ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine women’s basketball team, which has built its recent success around a large number of international players, expanded those ranks on Wednesday.
Coach Richard Barron, who has signed a four-year contract extension to remain with the program, announced the addition of two players from Spain on the first day of the National Letter of Intent signing period.
UMaine has added more size to its guard corps by acquiring 5-foot-11 Blanca Millan Modia and 6-footer Naira Caceres Martell for next season. They will be the seventh and eighth members of an incoming freshman class that prompted Barron to say his Black Bears will be “reloading” rather than rebuilding. Six of the eight are Europeans.
“They’re talented, they’re athletic and they have good size. The average height of the class is six feet so our team gets bigger with this group coming in,” Barron said. “They’re really good kids who are excited about the opportunity to be here and that’s really important. They’re going to have to adjust so it will be important to temper our expectations in the short term.”
Millan, identified as a five-star recruit by Blue Star Europe, hails from Santiago de Compostela. She averaged 27 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals last season for Manuel Peleteiro High School.
She has played on Spain’s U15 and U16 national teams.
“Blanca is a long and versatile guard,” Barron said. “She can attack downhill, is excellent in transition both scoring and creating for others, and has deep, three-point range. Blanca has terrific international experience and will fit very well in our offense as she makes great reads and has the skill set to exploit them.”
Caceres, who hails from Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, played for Club Baloncesto Islas Canarias. The Blue Star Europe five-star recruit averaged 14.0 points and 12.0 rebounds for her club team and was named the second best student-athlete in Spain in 2015.
Caceres played on Spain’s U16, U17 and U18 national squads, averaging 7.4 points and 6.3 rebounds at that level. She helped Spain claim a U18 gold medal and a U17 runner-up finish at the World Championships.
“She is very strong and big for a guard and can defend any position on the floor,” Barron said. “She is a tremendous rebounder and facilitator. Naira very smart player and will be a terrific fit with our system.”
The Spaniards will join a recruiting class that includes 6-3 forward Anita Kelava from Croatia and 5-8 guard Julie Brosseau of Repentigny, Quebec, along with 6-2 Croatian forward Tihana Stojsavljevic, 6-1 Swedish guard Fanny Wadling, 6-2 Spanish forward Laia Sole and Bar Harbor’s Sierra Tapley, a 5-8 guard.
“Blanca and Naira are the two highest-rated players to sign at Maine in my time here,” Barron added. “Along with the other incoming freshmen, we believe that we will be positioned for continued success in the America East for many years to come.”
Barron said he recruits foreign players because, in addition to being talented, they aren’t as heavily recruited and “because they love it here, they really appreciate the opportunity.
“We try to get the very best players we can get and this is where we find them,” said Barron.
The athletes’ participation at UMaine is contingent upon their acceptance by the university and compliance with NCAA eligibility guidelines.
BDN sports reporter Larry Mahoney contributed to this report.