss community, and everyone will surely love her smile. Her success in the classroom is already proven and I know that she will enjoy much academic success here at Southern Miss. She is the total person who possesses everything we look for in a student-athlete."
Elle Blatchford // Guard // Canton, Ga. // Sequoyah HS
A three-year starter and two-time captain for Sequoyah HS (Canton, Ga.), Blatchford hails from the northern hills of the Peach State and her reputation on the hardwood precedes itself.
Last season, Blatchford surpassed the millennium scoring mark and currently sits at 1,267 career points scored for the Chiefs.
As a junior, she dropped a whopping 16.9 points per game while averaging 3.6 boards and 3.1 steals per game. Her scoring bouts topped out at a career-best 27 points against East Paulding (2/22) as she connected on 11 of her 16 attempts from the floor.
Over her three years and counting, Blatchford has swiped 277 career steals including 100 last season and 115 in 2020-21. Her triple-digit takeaways are the most in program history.
Blatchford's efforts propelled Sequoyah to the GHSA Class AAAAAA Championship where they fell to Lovejoy.
Her efforts on the year earned her First Team All-Cherokee County honors as well as First Team All-Class AAAAAA District 7 honors. The Georgia Athletic Coaches Association named her to the Class AAAAAA All-State team as well on top of her earning an Honorable Mention from the Atlanta Tip-Off Club.
In her sophomore season, she made her first appearance on the All-Cherokee County First Team, All-Region 7 team and GACA All-State Team on the heels of a 22-7 season in which she averaged 16.9 points, 3.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game for the Chiefs.
Additionally, she earned All-Cherokee County and All-Region Second Team honors as a freshman after averaging 11 points per game.
Blatchford also preps with the Southeast All-Stars club team.
"Elle brings much versatility to our team," said Coach McNelis. "She has the ability to play anywhere from the one position all the way through the four for us. She is a tall guard with the ability to pass, score and rebound. She's played multiple positions on all teams that she's played for. We're very thankful that we were able to get a player that has the ability to play multiple positions.
First and foremost, Elle is a gym rat. She travels an hour five days a week to do extra skill training with a former professional player. She wants to be as good as she can be and we are excited to have her as a part of Lady Eagle Basketball. She is someone that will fit in with many players on our team who enjoy skill development and getting better in their individual play and we look forward to helping her with her growth. She is a great person and a great student-athlete."
"Both of these young ladies are expected to help make difference in our program," said 19th-year Lady Eagle head coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "Both of them have been in our camps where we've had the opportunity to work with them one-on-one. The camps provided us with an in-depth look at who they are and at their passion to get better every day. Both of them showed all-out effort during each segment and because of this, we knew they were truly fits for who we are at Southern Miss: guts and grind."
Read more about each signee below.
Morgan Sieper // Guard // Tampa, Fla. // H.B. Plant HS
Hailing from the deep in the sunshine state, Morgan Sieper brings a shooting element unlike any other in her class to the Lady Eagles. In three years with the H.B. Plant (Tampa, Fla.) Panthers, Sieper has played in 84 games, all on the varsity level and averaged 5.8 points per game on 15.9 minutes.
She set career bests last season in every statistical category. In 28 games, she played 23.8 minutes and averaged 10.8 points per game, leading the Panthers in both categories.
Against Gaither (11/30) and Miami Christian (12/30), Sieper broke the 20-point plateau, finishing with 21 in each contest, a career-high.
She shot an effective 44.3 percent from the floor on 114-of-257 shooting on the season and was also 35-of-117 from beyond the arc for a 29.9 percent clip.
Thanks to her hot shooting and effective scoring potential, the Panthers finished the regular season 20-4 and sitting atop the Class 7A District 6 girls' basketball standings.
The Panthers eventually fell to Gulf Coast HS in the FHSAA 7A Semifinals.
As a sophomore, the Panthers swept their way to a state title, clipping Miami in the championship game to secure the 7A title. Plant also finished as the 7A runners-up in her sophomore season.
Her efforts have thus far earned her two All-Conference awards.
Sieper also enjoys a prolific career on the travel ball circuit, highlighted by a 6th place finish out of 1400 teams at the 2022 Run 4 the Roses 17U Platinum.
Over the course of the 2022 Girls 17U Under Armour Circuit, she finished as the 3rd best jump shooter in the league after shooting 60 percent over the season.
In her free time, Sieper also writes for the PHS News and is also a member of the Beta Club, Speak Up Club, Science Honor Society, Principal's Honor Roll and National Honors Society. Her commitment to the game of basketball is only match by her diligence in the classroom as she holds a 3.95 GPA.
Basketball runs in the Sieper family as along with Morgan, her older sisters Kayla and Ashley both play collegiately. Kayla is currently a redshirt freshman at Florida Southern (Lakeland, Fla.) after spending two seasons at Loyola Maryland (Baltimore, Md.). Ashley plays for Boston University (Boston, Mass.).
When arriving at Southern Miss, Sieper plans on pursuing a degree in business.
Sieper joins Emma Wallhoff (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. // Westminster Academy), Femi Funeus (Plantation, Fla. // Seton Hall) and Morgan Dillard (Sanford, Fla. // Seminole HS) as the fourth Lady Eagle on next year's squad from the Sunshine State.
"I am so excited to have a shooter like Morgan Sieper join our program," said head coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "She has had the opportunity to play a high level of club ball and has competed and been very successful on the road against some of the best. Not only can she shoot the three-ball, but she can also attack with her mid-range pullup. Her offensive skills will be an asset to our program.
Morgan's feel for the game and overall basketball knowledge will add depth on the offensive side, but she must continue to work on other aspects of her game, which we know she will do based on her love for the game and tremendous work ethic. Morgan is a great person. She loves people and most importantly loves making a difference and watching others succeed. She will fit into our Southern Miss community, and everyone will surely love her smile. Her success in the classroom is already proven and I know that she will enjoy much academic success here at Southern Miss. She is the total person who possesses everything we look for in a student-athlete."
Elle Blatchford // Guard // Canton, Ga. // Sequoyah HS
A three-year starter and two-time captain for Sequoyah HS (Canton, Ga.), Blatchford hails from the northern hills of the Peach State and her reputation on the hardwood precedes itself.
Last season, Blatchford surpassed the millennium scoring mark and currently sits at 1,267 career points scored for the Chiefs.
As a junior, she dropped a whopping 16.9 points per game while averaging 3.6 boards and 3.1 steals per game. Her scoring bouts topped out at a career-best 27 points against East Paulding (2/22) as she connected on 11 of her 16 attempts from the floor.
Over her three years and counting, Blatchford has swiped 277 career steals including 100 last season and 115 in 2020-21. Her triple-digit takeaways are the most in program history.
Blatchford's efforts propelled Sequoyah to the GHSA Class AAAAAA Championship where they fell to Lovejoy.
Her efforts on the year earned her First Team All-Cherokee County honors as well as First Team All-Class AAAAAA District 7 honors. The Georgia Athletic Coaches Association named her to the Class AAAAAA All-State team as well on top of her earning an Honorable Mention from the Atlanta Tip-Off Club.
In her sophomore season, she made her first appearance on the All-Cherokee County First Team, All-Region 7 team and GACA All-State Team on the heels of a 22-7 season in which she averaged 16.9 points, 3.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game for the Chiefs.
Additionally, she earned All-Cherokee County and All-Region Second Team honors as a freshman after averaging 11 points per game.
Blatchford also preps with the Southeast All-Stars club team.
"Elle brings much versatility to our team," said Coach McNelis. "She has the ability to play anywhere from the one position all the way through the four for us. She is a tall guard with the ability to pass, score and rebound. She's played multiple positions on all teams that she's played for. We're very thankful that we were able to get a player that has the ability to play multiple positions.
First and foremost, Elle is a gym rat. She travels an hour five days a week to do extra skill training with a former professional player. She wants to be as good as she can be and we are excited to have her as a part of Lady Eagle Basketball. She is someone that will fit in with many players on our team who enjoy skill development and getting better in their individual play and we look forward to helping her with her growth. She is a great person and a great student-athlete."
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