UT MARTIN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ADDS FORBES AND THOMPSON TO 2021 SIGNING CLASS

MARTIN, Tenn. – University of Tennessee at Martin head women's basketball coach Kevin McMillan has announced the signing of graduate transfer Holly Forbes (Robert Morris) and prep standout Ella Thompson (Bethlehem HS) to the program's decorated 2021 signing class.

Holly Forbes | F | 5-10 | Grad. | Bonne Terre, Mo. | Robert Morris

Forbes joins the Skyhawks with one year of eligibility remaining after playing two seasons at Robert Morris University. She played and started in 46 games for the Colonials while averaging 5.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Her best games in a Colonial uniform came as a senior where she tallied 16 points – going 7-of-13 from the field – against Purdue Fort Wayne before posting 13 rebounds as a junior against Pittsburgh-Johnstown.

Prior to joining Robert Morris, she was a two-time NJCAA Division I All-American at Mineral Area College. During her sophomore campaign she was named Region 16 Player of the Year after averaging 16.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Highlighting that season was a career-high 32-point performance with 10 rebounds against Northeast Mississippi. She also snagged a career-best 18 rebounds along with 24 points against Moberly Area. In her debut season she was named the Region 16 Freshman Player of the Year, averaging 14.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game – scoring a season-high 32 points against Arkansas Baptist. Prior to her collegiate career, she prepped at North County High School where she owns school records in career points (1,759) and single-game scoring (39).

"We are excited to add Holly to our program," McMillan said. "She came highly recommended to us from her former head coach Briley Palmer at Mineral Area. We think she will bring a lot of maturity to our team especially down in the post. She is undersized but plays extremely hard on both ends of the floor. We love her effort and her energy is something we are really excited about."

Ella Thompson | F | 5-11 | Fr. | Bardstown, Ky. | Bethlehem HS

Thompson joins the Skyhawks from Bethlehem High School where she played for head coach Jason Clark. Thompson helped the Banshees to back-to-back All "A" Classic State championships during her junior and senior seasons. She also led her squad to the elite eight of the state tournament this season where she averaged 22.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games en route to garnering 2021 Girls' Sweet Sixteen All-Tournament Team honors.

A 2021 Miss Basketball finalist and 5^th Region Player of the Year, Thompson averaged 17.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game as a senior while shooting 52.5 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc and 79.2 percent from the free throw line. With 555 points scored this season, she tossed in the ninth most points of any players in the state while tallying 15 games with 20 points or more in addition to notching 14 double-doubles. Arguably her best performance came against Apollo when she posted 26 points and 13 rebounds in the win. For her career, she tallied 1,540 points and 898 rebounds to rank as the program's all-time leading scorer.

"Adding Ella is an absolute great fit for our style and our program," McMillan said. "She is a versatile player who is coming off of being a Miss Basketball finalist. She can shoot the ball, put it on the floor, play inside or out. We love how she can play multiple positions, comes from a strong program, has a great work ethic and her drive fits well with who we are."

The pair joins five other players which committed during the early signing period back in November. That group includes Taylor Dupree (Brandon, Miss.), Mia Hurst (Henderson, Tenn.), Shae Littleford (Charleston, Ill.), Gabi Melby (Naperville, Ill.) and Tylei Wofford-Byrd (Jonesboro, Ark.) to comprise the 2021 recruiting class.

UT MARTIN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ADDS FORBES AND THOMPSON TO 2021 SIGNING CLASS

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