CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland State women's basketball head coach Chris Kielsmeier has announced six additions to the 2023-24 recruiting class, as Grace Ellis (Brisbane, Australia), Brooklynn Fort-Davis (Chicago, Ill.), Filippa Goula (Ano Liosia, Greece), Kali Howard (Zachary, La.), Colbi Maples (Earle, Ark.), and Mickayla Perdue (Springfield, Ohio) will join the Vikings for the upcoming season. 

Perdue will join the Vikings with three years of eligibility remaining, Ellis, Goula, Howard, and Maples will all have two years of eligibility, while Fort-Davis will have one year of eligibility at Cleveland State. 

GRACE ELLIS | FORWARD | BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
Ellis comes to Cleveland State following a three-year stint at Wyoming, where she played in all 88 games during her tenure, helping the Cowgirls to three straight postseason appearances, including a berth in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman.  

As a starter last season, Ellis averaged 8.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, while shooting 48-percent from the field. 

Prior to her time at Wyoming, Ellis was a first-team representative at St. Peter's Lutheran College in Brisbane, Australia in basketball, swimming and athletics, earning All-Region honors four times. Ellis was a three-time All-State selection for Queensland Schools team, and was a member of the U18, U17, U16, and U15 teams. 

Kielsmeier on Ellis: "Grace's defensive versatility, along with her ability to score and rebound, will play an important role in our system. Grace has valuable experience winning a lot of games, and advancing in the postseason. We are thrilled to welcome Grace to the Viking Family!"

BROOKLYNN FORT-DAVIS | FORWARD | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Fort-Davis joins the Vikings after spending four seasons at Howard, where she helped the Bison to a MEAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2021-22 season. 

As a two-year starter, Fort-Davis averaged 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game during her career at Howard, while also adding 73 steals, 58 assists and 38 blocked shots. Last season, Fort-Davis earned All-MEAC Third Team honors after averaging 8.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, eclipsing the 500-rebound mark for her collegiate career. Off the court, Fort-Davis has been named to the MEAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team twice. 

Prior to Howard, Fort-Davis was a two-time City Champion at Whitney Young High School in Chicago, Ill.

Kielsmeier on Fort-Davis: "Brooklynn played a starting role on a NCAA Tournament team and will provide us with great experience as a graduate student next season. Her size and athleticism will bolster our front line along with her scoring and rebounding. We can't wait to coach Brooklynn on the court very soon!"
 

FILIPPA GOULA | GUARD | ANO LIOSIA, GREECE
Goula comes to Cleveland State after spending the 2022-23 campaign at Saint Francis, where she started all 29 games for the Red Flash, leading the team with 81 assists on the year. In addition, Goula averaged 7.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, notching double-digit points 10 times.  

Prior to her time at Saint Francis, Goula spent two years at Northeastern Junior College, leading the team in scoring, assists and steals as a freshman (13.8 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.0 spg) and sophomore (16.5 ppg, 4.8 apg, 2.8 spg).

During her prep career, Goula was a member of the Greece National U16, U18 and U20 teams. 

Kielsmeier on Goula: "Filippa is a crafty guard who sees the floor well and has the skill set to be a scorer. She has proven to be an impact player at the Junior College, Division I and International levels, and we are looking forward to Filippa joining us on campus very soon!"

KALI HOWARD | FORWARD | ZACHARY, LOUISIANA
Howard joins the Vikings after spending two seasons at Hutchinson Community College, where she led the Blue Dragons to back-to-back 20-win campaigns and an appearance in the second round of the NJCAA Tournament as a freshman. During the 2022-23 season, Hutchinson spent a portion of the year ranked in the NJCAA Poll, including reaching season-high ranking of No. 4. 

During her time at Hutchinson, Howard was one of the most efficient shooters on the team, posting a 49.1 field goal percentage throughout her two years as a Blue Dragon. Most recently, Howard averaged 8.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore, grabbing 216 total boards as one of just two Blue Dragons to record 200+ rebounds on the year.

Kielsmeier on Howard: "Kali fits our system well on both ends of the floor. She rebounds, finishes around the basket, is comfortable at the high post, and gets to the free throw line. We are thrilled that Kali chose to be a Viking!"

COLBI MAPLES | GUARD | EARLE, ARKANSAS
Maples joins the Vikings after spending her first two years at Grambling State, where she appeared in 57 games averaging 8.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game on her career. As a sophomore last season, Maples led the Tigers averaging 12.0 points per game, notching 17 double-digit point performances.  

Prior to her time at Grambling State, Maples was a standout at Earle High School, earning All-State (twice), All-Conference (three times), All-Region (three times), and Conference Player of the Year honors, averaging 18.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

Kielsmeier on Maples: "Colbi is a skilled, playmaking guard, who can create offense for herself and for her teammates. Being the leading scorer on her team this past season, we will look to Colbi to be a scoring threat right away. We can't wait for her to be in Cleveland this summer!"

MICKAYLA PERDUE | GUARD | SPRINGFIELD, OHIO
Perdue comes to Cleveland State following stints at Glenville State and Toledo. As a sophomore last year, Perdue averaged 17.7 points on a .438 field goal percentage, earning All-MEC First Team honors and helping the Pioneers to a 33-3 record, including an appearance in the NCAA Division II Final Four. With 110 three-pointers last season, Perdue led Division II in the category, while shooting 38-percent from behind-the-arc.

At Toledo, Perdue played in just nine games as a true freshman during the 2020-21 campaign, before redshirting the 2021-22 season. 

During her prep career, Perdue graduated as the all-time leading scorer (1,482 points) and three-point shooter (165) at Springfield High School, while earning All-District (three times), All-Conference (three times), All-County (three times), and All-State (once) honors.

Kielsmeier on Perdue: "Being from Ohio, Micky is someone we have recruited and watched play for a few years. As she showed this season, she is one of the best shooters in the country. She has three years of collegiate experience within winning programs, and has just begun to show what she can do on the court. We are excited to have Micky back in Ohio and in the Green & White!"

"Our entire program is looking forward to having all of our newcomers on campus this summer, and we are excited to have this group learn our culture - on and off the court - and get to work ahead of the 2023-24 campaign," said Kielsmeier. "We are confident that this group of newcomers will blend well with our returners, and will no doubt add depth on the offensive end of the floor as they combined to average over 60 points per game last year, along with adding to our defensive system. We can't wait to have the entire team together this summer and continue to build on our championship culture on the court and elite level of preparation off the court."

This group joins incoming freshman Paulina Hernandez who signed back in November.