MTCS' Abby Buckner commits to Tennessee Tech

Middle Tennessee Christian School senior Abby Buckner is intent on helping Tennessee Tech's women's basketball program rise back to OVC prominence.

Buckner committed to play for the Golden Eaglettes Monday evening.

"I'm hoping to be part of a class that does great things there," said Buckner.

The 5-11 shooting guard averaged 14.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the Lady Cougars last season. She shot 46 percent from the field (51-of-150 from 3-point range) and 78 percent from the free throw line.

"Abby put a lot of thought into this, and I think she made a great decision," said MTCS coach Lynn Burkey. "Our entire program is excited for her."

Proximity was a huge factor in Buckner's decision.

"I had two great schools (Tennessee Tech, Louisiana Tech) recruiting me," she said. "I thought a lot about it and talked to my family about it. It came down to distance - eight hours vs. one hour. It's closer for my family to watch me, and I'm a family-oriented person."

Tennessee Tech is under the guidance of first-year head coach Kim Rosamond, who was hired in March after spending nine years as an assistant at Vanderbilt. She served on the MTSU staff from 2003-05.

"She's a great person and we made a great connection," Buckner said. "I like her team values and we're both winners and we hate to lose. We want to see tradition back at Tech."

The Golden Eaglettes won just nine conference games combined over the past two seasons (16-39 overall), but had four consecutive winning seasons prior to that, including a 15-3 league mark in 2010-11, 11-5 the following year and 12-4 in 2012-13.

"I think it's going to be great for the Tennessee Tech program and I think it will be great for Abby," Burkey said. "I think she'll be a good fit for what they're doing."

Now Buckner can focus her attention on the Lady Cougars' upcoming season.

"I'm glad I finally chose where I wanted to go and can focus on my senior season and hopefully making it to state, which would be the first time for the Lady Cougars."

Cecil Joyce can be reached at 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.