SELMA — Wallace Community College added seven players, including two from area schools to its basketball teams Thursday on the first day community colleges were allowed to sign players.

Bianca Twynette Heard, of Dallas County High School, joined the women’s team and Dupre Rivers, of Selma High School, signed to play for the men.

Both cited being close to home as a reason to play for Wallace, and each had academic reasons as well.

“It has a very good nursing program that I was interested in,” Heard said.

She plans to study nursing before transferring to Alabama-Huntsville to complete the degree.

Jibri Hooper, of P.D. Jackson High School in Birmingham was the other girls signee.

Heard said she expects to be a big contributor for Wallace.

“They are looking for leadership,” Heard said. “They want somebody who can lead them to a championship and I think I can do that.”

For the men, Rivers joins four others — Montrell Holley of Carver-Montgomery, Michael Cooper and Maurice Arrington of Fairfield High School and Chris Mims of Clanton — in signing with the Patriots.

“I like their basketball team and the environment,” Rivers said. “I have no reason to leave (Selma).”

Wallace men’s coach Ronald Lane said he expects the class will be very important to building on the experience of returning sophomores.

“We made the first round of the playoffs and lost there,” Lane said. “These are all good kids from a character standpoint. They are hard-working kids, and we should have a lot of leadership from our sophomores. I think it’s going to be a good year.”