The FIU women's basketball program announces the signing of three All-State players for the 2018-19 campaign. Sheslanie Laureano, Paris Netherly and Ce'Nara Skanes have signed commitments to play for the Panthers following their senior prep seasons this winter.
 
Laureano is a local product who plays for Ferguson High in Miami, who was an All-State performer this past season, in addition to a First-Team All-Dade County selection. She averaged 13.4 points as a sophomore, bringing down five rebounds per game. Those numbers improved to 18 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest as a junior for the 5' 9" guard, adding three steals per contest as her Falcons were State Runners-Up in the 9A classification the past two seasons.
 
Netherly hails from Crosby, Texas, and plays for the Crosby Cougars, a Texas state semi-finalist last season. The 5' 11" guard was Newcomer of the Year, a First-Team All-District performer as a sophomore and an All-State selection this past junior season. Netherly plays basketball and volleyball, and, as part pf an athletic family, has an older brother Mannie, who is a freshman on the LSU football team.
 
"I am most excited to be a part of a new family, the pretty campus, facing new challenges and bringing something new to the table for Coach Malcom and the Panthers," said Netherly of her signing.
 
Skanes is a product of Oklahoma City, and the forward stands at six feet. The Putnam City West High squad, ranked No. 1 in the state 6A classification currently, saw Skanes as a four-year member of the basketball team, volleyball for two seasons and a member of the track program as a freshman. She was a First-Team All-Conference selection and a Second-Team All-State performer this past season. She averaged a double-double this past season, scoring 18.7 points and pulling down 11.6 rebounds, adding 1.3 blocks and 3.4 assists per game in 2016-17, falling in the regional round of the state playoffs in February.
 
Asked what she is most excited about for coming to FIU, "Meeting new people and playing for athletes not just from my area" was her first thought.
 
The Panthers do not have a senior on the roster, giving the squad a chance to have it largest team in four seasons.
 
For women's basketball ticket information, contact the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto www.FIUSports.com.
 
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUWBB) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUWBasketball) for all the latest FIU women's basketball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including Lime Court at FIU Arena and Riccardo Silva Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a "R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity" and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy and is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Employers" list. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU's Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute.  FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.