GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida women’s basketball head coach
Kelly Rae Finley has announced the signing of three athletes to join the Gators for the 2022-23 campaign. Leilani Correa, KK Deans and Ra Shaya Kyle will each make their way to Gainesville to take the court for the Orange & Blue next season.
“We are excited to welcome Leilani, KK and Shay to Gator Nation! We believe that they bring added depth to our roster and are high character people that exemplify the Gator standard on and off the court,” Finley said.
As a collective group, the three signees, while not an incoming freshman class, would mark one of the highest-rated signing classes in Florida history. Kyle, in the class of 2020, was a five-star recruit and the No. 36 overall recruit in the nation. In the 2019 class, Dean was also a five-star out of high school, sitting at the No. 51 overall recruit in the country while Correa earned four-star status and was the No. 83-ranked recruit.
The last time that Florida signed three prospects in the ESPN Top-100 coming out of high school came in 2014 with Haley Lorenzen (36), Isis Young (59) and Brooke Copeland (70).
The trio joins
Zippy Broughton and
Jordyn Merritt, both of whom were five-star recruits with Broughton entering college the No. 24 prospect and Merritt the No. 27-rated recruit.
Leilani Correa | Senior | G | 6-0 | Manchester, N.J. | St. Johns
Correa joins the Orange & Blue following a three-year stay at St. Johns where she was twice named an All-Big East First Team honoree. During the 2021-22 campaign, Correa led the Red Storm in points per game at 17.3, while also averaging 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. A unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST selection, Correa posted 20 or more points in 11 games, eight of which came against conference opponents. The junior tallied 35 points against DePaul on Dec. 19 to tie her career best, eclipsing the 30-point mark for the ninth time as a Johnnie. On Jan. 14 against Providence, Correa became just the 27th St. John’s player to reach the 1,000-point mark for her career.
As a sophomore, Correa also earned All-Big East First Team honors and All-Met First Team honors after leading the Red Storm 17.6 points per game to rank fifth overall in the Big East. With 387 points through 22 games, she recorded the 11th-highest single-season scoring average in school history while being named the Big East Player of the Week once and was a six-time Big East Weekly Honor Roll selection. During her freshman campaign, Correa received the Big East Sixth-Woman award in addition to being a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman Team. She was a four-time Big East Freshman of the Week recipient and selected by ESPN as one of the top-10 impact freshmen in women’s college basketball.
Coach Finley on Correa: “Leilani is a great addition to our Gator family! She has a high IQ and is an elite three level scorer. Her ability to create for others as well as for herself will allow us to have versatility in how we play. She is excellent at reading defenses and has a great feel for the game. Off the court, Leilani is charismatic and fun loving – Gator fans will love getting to know her!”
Correa on Joining the Gators: “As soon as I stepped on campus and spoke to the staff and girls, I knew it’d be a perfect fit. It’s nothing like I’ve ever felt before – the family environment, the toughness and the way Kelly pushes everyone to be their best. I can’t wait to play for her and the coaching staff because they are going to have me playing my best game.”
KK Deans | Senior | G | 5-8 | Greensboro, N.C. | West Virginia
Deans heads to Gainesville as graduate transfer after spending the previous three seasons at West Virginia where she twice earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors. Deans earned the honor during the 2021-22 season despite suffering a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 29. Prior to her injury, she was averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game while also recording 3.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. She led the team in scoring 10 times throughout the first 18 games. Ahead of the season, Deans was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention team.
During her sophomore campaign, Deans was also an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selectee in addition to earning Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors. Starting in all 27 games, she averaged 13.7 points per game and was second on the team in assists with 104. She led the Mountaineers from deep, shooting 41.5% from three. She posted 22 double-figure scoring games, including five 20-point games and one 30-point contest, and led WVU in scoring in seven games. As a freshman, she was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team, while also playing in all 29 games.
Coach Finley on Deans: “KK brings passion and additional leadership to Gainesville! She is a strong two-way player that takes pride in her defense. She has proven that she makes tough plays down the stretch on both ends of the floor, from big time shots to taking the necessary charge. She is an exciting player in the open floor, one that Gator fans will love to watch. Off the court, KK has a warm inviting personality that will be infectious to both our team and community. We are thrilled to welcome KK to The Swamp!”
Deans on Joining the Gators: “I am super excited to enter this next chapter of my life with the Gators. The atmosphere and support Gator Nation brings is mind blowing and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
Ra Shaya Kyle | Junior | C | 6-6 | Marion, Ind. | Purdue
Kyle joins the Gators following two years at Purdue in the Big Ten. During the 2021-22 season, she appeared in nine games for the Boilermakers before suffering a season-ending injury against Ohio State, averaging 11.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. She put together a top-outing of 20 points against Dayton on Nov. 20 while also recording double-doubles against Marshall on Nov. 22 (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Florida State on Nov. 27 (13 points, 10 rebounds).
As a freshman at Purdue, Kyle saw action in all 23 games, averaging 5.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game while shooting an impressive 57.3% from the field. She was one of just three freshmen in the Big Ten to pull down at least 30 offensive rebounds and was also ranked fifth in the nation among freshman with a defensive rebounding percentage of 25.3% and 10th with a 18.9% total rebounding percentage.
Coach Finley on Kyle: “We are excited to welcome Ra Shaya to Gator Nation! On the court, she is a competitor who brings additional inside presence on both ends of the floor. She is an elite finisher who works hard to get position allowing us added versatility in our lineups. Off the court, Shay is a joy to be around and we are looking forward to having her on campus!”
Kyle on joining the Gators: “I am extremely excited to be joining the Florida Gators family and am looking forward to being an instrumental part of the program moving forward. Let’s go Gators!”
