Jaitesha “Tesh” Hanson became the fourth player to join the UNF women’s basketball team under newly acquired Head Coach Darrick Gibbs on Friday, June 19. Hanson is now the sixth member of the UNF 2015 signing class. Gibbs said he strongly believes that Tesh’s presence will have a significant impact on the team’s future success.

“She [Tesh] is an unbelievable athlete who has proven that she can score,” Gibbs said. “She is a lefty who can attack the rim and finish with contact, consistently hit three-pointers and has the ability to be a force on the boards.”

Before coming to UNF, Hanson attended Liberty University and the University of Kentucky. As a freshman at Liberty, Hanson played with recent Osprey signee Simone Brown. Hanson, a 5’10 guard, played off the bench as a key player during her freshman season.

At Kentucky, Hanson spent time as the team manager while she dealt with personal issues. After she felt she was ready to play basketball again, Hanson decided on UNF. Per NCAA transfer eligibility protocol, Hanson will have to sit out for this upcoming season as a redshirt sophomore.

Hanson said she can already tell that the atmosphere at UNF is a lot different than at Liberty with the coaching style being more hands-on at North Florida.

“I love their new coaches,” Hanson said. “I knew them before from AAU travel basketball. I will be close to home and it is Florida, so why not.”

In her high school career at Seffner Christian Academy, Hanson became one of the top scorers in Hillsborough County. She is currently ranked No. 13 in the Hillsborough County All-Time 1,000-point scorers, with 2,001 points. Seffner Christian Academy had two runnings in the Florida High School Athletic Association Final Four while Hanson attended. She received many accolades including First Team All-State honors for her sophomore and senior years, and she was a four-time All-District and All-Area selection.

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