SAN FRANCISCO – Building toward the bright future ahead for Academy of Art women's basketball, Head Coach Jesse Clark and his staff have announced a trio of incoming freshman Urban Knights along with a returning guard Emilia Dougherty ahead of the program's 2024-25 campaign. Donning the ART U red and black will be guard Harper Felch (Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Morris County School of Technology), guard Violet Stutz (Twickenham, London, England/City of London Academy), and forward Keira Mitchell (Fountain, Colo./Fountain-Fort Carson).

"I am thrilled that Harper, Violet, and Keira will be joining our talented returning group this fall," Clark said. "Each of them are winners and will help us continue to build a tradition of greatness here. I'm so grateful that we have the opportunity to coach these three and I know they will be ready to contribute."
 
Harper Felch (Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Morris County School of Technology)
Joining ART U after a two-sport career, Felch competed in both basketball and cross country across her four years at Morris Country School of Technology. She was First Team All-Division four times, capping her high school run with All-County honors and school records in both points (1,374) and assists (281) as a senior. Felch averaged 15.7 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.7 steals during her time with MCST, achieving both the 1,000-point milestone and her first triple-double as a junior before scoring a career-high 34 points and amassing 14 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 steals for an eye-popping quadruple-double versus Hacketttstown on Feb. 6, 2024.

She was also First Team All-Division in each of her four seasons on the Morris County School of Technology cross county team. Outside of MCST, Felch could be found in action for her basketball club team, Rise As One AAU, winning the 16U Nike Chicago Tournament of Champions as well as the 16U and 17U Hershey Tournaments along the way.
 
"Harper will be a wonderful addition for us," Clark said. "She adds size and depth to our guard position. Her excellent court vision and ability to push the tempo will be very valuable. We are excited to see her in an ART U uniform."

Felch will enter the Academy of Art School of Interior Architecture & Design as she pursues her future career goal of becoming an interior designer.

Violet Stutz (Twickenham, London, England/City of London Academy)
A busy last three years have seen Stutz compete in basketball for City of London Academy, CoLA Southwark Pride, and Great Britain U18. She was a six-time National Champion across those three leagues, representing England on five occasions (U14-U18), Great Britain twice, and Hoopsfix All-Stars in 2023. Stutz averaged 8.1 points (including 1.2 three-pointers made), 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in nine games for CoLA Southwark Pride most recently.

"A versatile addition to the ART U women's basketball program," Clark said. "Violet has a high IQ, can shoot it from deep, and has built a reputation as a tremendous defensive presence."

In pursuit of her future career goal of working as an interior designer, Stutz will begin in the Academy of Art School of Architecture & Design.

Keira Mitchell (Fountain, Colo./Fountain-Fort Carson)
Showing her versatility as both a basketball and volleyball student-athlete each of the past four years, Mitchell graduated from Fountain-Fort Carson High School in 2024. She posted impressive averages of 10.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 2.1 steals per game on the Trojans' junior varsity squad in 2020-21 then worked her way toward achieving nearly those same numbers as a varsity senior at 10.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks per contest. Recognized as the team's Most Valuable Player, Mitchell captained both her basketball and volleyball teams at Fountain-Fort Carson, helping both sport programs combine for seven winning seasons highlighted by a 22-3 stint for basketball that included a league championship. A total of 660 kills in 226 sets gave her a 2.9 kills per set average as well as the volleyball squad's Best Hitter Award. Along with her high school success, Mitchell also competed for Colorado Basketball Club for three years.

"Keira is a versatile player who is really going to add depth to our frontcourt," Clark said. "She is a perfect fit for our system of play and we are confident she can make a big impact for us next year."

Upon her arrival at Academy of Art, Mitchell will begin in the School of Communications & Media Technologies.

Emilia Dougherty (Daly City, Calif./Chabot College)
Joining the program a graduate student last year, Dougherty proved to be one of the team's most dangerous deep threats. Across her 25 games played in 2023-24, she knocked down a 3-pointer in 16 of those contests including three as part of a season-best 10 points in a win at Chaminade on Jan. 13. She finished as one of four Urban Knights with at least 20 triples made and carried the team's highest shooting percentage at the foul line (.818).

"We are happy that Emilia will be returning for her final year of eligibility," Clark said. "She is a tremendous person who is going to be an important part of our legacy here at ART U.  I know she is extremely motivated to make her last year the best yet. She has been such a key piece to building this program both on and off the court.  I'm so grateful I've had the opportunity to coach her, and I know she will be ready for her final season."

Dougherty continues to pursue her future goals of contributing to startups in the Academy of Art School of Interaction & UX/UI Design this fall.