November 14, 2003

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Virginia Tech Women's Basketball Coach Bonnie Henrickson has announced the signing of Christie Marrone to a national letter of intent for the 2004-2005 academic year. Marrone will join the Hokies next season as a freshman.

Marrone, a 5-6 point-guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., was recently nominated for the McDonald's All-America team. She averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 assists in leading St. John Villa Academy to a 22-8 record and the Class B State Federation Championship in her junior year. Marrone was named the Most Valuable Player in the championship game after scoring 22 points, including a state record-tying six, three-point field goals. Marrone was named the Class B Player of the Year by the New York Sportwriters Association and was the only junior among the five finalists for the New York Daily News Player of the Year award. She has scored 1,414 career points, including 71 treys.

"Christie is an exceptional ballhandler with tremendous passing skills," said Henrickson. "She has three-point range and the ability to get to the rim. We compare her passing ability to (former Tech stand-out) Lisa Witherspoon. Christie is one of the most competitive players we have ever recruited."

Marrone joins Britney Cook, a 6-0 guard from Narrows, Va. and junior college transfer Roshana Jackson, a 6-0 forward, from Norton, Va., both of whom signed Wednesday with the Hokies.

Virginia Tech finished the 2002-03 season with a 22-10 record and advanced to the NCAA Second Round, marking the sixth consecutive 20-win season and sixth-straight postseason appearance for the program. The Hokies are ranked 24^th in both the Athlon and Basketball News preseason polls. Tech opens the regular season Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum against Miami (Ohio).