MOBILE, Ala. ? University of South Alabama women’s basketball head coach Rick Pietri announced Friday afternoon that former Faith Academy prep star Christian Shelter has transferred to Lady Jag program.  Shelter, who lettered the past two seasons at the University of New Mexico, will sit out the 2008-09 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but still have two more years of eligibility at USA.

“We’re really excited about having Christian in our program after spending the past two seasons at a quality New Mexico program,” Pietri said of the newest Lady Jag.  “She is a player that we recruited out of high school and would have loved to have come in as a freshman.  We feel that she is a great fit for our system and how we play and we are looking forward to having another quality Mobile player on our roster.”

Over the past two seasons, Shelter, a 6-0 guard/forward, appeared in 47 games for the Lobos.  Last season, she recorded a career-high 11 points against Norfolk State, where she was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor.  Shelter also saw action in New Mexico’s NCAA Tournament game against Wisconsin-Green Bay, where she scored five points and pulled down three rebounds.

At Faith Academy, Shelter was a three sport star, lettering in basketball, volleyball and track.  During her career, she won nine state championships among the three sports and was selected as the 2006 Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) Player of the Year.  That same season, Shelter was named to the Press Register’s First Team and was a McDonald’s All-American nominee.  She was also named a finalist for Miss Basketball in the State of Alabama both her junior and senior seasons.

For more information about South Alabama Athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).