The Niagara College women's basketball program is excited to announce their sixth recruit of the summer: forward Rebecca Short.

"I am very pleased to welcome Rebecca and her family to the Knights family," said third-year head coach Mike Beccaria.  "Rebecca will add depth, grittiness, and athleticism to our front-court.  Her ability to relentlessly rebound the basketball is a skill that will translate immediately in a Knights uniform."

The six-foot-one Grimsby native played varsity basketball for Grimsby Secondary School where she received the Coaches Award and team MVP honours in her senior year. 

Short will enroll in the pre-media and design program beginning in September, however academics was only one of the factors in the 19-year-old's decision to attend Niagara College.

"I chose Niagara College for three reasons," Short said.  "One, the school has an amazing program for the career I wish to pursue.  Two, I immediately felt welcomed by the coaching staff and the team. Three, as a kid, I attended numerous Niagara College basketball camps and I remember always looking up to the student-athletes that ran the camps.  The program focuses on giving back to the community and I knew I wanted to be a part of that."

Joining Short as first-year Knights for the 2015-16 OCAA season will be Hailey Newham (Merlin), Marina Painco (Oakville), Liana Hughes (Oakville), Brooke-Lyn Murdoch (Welland), and Emily Naccarato (St. Catharines).

The Knights will open the season with the annual Peninsula Hoop Classic being held at Brock University. This marks the sixth year for the event, an annual exhibition showdown between the Niagara Knights and Brock Badgers men's and women's basketball programs. Tip-off is set for September 26 at 3:00pm.

Women's basketball tryouts are open to all full-time Niagara College students and will begin September 9.  Anyone interested in trying out is strongly encouraged to contact head coach Mike Beccaria for more details.  A complete schedule of all varsity athletic tryouts can be found here.