Jaterra Bonds (Gainesville, Fla.), Kayla Lewis (Decatur, Ga.), Brittany Shine (Sacramento, Ca.) and Deaundra Young (Titusville, Fla.) each have signed a National Letter of Intent to continue their respective academic and athletic careers at the University of Florida, women’s basketball head coach Amanda Butler announced Wednesday.

“There is not another group of players I would want to coach and I cannot wait to begin working with them,” Butler said. “These four players understand how special it is to be a Gator and that’s very important to me. They have great personalities, are super talented and each has a tremendous work-ethic. My staff dedicated long hours to seek out the best players for our program and their hard work is evident in talent level and quality of character these four possess.”


Jaterra Bonds, 5-8, Guard, Gainesville, Fla./PK Yonge HS
Bonds, whose first name is pronounced “ja-TEAR-ah,” is a 5-foot-8 guard at nearby P.K. Young High School. The Gainesville-product averaged 20.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.8 steals per game in 2009, when she rode the Blue Wave to a 28-1 overall record. The team’s lone loss was to Miramar Parkway in the Class 3A State Championship game. Bonds, who also attempted 6.6 free throw per game in hit 72 percent of them her junior year, was named to the 2009 Class 3A First-Team All-State squad, after honorable mention notice in 2008. She committed to the Gators early in her junior year and went on to become The Gainesville Sun’s 2009 Small School Player of the Year.

“Jaterra is unique because she’s lived in The Gator Nation all her life and she knows what it means to be that hometown hero. She knows the pride that comes with being a Gator and how special it is,” Butler said. “Jaterra made the decision early in the recruiting process to become a Gator and was the first player from this class to verbal. She knew quickly that she wanted to be a Gator, stepped up and wanted to lead the way. Jeterra is one of the most underrated guards in the country. She’s been flying under the radar for a long time. She has a championship mentality and plays with an edge and I like that. She’s a smart ballplayer who can shoot the three, is good in transition and is a very quick defender. I like how quickly she makes decisions. She’s a playmaker in a lot of ways.”

Kayla Lewis, 5-11, Guard/Forward, Decatur, Ga./Southwest DeKalb HS
Lewis is a 5-foot-11 guard/forward and led Southwest DeKalb (Ga.) High School in 2009 to a successful defense of its Class AAAA State Championship. In the 2009 title game, Lewis totaled 16 points and 15 rebounds against Fayette County, which was led by current Gator freshman Tessah Holt, and was named MVP of the 2009 state tournament. Lewis, who was voted to the 2009 Georgia Sportswriters Association All-State First Team, is ranked No. 91 by ESPN HoopGurlz’s list of the 2010 Class top-100 players in the country. She is coached at SW DeKalb by Kathy Richie-Walton, who was named the 2009 Class AAAA Coach of the Year.

“Kayla has a great personality and will easily be a fan favorite,” Butler said. “She’s long, athletic and very versatile. She’s a great all-around basketball player and has won championships.”

Brittany Shine, 5-10, Guard, Sacramento, Calif./Sacramento HS
Shine is a 5-foot-10 guard at Sacramento High School, where she is coached by Michelle Massari. She enters her senior season with the Dragons having compiled 1,078 points, 220 steals and 155 assists. The 2009 Dragons finished 23-10 overall, including 10-0 in the Metro Conference, as Shine was honored for the third consecutive season as a First Team All-Metro selection, leading SHS with 14.9 points and 5.0 assists per game, in addition to 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 steals. During the 2009 summer, Shine played with the AAA team Just Believe Sports (JBS) that won three major events under the direction of Sean Chambers. Shine is ranked as the 88th best player in the country according to ESPN HoopGurlz and as high as No. 60 by All-Star Girls Report.

“What immediately stands out about Brittany is how much she loves the game of basketball and how hard she works at improving herself,” Butler said. “Our fans are going to love Brittany. She’s one of those players who instantly becomes a fan favorite because of her energy. Brittany is a scorer and can create her own shots.”


Deaundra Young, 6-2, Forward, Titusville, Fla./Astronaut HS
Young, a 6-foot-2 power forward, guided Astronaut High School to a 25-2 record and the 2009 Class 4A State Championship, recording 22 points by hitting 10-of-18 from the floor, 17 rebounds and five assists in the title game against Orlando Bishop Moore, which was led by current Gator freshman Jennifer George. During her junior year playing for Coach Gregg Hostetler, Young averaged 19.0 points, 13 rebounds and 1.5 assists, while hitting 48 percent from the floor and 74 percent from the free throw line in being recognized as a 2009 Class 4A First Team All-State selection, a five-member squad that also featured George, after being recognized as an honorable mention selection in 2008. Young, who is rated as the nation’s 48th-best player by ESPN HoopGurlz, also competes for Astronaut’s track and field team, placing seventh at the 2009 FHSAA 2A State Shot Put Finals with a throw of 36-8.5. She launched her personal record in the event at the Region 3 meet with a toss of 38-2 and placing second. Young’s personal record in the high jump is 5-0, which she accomplished with the winning leap at the Astronaut Classic in May of 2009. She is the niece of LaShawnda Jackson, a former letterwinner with the Gator Track & Field team.

“Deaundra has championship expectations of herself,” Butler said. “She will be one of our most fundamental post players because she’s been very well coached. Deaundra has known since she was a little girl that she wanted to be a Gator. This is an exciting day for her and she will be a huge addition to our program.”


Florida Gators’ 2010 Signing Class
Jaterra (ja-TEAR-ah) Bonds, 5-8, Guard, Gainesville, Fla./P.K. Yonge HS
Kayla Lewis, 5-11, Guard/Forward, Decatur, Ga./Southwest DeKalb HS
Brittany Shine, 5-10, Guard, Sacramento, Calif./Sacramento HS
Deaundra Young, 6-2, Forward, Titusville, Fla./Astronaut HS

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