Atlanta-area prep standout inks with Clayton State women’s basketball
Campbell’s Brittany Hall becomes first Laker high school signee of the Cox era

MORROW, Ga. – May 24, 2007 – In his three seasons as head women’s basketball coach at Clayton State, Dennis Cox has built an NCAA Division II national power through both junior college and four-year transfers. Now, Cox is boldly going where he hasn’t gone since arriving at Clayton State since his arrival in 2004 by bringing in a top-notched high school prospect to the Laker program.

Cox is doing just that with the recent signing of Georgia All-State point guard Brittany Hall from Campbell High School in Smyrna, Ga. The 5-foot-7 Hall is the first of what should be a stellar recruiting class for Clayton State, which is coming off the best season in program history. The Lakers went 29-6 overall, won both the Peach Belt Conference regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the “Final Four” of the 2007 NCAA Division II National Tournament.

“We feel fortunate that Brittany has chosen our program and will continue her academic and basketball careers at Clayton State,” said Cox, who is 79-19 at Clayton State. “We have recruited the elite basketball players in our area, but have not had success in signing them due to the quality Division I options available to them.

“Not only is Brittany a great athlete, but she also has tremendous character and will be an asset to our program in the academic realm being a Hope Scholar.

Cox has followed Hall all throughout her prep career at Campbell since the Lady Spartans have participated in Clayton State’s team camps each summer. She is the third player ever from head coach Randy McClure’s stellar Lady Spartan program to continue her collegiate career at Clayton State.

Hall could go down as one of the most decorated players ever at Campbell. She’s been both a two-time Class AAAAA All-State selection and two-time Cobb County Player of the Year by both the Marietta Daily Journal and the Atlanta Journal Cobb Extra. This season, Hall was also the Cobb County Player of the Year for the Cobb County Tip-Off Club.

She averaged 14 points, five steals and three assists a game for the Lady Spartans this past season, while shooting 52 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. During Hall’s time in a Lady Spartan uniform, the four-year starter helped pace Campbell to records of 25-4, 22-8, 27-3 and 25-6 with three straight trips to the Georgia Class AAAAA Girls State Tournament “Elite Eight”.

For her career, Hall scored 1,219 points with 485 rebounds, 463 steals and 350 assists. During that time, Campbell has been ranked in the Top 5 in the state of Georgia in Class AAAAA. In fact, the Lady Spartans were ranked 23^rd in the nation at one point during the 2005-06 season.

“We fell in love with Brittany’s game and continued to follow her career at Campbell,” Cox said. “She is an athletic guard who will be great in our defensive pressure system as well as our transition offensive attack. She can shoot with range and create off the dribble.”