Missouri State women’s basketball coach Kellie Harper announced Wednesday that Brice Calip (pronounced KAY-lip) has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Lady Bears. The 5-8 guard from Sapulpa, Okla., will join the program as a freshman in the 2016-17 season.
“We are thrilled to add another talented player to our 2016 signing class,” said Harper, whose 56 victories at MSU are the second-most for any Lady Bear coach through their first three seasons. “We are proud of this class and excited about their decision to become Lady Bears. I look forward to having the opportunity to coach each one of them.”
Calip scored 1,368 points and added 765 rebounds during a standout career at Sapulpa High southwest of Tulsa, earning first-team all-conference and first-team academic all-conference honors each of her final three seasons.
“Brice Calip is a smooth, scoring guard,” added Harper. “Her athletic ability enables her to get around defenders and create for herself or teammates. In addition, Brice uses her athleticism to be an effective rebounder from the perimeter position.”
The guard averaged 16.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 4.1 steals and 1.6 blocks as a senior while leading the Chieftains to a 22-5 record. She earned all-state honors from both the media and coaches, and was a finalist for Oklahoma Player of the Year.
As a junior, Calip helped Sapulpa to a Class 6A quarterfinal appearance, and was selected by Vype Magazine as its Tulsa Area Player of the Year after averages of 15.1 points, 8.2 boards, 4.2 assists and 3.7 steals. Calip averaged 12 points and 7.3 rebounds as a sophomore, and 9.0 points and 4.9 boards as a freshman, tallying at least 3.0 assists and 3.3 steals per game each season as well.
Calip’s mother Darlean served as her high school coach at Sapulpa and was a 1,000-point scorer in college at East Central University in Ada, Okla. Her father, Brad, played quarterback at East Central and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
Calip rounds out a four-player freshman class for next season that also includes Shameka Ealy (F, 6-1, Russellville, Ark., Russellville High), Emily Gartner (C, 6-4, Hiawatha, Kan., Hiawatha High) and Alexa Willard (G, 6-1, Lebanon, Mo., Stoutland High).
Missouri State finished 24-10 last season and advanced to the 14th NCAA Tournament in school history. The Lady Bears return nine players from that squad, including three that started at least 11 games, for Harper’s fourth season in Springfield.
