AVE MARIA — Bob Batson is no longer a coach without players.

Carey Fullilove is no longer a player without a team.

Both voids were filled when Fullilove became the first recruit to sign with the Ave Maria University women’s basketball team on Friday. She made it official during a late afternoon ceremony in front of her family, Batson and school personnel in a small conference room at the school’s visitors center.

No teammates attended the ceremony because, well, there are none.

“It’s kind of weird,” said the 5-foot-10 Fullilove, who can play guard or forward. “I am the team, so far.”

Batson has until Nov. 1 — the date of the team’s first game — to fill the remainder of the roster. He’s glad to have a familiar face to help start the building process. Batson coached Fullilove for two seasons at South Fort Myers High School. Both helped mold the Wolfpack into an immediate success story. The team was 22-5 in its inaugural season and then won a district title in 2007, Fullilove’s senior year.

When Batson departed South in March to become the first coach of the women’s team at Ave Maria, he contacted Fullilove, who was attending FGCU but not playing basketball. The timing was perfect because Fullilove, who averaged 9.6 points and 6.0 boards per game while playing injured for most of her senior year, was anxious to resume her playing career after a year off.

“I missed it,” said Fullilove, who lives in Estero. “I’ve been playing since I was 10.”

“We’ve got a fine young lady who is going to help the university,” Batson said. “She’s been through this before. She’s helped start a program. She understands what it takes to go from nothing to being a successful, winning team.”

Fullilove said she’s thrilled that she will be part of a new team as well as a Collier County university that is still in its infancy.

“I like all the potential it’s going to have,” said Fullilove. “This place is going to be such a college-orientated town. It’s great to be at the start of that.”