ABILENE – The Wildcats will add three new signees to their roster, as announced on Wednesday by head coach
Julie Goodenough after the future Wildcats signed their letters of intent for the 2024-25 season. These three signees add to the four freshmen added in last year's signing class, helping build a strong, young core of Wildcats. They intend to fill empty voids in the roster and add much-needed size and strength that Goodenough's staff has been looking for.
Aimee Flippen, Tyla Heard and Paula Pique will begin their journeys wearing the Purple and White starting next June.
First among the signees is Aimee Flippen, a 6-4 senior center from Glen Rose. Flippen adds a highly anticipated presence in the paint on both ends of the floor. She is coming off a season in which she led Glen Rose to the 4A State Tournament berth, where she received an All-Tournament Selection to go with All-Region and District MVP awards for the 2022-23 Season as a junior. This followed a sophomore campaign that was just as decorated, earning a TABC All-State selection, District Co-MVP, and multiple All-Tournament selections throughout the season to go with an All-District selection as a freshman.
The well-decorated, multi-sport athlete is looking forward to joining the women's basketball and ACU community.
"I am so excited to come to ACU because of the great atmosphere and love that I feel when I come on campus," Flippen said. "It truly feels like a community."
The state tournament qualifier has earned vast praise from players and coaches around her, including from her head coach at Glen Rose High School, Ramsey Ghazal. He praised her for her coachability and looks forward to seeing what Flippen will accomplish as a Wildcat.
"Aimee has a great combination of talent coupled with a coachable and hard-working attitude," Ghazal said. "She will leave as the most decorated player in our program's history, holding multiple school records, district MVPs, and All-State honors. Glen Rose Lady Tigers are very excited to see what Aimee's future holds."
As for Goodenough and her Wildcats, they highly anticipate Flippen's arrival and know she can help the team compete for Western Athletic Conference championships.
"When we joined the WAC, it became apparent pretty quickly that we needed to get bigger in the paint," Goodenough said. "Aimee will be a welcome addition and her 6'4 stature helps us to fill a position that we have been missing. She is an all-state volleyball player as well as an all-state basketball player, who has learned through her experiences at Glen Rose, how to be a winner. Looking forward to her faithful fan base becoming ACU fans pretty quickly and we are excited for Aimee to join our Wildcat family."
The second addition to the Wildcats roster is Tyla Heard, a 5-11 forward from Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Another multiple sport athlete, Tyla adds multifaceted athleticism and a history of success as a state champion in Oklahoma.
Heard comes to ACU after winning back-to-back Oklahoma state titles as a junior and a sophomore. This comes along with multiple Tournament titles throughout her high school career, including Lincoln Christian Tournament championships where she was a two-time All-Tournament Selection. In addition to a decorated basketball career, Tyla also holds multiple school records in both volleyball and track, including the school career and season record in kills and the season record in aces. She is also a member of the school record-holding 4x4 and 4x2 track relay teams.
"I chose to become a Wildcat because I fell in love with the coaching staff, the campus and the team. Family is very important to me and ACU gave me a home away from home. I look forward to ACU making a difference in my life as I strive to make a difference in the program."
Throughout her high school career, Heard has been coached by Darlean Calip, a coach with a proven reputation and high respect at the high school level. Calip has all praise for Heard and is looking forward to seeing Heard develop as a Wildcat.
"Not only are you getting an outstanding player but you're getting an amazing young lady," Calip said. "Tyla exemplifies teamwork and team success. She will do whatever the team needs. A player who can score at all 3 levels, guard any position and loves to rebound. She is super excited to become a Wildcat and I am excited to see her grow as a young lady under Coach Julie's guidance."
Goodenough looks forward to utilizing Heard in a multitude of positions to help elevate the Wildcat roster to new heights in her first season,
"Finding players who can play multiple positions allows you to utilize them where the team needs them the most," Goodenough said. "Tyla is a strong perimeter player who can shoot threes, drive to score and also post up. Her skill set will fit our style of play very well. Through her successful high school experience in both volleyball and basketball, she has learned invaluable leadership skills and knows how to be a great teammate. Tyla comes from a very athletic family who are also her biggest fans! Looking forward to coaching Tyla."
Finally, rounding out the Wildcat signing class is Paula Pique, a 6-0 forward from Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, Spain. Pique joins the Wildcat ranks after playing several years in the amateur leagues in her home country, including first position U17 Catalonia state, second position U18 Catalonia state, and eioghth position U18 Spain. She becomes the first international player joining the Wildcats starting their freshman year under coach Goodenough's tenure.
"I chose ACU because of its staff and teammates," Pique said. "From the very first moment I connected with them I felt that they trusted me a lot and it was such a great group of people."
Pique is seen in high regard by all of her coaches, including Jordi Perez, who praised her for her versatility and her ability to create opportunities for her teammates, convert offensively and execute defensively.
"Paula is a very versatile wing who can score from long range and attack the basket thanks to her length and quick first step," Perez said. "She's able to create for her teammates, finish in the paint through contact and convert when she is put to the free throw line. She is also a committed player on the defensive end with her hustle and intensity. Her experience gained playing on both her current teams is invaluable and will help with her transition to the NCAA level. Paula is a great role model and teammate and a valuable addition to any team."
As a player with length, Goodenough eagerly awaits the opportunity to integrate Pique into her roster and utilize her IQ to build upon the success that her program has seen throughout her tenure.
"One of our priorities in this 2024 class was to find a scoring wing player with length," Goodenough said. "Paula is tall and long and will be a welcome addition on the perimeter next season. She has really grown her game and basketball IQ by playing in competitive leagues year-round in Spain. We believe that she will be a versatile scoring threat but also bring intensity, steals, blocked shots and rebounds on the defensive end. We are excited for Paula to become an ACU Wildcat."
