ORONO, Maine — With eight seniors graduating next spring, the University of Maine women’s basketball will have some major holes to fill.
Coach Richard Barron and his staff on Friday announced the signing of six players to National Letters of Intent.
“This class will ensure Maine’s continued success for the next four years,” Barron said in a news release.
“I believe that this current signing class is even more talented [than the senior group], and they will have the added benefit of coming into an established culture laid down by this year’s seniors,” he added.
The signees include 5-foot-8 guard Julie Brosseau of Repentigny, Quebec; Anita Kelava (6-foot-3 forward) of Zagreb, Croatia; Laia Sole (6-foot-2 forward) of Iguadala, Spain; Tihana Stojsavljevic (6-foot-2 forward) of Zagreb, Croatia; Sierra Tapley (5-foot-8 guard) of Bar Harbor; and Fanny Wadling (6-foot-1 forward) of Nacka, Sweden.
Brosseau is rated as the No. 4 player in Canada’s Class of 2016 by Crown Scout Magazine. Her Nomades de Montmorency team has won three straight national titles, and she is averaging 17 points and six rebounds thus far this season.
“She is one of the best shooters I have ever seen and brings great athleticism, strength and creativity,” Barron said.
Kelava, a four-star recruit according to Blue Star Europe, has been a longtime member of Croatia’s age-group national team. Last season, she led the nation in rebounds (8.8 rpg) and scored 8.3 ppg.
“Anita is a long and athletic versatile forward who has shooting range beyond the arc and is excellent in the midrange,” Barron said. “She is a great rebounder and committed defender.”
Sole, a Blue Star Europe four-star recruit, has played for the Sarria and Almeda club team and the national team. She is averaging 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds for Segle XXI.
Stojsavljevic, a three-star recruit, helped Croatia’s U18 team finish ninth at the Division A FIBA European Championships. She averaged 6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots.
Tapley averaged 16.3 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 steals while leading Mount Desert Island to an undefeated regular season last winter. She was named
the Big East Player of the Year and was selected to the Bangor Daily News All-Maine Third Team.
“Sierra is a smart and hard working lead guard with very good ball handling skills and a very good feel for the game,” Barron said. “She has impressed us for many years with her work ethic and intensity in practice as well as games.”
Wadling, a three-star recruit who plays at BG Lulea, led her team in scoring (9.6 ppg) and steals (2.4) and averaged 5.4 rebounds at the U18 European Championships.
“Fanny is a highly skilled and very smart player with an excellent feel for the game,” Barron said. “She reminds me of a left handed version of Magic Johnson, a tall, strong point/forward with excellent court vision and scoring ability.”
Barron said UMaine, which already has brought in transfer Tanesha Sutton from Duquesne, plans to add one more player during the late signing period.
UMaine baseball signs 6
The UMaine baseball program has announced its list of National Letter of Intent signees for the 2016-2017 season.
The group includes three Mainers — Bangor High School pitcher Trevor DeLaite, Brewer High pitcher and first baseman Matt Pushard and pitcher Cody Laweryson of Valley High in Bingham.
Coach Steve Trimper and his staff also secured three other players from New England.
The efforts of assistant coaches Nick Derba and Conor Burke “in identifying quality student athletes surely paid off as we feel the incoming players will have an immediate impact and add to the talented group we currently have at UMaine,” Trimper said.
Joining the Maine trio is a group of three right-handed pitchers in Ryan Worthington of Avon Old Farms High School in Connecticut, Sam McCarthy of Nashua (New Hampshire) North High School and Matt Geoffrion Algonquin (Massachusetts) High School.
Worthington, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound, multiple-time all-star, is the son of Norm Worthington, the No. 1 pitcher on Eastern Connecticut State’s 1990 Division III national championship team.
McCarthy (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) was ranked the top pitcher in New Hampshire by Perfect Game and the No. 8 player in New England by Prep Baseball Report.
Geoffrion (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) was a four-year varsity starting pitcher and a three-year letter winner for basketball.