Senior guard Curtessia Dean misses the court when she can’t play. In hopes of getting more play time, Dean decided to play for the Shockers.

Since the beginning of her basketball career in the sixth grade, Dean focused on how she can use her ambition to get her further in the game. 

Dean attended Wossman High School in Monroe, Louisiana where she was named Ouachita Citizen Girls Player of the Year her senior year. 

Following her graduation in 2018, she played at Trinity Valley Community College for two seasons. She was named to the WBCA All-America First Team during the two seasons she spent there.  

She transferred to Seton Hall where she recovered from an Achilles injury during the 2020-2021 season. Last season at Seton Hall, Dean played in 30 games off the bench and averaged 11.9 minutes a game. She averaged 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. 

“To really be there even if [I’m] not able to be there,” Dean said about her team. “Just to cheer them on, stuff like that. Let them know they got it and no one is holding their head down. Chances happen and stuff happens, you’ll get another opportunity later on.”

“I didn’t even come out to visit [WSU],” Dean said. “I liked the coaches.”

Head women’s basketball coach Keitha Adams kept an eye on the transfer portal to search for future players to add to her roster. 

“It has been great,” Adams said. “She goes by ‘New New’ and we really recruited her hard from Trinity Valley.”

”She is a really good guard and makes plays when her team needs it,” Adams said. “The confidence I have in New New is really high because I had the opportunity to watch her play a lot and she is a very good ball player,” Adams said.