SAINT LEO, Fla. – Under the direction of third year head coach Anthony Crocitto, the Saint Leo women's basketball team welcomes Alex Button, Tamara Shash and Casey Wortley to the Lions Pride. The three newest members will be featured on the 2018-19 Saint Leo roster.
 
Alex Button, a Wayland-Cohocton Central School product from Wayland, New York, transitions to college ball after becoming the WCCS all-time leading scorer (1,872 points) and all-time leader in three-pointers made. Head Coach Anthony Crocitto expressed, "Alex Button can play several positions for us and score many different ways." During her career, she has accumulated a variety of athletic accolades including being named to the third-team Class B All-New York State, is two-time Spectator Great 8 Player of the Year and a five-time Livingston Country League All-Star. "Alex is expected to compete for playing time right away at the wing position and challenge for extra minutes at times at the point guard position. We will need Alex to use her length in defending the league's better guards while utilizing her size in rebounding the basketball on both ends. Alex can shoot, drive and distribute the ball and possesses the character we look for in Lion recruits. She is an exceptional student with a high basketball IQ," concluded Crocitto.
 
Tamara Shash, an American International School in Egypt product from Cairo, Egypt will put on the Green and Gold in 2018. Shash has been decorated with an abundance of awards following along list of outstanding accomplishments: Cairo District Tournament Champion, Four-time Egyptian National Tournament Runner Up, Four-time Giza District Tournament Champion, Two 3x3 World Cup U18 appearances, 3x3 African Cup first-team (Lome, Togo), 5x5 African Cup Madagascar U16 appearance, Oasis International Tournament Champion (Amman, Jordan), 5x5 World Cup Nominee, and Oasis Schools Tournament All-Conference Player, MVP. When she isn't on the court, she has filled her time volunteering at the SOS Orphanage, 57375 Cancer Hospital for Kids, helped paint walls at a nursey and organize worker day at school along with being a volunteer elementary and middle school assistant basketball coach. "Tamara Shash is a classy young lady from a classy Egyptian family," expressed Crocitto. "She is very talented and also portrays a very high basketball IQ. I love her ability to shoot the three, drive the basketball and block shots from the weak side. Tamara is a young lady with an unlimited upside and will benefit right away through our strength and conditioning programs and player development coaches. We are counting on her to compete to play right away while she learns to adjust to life in the USA and as a member of the Saint Leo Women's Basketball family."
 
Casey Wortley transfers to Saint Leo from Azusa Pacific. Wortley is originally from Tucson, Arizona, Ironwood Ridge high school where she played under the direction of Nikki Simpson. The Nighthawk product spent two-years at Iona, redshirting her first season followed by a year of competition at Azusa during the 2017-18 season. Wortley enters the 2018-19 season coming off a 9.0 points per game season average while resetting her career high to 21-points against California Baptist University while posting a double double with 10 rebounds. Crocitto said, "Casey Wortley will come in and make a difference for us right away. Casey is a long 6'2 who possesses an impressive all-around skill set. She is experienced and comes from a Top NCAA program in California. Casey will help mentor our young program on and off the court, including her studies in our Criminal Justice master's program as we have two rookies who will be starting their careers studying the same field. Casey's experience on the floor will be impressive as she can shoot the three, drive the ball and can play with her back to the basket. She is a perfect fit for our offense as we want scoring and leadership right away."
 
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