Shaw’s Yolanda Givens, Dawniqua Snead sign with Andrew College

Shaw’s Yolanda Givens and Dawniqua Snead have decided their four-year run with the Lady Raiders won’t be the end of their playing days together.

Givens and Snead signed with Andrew College on Wednesday in a ceremony in Shaw’s media center. The duo’s ceremony featured a packed room of relatives and well-wishers as they officially became the first Shaw players under head coach Julee Fryer to sign basketball scholarships.

Snead couldn’t contain her excitement as cameras flashed and people cheered, as she smiled from ear to ear throughout the ceremony.

“I’m just really excited, honored and humbled,” Snead said. “I feel like I put my all into it and earned it. A lot of people said I couldn’t do it, but to prove them wrong put a lot of emotion into it to know I made it.”

Andrew College head coach Courtney Pritchett was on hand for the signing and took a turn at the microphone to express his eagerness in welcoming his two newest players to the Lady Tigers program.

“This is a really, really great day for them, and I know it’s a great day for our college,” Pritchett said. “Because of all the hard work these young ladies have put into the game of basketball, now they get the opportunity to have it pay for their college.”

Fryer said Andrew College is getting two very different yet talent players in Givens and Snead. She described Givens as a quiet person but one who excels at the point guard position and can score or distribute the ball with relative ease. Snead, on the other hand, is often more strong willed and carries it over to the court, handling herself well in the post and in creating her own offense while on defense.

Givens said the Lady Tigers’ players were a huge draw to the program because she saw they were fun but that they also worked hard. She said Pritchett said she could start for the team at point guard, which only added to her desire to play for the team.

She and Snead didn’t make their decisions together, but the result means the two will at least have someone they know in their new homes. Givens said the two are looking to be roommates and added that there is a benefit on the court to sticking together.

“I know how she plays, and we’ll be developed together,” Givens said.

As friends and loved ones took their turns taking photos and talking about the future, Givens and Snead thought back to their senior seasons. Givens said dropping 36 points in an overtime victory was the highlight of her year, while Snead pointed to scoring her 1,000th career point as the pinnacle of the season.

Both players thanked those in the room and the other people who supported them throughout their Shaw playing days. The chance to celebrate the last four years was a special one, but they each seemed ready to take the next step as Lady Tigers.

That transition forward is one Fryer is excited to see from the two standout seniors.

“As far as their high school career, they’ve reached what they needed to,” Fryer said. “Now it’s time for them to transition to the next level.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Shaw’s Yolanda Givens, Dawniqua Snead sign with Andrew College."