Boston University grad transfer Maggie Pina (5-7 SR shooting guard, West Chester, PA) lands at Northwestern, their first portal pickup.
Northwestern women’s basketball will welcome graduate transfer Maggie Pina to their roster for the 2023-24 season, Head Coach Joe McKeown announced Friday. Pina, a 5’7″ guard and the 2020 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, joins the Wildcats after four years at Boston University.
“We’re excited about Maggie being a part of Northwestern,” McKeown said, “She is an outstanding student athlete and fits our goals both on and off the court. She brings a level of experience that will positively impact our program. Her ability to shoot the ball and score the basketball is one of her strengths and will certainly help in the rugged Big Ten conference schedule. Love her toughness and attitude and her energy. We are thrilled to welcome her to the Wildcat family.”
In her four years at BU, Pina played in 109 games and started 94, including all 33 contests during the Terriers’ 2022-23 season. She averaged nearly 30 minutes per game last year for Head Coach Melissa Graves and set single-season career highs in steals (40), assists (60) and rebounds (79). After contributing 9.4 points per game on 44.1 percent shooting during her senior campaign, Pina will enter the upcoming season with 939 career points.
The grad student will bring dynamic athleticism and sharp three-point shooting to the roster. Pina hit 29 or more three-pointers each of her four seasons in Boston, including a team-best 51 last year. All that added up to 186 made threes in her BU career – good for third in program history.
(6/2/2023)
Virginia Tech grad transfer Ashley Owusu (6-0 SR point guard, Woodbridge, VA) lands at Penn State, a return to the Big Ten—she started her college career at Maryland.
Penn State women’s basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger announced the addition of All-American shooting guard and Ann Meyers Drysdale Award winner Ashley Owusu to the Lady Lions’ 2023-24 roster on Thursday afternoon.
“We are thrilled to add Ashley to our Penn State family,” Kieger said. “She is a game-changing player who has excelled at the highest level, especially in the Big Ten Conference. Her skillset is the perfect complement to our roster and style of play. The way she navigates ball screens is the best in the country. She is a no-doubt pro and will have an immediate impact on our team. I am excited both for her, and our entire basketball community.”
A veteran of Big Ten Conference competition and one of the most decorated active players in women’s basketball, Owusu joins Penn State as a transfer from Virginia Tech with a prior stint at Maryland. The Woodbridge, Virginia, native took home the 2021 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, the highest honor for a shooting guard in the college game. Owusu was named an Associated Press Third Team All-American in the 2020-21 season, also bringing home All-America laurels according to the United States Basketball Writers Association.
“I chose Penn State because of how welcoming and genuine the coaches and girls were,” Owusu expressed. “I wanted to be around people that have the same goals as me, and I know that my teammates and I are going to accomplish big things this season.”
An effective scorer and playmaker over the years, Owusu compiled career averages of 14.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game during her time with the Terrapins. While in College Park, the veteran guard secured All-Big Ten accolades in all three seasons, garnering First Team recognition in 2021 in addition to Second Team appearances in 2020 and 2022. She led the Terrapins to a pair of Big Ten Tournament titles in 2020 and 2021, bringing home the prestigious Jim & Kitty Delany Most Outstanding Player Award for her efforts in both postseason runs.
During the 2022-23 season at Virginia Tech, Owusu started the first seven contests of the year before being sidelined by injury. She appeared in 17 games during her senior season with the Hokies, averaging 5.1 points per game while shooting at a 39% clip from the field. Prior to her injury, Owusu tallied a season-best 21 points against Longwood, hitting a career-high quartet of 3-point baskets.
(6/1/2023)
Missouri grad transfer Katlyn Gilbert (5-10 GR guard, Indianapolis, IN) lands at DePaul. Prior to Mizzou, Gilbert spent four seasons at Notre Dame.
DePaul women’s basketball has signed 5-foot-10 guard Katlyn Gilbert, head coach Doug Bruno announced on Thursday.
Gilbert, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., played the 2022-23 campaign at Missouri after spending four seasons at the University of Notre Dame. A seasoned veteran in the college game, Gilbert has seen action in 83 career games while making 39 starts. Gilbert owns career averages of 7.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists through her time in Columbia and South Bend.
“Katlyn Gilbert brings a combination of exceptional basketball talent and college hoops experience. Having competed in both the ACC with Notre Dame and SEC with Missouri, Katlyn is an all-purpose guard. She can handle and get to the hoop, knock down the three and get after you defensively,’ said Bruno. “Katlyn presently completes our 2023-24 roster of seven veteran-experienced players along with six newcomers.”
A 2020 ACC All-Freshman Team selection in her redshirt season with the Irish, Gilbert averaged 13.6 ppg to rank second among ACC first years while adding four rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals per contest. Throughout her career, Gilbert has reached double-figure scoring in 30 outings.
“While on my visit at DePaul, I got to explore the beautiful campus and what this program and the city of Chicago has to offer my family and I. I believe in the vision that Coach Bruno and the rest of the program has, and it was something that I am extremely grateful and excited to be apart of,” said Gilbert. “I am most looking forward to building a bond with my teammates and getting out on the court to add our mark on the long-standing history of the program!”
Gilbert was named a McDonald’s All-American in 2018 after averaging 18.5 points, seven rebounds and four steals in her senior season at Heritage Christian School. She also played in the Jordan Brand Classic and Indiana All-Star game.
The newcomers set to join the Blue Demons this summer include Kate Clarke, Grace Carstensen, Katlyn Gilbert, Sumer Lee, Brynn Masikewich, Shakara McCline, Charlece Ohiaeri and Michelle Sidor.
(6/1/2023)
Oregon officially announces the addition of North Alabama transfer Skyler Gill (5-11 SO wing, Wichita, KS).
Oregon’s women’s basketball roster continues to take shape, as the Ducks have added two-time ASUN Defensive Player of the Year Skyler Gill to the 2023-24 roster, head coach Kelly Graves announced Thursday.
In just two seasons at North Alabama, Gill is the program’s all-time record holder in career blocks (161), shattering the team’s single-season mark in back-to-back seasons. Posting 85 blocked shots during the 2022-23 season, her efforts garnered her second straight ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and All-ASUN second-team accolades.
Following her freshman season, Gill was voted as the ASUN’s Freshman of the Year while collecting ASUN all-freshman team honors. Additionally, she was a five-time ASUN Freshman of the Week recipient while earning league Newcomer of the Week once.
A product of Wichita, Kan., Gill appeared in 53 games while making 52 starts in two seasons with the Lions. She averaged 10.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 38.4 percent from the field.
Her 85 blocks led the ASUN and ranked as the ninth-most in the country last season. Despite missing the first six games of the 2021-22 campaign, Gill’s 76 blocked shots were the most in the conference as she finished with the 11th-most nationally.
The 5-foot-9 Gill has carded 16 career double-doubles while scoring 20 or more points three times, with her career high coming in a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double at No. 4 Ohio State on Nov. 27, 2022.
(6/1/2023)
Grand Canyon transfer Ellie Buzzelle (5-8 FR shooting guard, Rogers, MN) lands at Eastern Illinois.
Eastern Illinois women’s basketball head coach Matt Bollant has announced the addition of transfer guard Ellie Buzzelle who will join the program next season (2023-24).
Buzzelle played last season at Grand Canyon University and will have three years remaining at EIU.
“Ellie is a great lefty shooter who can score off the dribble as well. She played on a great AAU team (Minnesota Fury) and I believe she will have a great impact on our team,” said Bollant.
Buzzelle (5’8″) played in 26 games at GCU last season making six starts. She opened her collegiate career scoring 12 points against Arizona Christian. She added a season-high 15 points against Utah Tech late in the year. For the season Buzzelle averaged 3.5 points and 1.2 rebounds per game knocking down 23 3-pointers.
She is from Rogers, Minn., where she was a four-year starter at Rogers HS. Buzzelle was an All-Conference performer as a sophomore and junior. She averaged 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals per game as a senior.
(6/1/2023)
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