May 15, 2006

PITTSBURGH - Pitt head women's basketball coach Agnus Berenato announced the transfer of Sophronia Sallard from the University of Kansas. Sallard, a 5-10 guard/forward from Syracuse, N.Y., played the 2005-06 season with the Jayhawks and helped them to a 17-13 record and postseason berth in the WNIT.

Due to the NCAA transfer rule, Sallard will have to sit out the 2006-07 campaign. She will have three years of eligibility remaning, beginning with the 2007-08 season. As a freshman with the Jayhawks, she played in 15 games with one start, and averaged 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game in limited action. Her top efforts included a six-rebound game versus New Orleans and a solid performance at nationally ranked Oklahoma with three points, four rebounds and two assists.

"Sophronia has a great, charismatic personality and an infectious smile," Berenato said. "Her passion for the game of basketball makes her that much better of an athlete. She has the ability to score from the point or the wing, the capability to put the ball on the floor and penetrate or pull up for a jumper."

Sallard will begin classes at Pitt this summer and according to Berenato, will help the Panthers in practice this season and in preparing for their opponents. A star out of Nottingham High School, Sallard was listed by Blue Star as the 25th-ranked player in the nation. In addition, she earned first-team all-league honors, named CNY Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, the Metro Player of the Year, and a fifth-team Street & Smith's All-American as a junior. Sallard was also ranked the 15th-best wing player and 88th-best player in the country by Mike White's adidas Top 10 All-Star Girls Report.

The Panthers are coming off a school-record-tying 22-win season in which they advanced to the semifinals of the WNIT with three postseason victories. Joining Sallard as newcomers for the 2006-07 campaign are center Selena Nwude (Riverdale, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt), and guards Ashleigh Braxton (Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park) and Jania Sims (Newark, N.J./Shabazz).