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PROVO — BYU women's basketball coach Jeff Judkins announced four signees Wednesday, including Maple Mountain standout Liz Eaton.
Eaton, a native of Mapleton and the younger sister of current Cougar All-American Lexi Eaton Rydalch, is a 5-foot-9 guard who led the state in scoring as a junior and helped the Golden Eagles to a 16-7 record and the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament. A first-team all-state honoree by the Deseret News as a junior, Eaton is currently averaging 26.2 points, 12.8 rebounds and 4.6 steals through five games for 4-1 Maple Mountain.
"Liz is like her sister, a very tough, athletic, hard-working player. She's a good defender, shooter and rebounder," Judkins said in a statement from the university.
The Cougars also signed Brenna Chase, a 5-foot-9 guard from Thornton, Colorado, who averaged 15.5 points, 3.4 assists and 3.4 steals while leading Broomfield High to the Class 5A state championship. Judkins compared Chase, an all-state honoree, to current BYU point guard Kylie Maeda as "a true point guard."
For the second straight year, Judkins signed a post player from New Zealand, following last year's signing of junior college transfer Kalani Purcell from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. This year's signing is of Shalae Salmon, a 6-foot-3 native of Porirua, New Zealand, who has international experience with the New Zealand Women's Maori team and experience on the U-15 and U-16 national team circuit.
"Shalae will come in and help with our inside presence. She's a good and strong post player that can shoot and rebound very well," Judkins said.
BYU also added a returned missionary who signed with the Cougars in November 2013. Jessica Chatman, the daughter of former Cougar Jeff Chatman and sister of men's basketball player Jordan Chatman, served a mission for the LDS Church in Lansing, Michigan, and finished an associate's degree in high school. The 6-foot forward from Vancouver, Washington, was a three-time first-team all-league award winner and a graduate of Oregon Elite Basketball Club.
"Jessica can shoot and drive, and she's a smart, all-around player," Judkins said. "She is a good defender and an excellent rebounder and can play the two, three and four positions for us. Her versatility will add to our depth as a team."
