Vic Schaefer signs two players, including 5-star recruit

STARKVILLE The encore to a historic 2014-15 season is already off to a good start for Mississippi State women's basketball.

The Bulldogs landed two of the nation's top players during the spring signing period, the school announced Sunday night.

MSU added 6-foot-7 center Teaira McCowan, who is a five-star prospect.

"Teaira, at 6-7, provides that inside presence Martha gave us for four great years," MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. "She has the opportunity to do what Martha did and then some. She has the ability to be a dominant rebounder and shot blocker."

Former Oklahoma State guard Roshunda Johnson joins McCowan. Johnson averaged 11.3 points as a sophomore in Stillwater a year after earning Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors.

"Roshunda is exactly what we need as far as a Top-50 guard in the country," Schaefer said. "She showed tremendous growth between her freshman and sophomore seasons, and we are very fortunate to have the opportunity to add her to our program.

Johnson will have to sit the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

McCowan, a 5-star prospect by ESPN/HoopGurlz, has been a standout in the paint for Brenham High School in Texas. She averaged 19.3 points, 17.1 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in leading her squad to a 25-8 overall record and 13-1 district mark.

The numbers earned her a selection to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) All-Star Game.

ESPN/HoopGurlz rated McCown as a Top 100 recruit (49th overall). McCowan was rated No. 26 by Premier Girls Report and 12th overall, the No. 2 center, by Full Court.

All-Star Girls Report also pegged her the No. 2 center and the 16th-best player overall.

"I had a great visit, and I loved the team chemistry. I don't think there is another team that has as great a chemistry as the Bulldogs," McCowan said. "The coaching staff was great. They really made me feel at home and showed me how much they wanted me to become a Bulldog."

McCowan played for team USA in earning a 5-0 record and the gold medal at the 2014 FIBA Americas 18U Championship.

That opportunity came after she was named a USA Today All-Texas second team and a TABC All-State honoree in 2014.

Johnson, a Little Rock native, averaged 8.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.8 steals in two seasons at Oklahoma State, helping the squad to the NCAA Tournament both years.

Last season she added 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists to her 11.3 scoring average as she helped the Cowgirls to a 20-12 overall record, 9-9 Big 12 mark, and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

"I loved my visit. Everything about it was great. I'm glad I made my decision to come here," Johnson said. "The coaches were so open with me and made it feel like home."

Johnson started 31 of 32 games for Oklahoma State. She finished as the team's third-leading scorer behind 35.3-percent shooting from the floor, 39.3-percent shooting from 3-point range and a 77.5-percent clip from the free-throw line.

The duo joins Mississippi all-state standout Jazzmun Holmes, junior college All-American Jazmine Spears and 6-3 center Zion Campbell who signed in November during the early signing period.

Contact Michael Bonner at mbonner@gannett.com. Follow @MikeBBonner on Twitter.

