Mitchell Signs With Claflin University, Becomes Fourth NCAA D-II Player

Uniqua Mitchell shoots a jumper in the final game of last season. The sophomore has signed with Claflin University, an NCAA D-II school. Photo by Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Uniqua Mitchell shoots a jumper in the final game of last season. The sophomore has signed with Claflin University, an NCAA D-II school. Photo by Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Posted: Aug 14, 2013

By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Orangeburg, SC---Uniqua Mitchell, a sharp-shooting and athletic guard who played the past two seasons with the Express women's basketball team, has signed with Claflin University.

She joins her Express teammate Karahn Scott, who signed with Claflin earlier in the offseason.

Mitchell averaged 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a sophomore. She was fourth on the team in points per game, and she earned Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) Player of the Week honors on Feb. 17. Additionally, Mitchell led the team in free throw percentage (83 percent) and was second in 3-point field goal percentage (32.9 percent).

As a freshman, Mitchell was the team's third leading scorer as she poured in 12.4 points per game. She added 6.2 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal per game and led the team in 3-point field goal percentage (58-for-167, 35 percent). Following the season, she was named Second Team All-OCCAC.

The 5'6" guard finished her career with 688 points (11.9/game), 360 rebounds (6.2/game), 161 assists, 71 steals and 85 blocks. She leaves the Express as a top 20 all-time career scorer.

Prior to playing at Owens, Mitchell played at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, where she helped lead her team to three district championships.

Notes

Mitchell becomes the fourth player from last year's team to move on to the NCAA D-II level. She joins Scott, Emma-Jean Ricketts (Ursuline College) and Nandi Taylor (Kentucky State University).

As a sophomore, those four players led the Express to an OCCAC title, a Region XII District I championship and a seventh place finish as the NJCAA D-II National Tournament. Additionally, the team won 28 games - just one off the single year mark for most wins in program history.

Claflin University finished 6-21 last season and advanced to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Tournament Quarterfinals. They will be led by first-year head coach Deontae' McChester, who called Mitchell the "steal of the recruiting class."