THUNDER BAY -- The Lakehead women's basketball team has reached across the Atlantic Ocean to nab its latest recruit.
Sofia Ainsa Lluch, a five-foot-six point guard from Menorca, Spain, announced her commitment to the team.
Lluch heads to Lakehead with an illustrious pre-collegiate career in her rearview mirror. In 2017, she was named MVP of England’s U19 National League, averaging 18 points-per-game while shooting 35 per cent from beyond the arc.
She led her club, John Madejski Academy, to the league title, and scored 28 points in the championship game.
Lluch spent last season in her native Spain, playing for U18 Picken Claret in Valencia, averaging 12 points-per-game.
“Having the opportunity to study in Canada and being able to do what I love the most, basketball, is like a dream come true,” Lluch said in a release issued by the school's athletic department.
Thunderwolves coach John Kreiner believes Lluch’s impact will be felt right away.
“Sofia will be asked to play point guard for our team and she possesses the skill set to contribute immediately on both ends of the floor,” Kreiner said. “Sofia is a very strong defender and plays with great energy and intensity. She is a versatile player who can shoot the FIBA three well.”
Lakehead finished last season with a 16-8 regular season record before being ousted by the Windsor Lancers in the OUA quarterfinals.
Lluch will be asked to fill the shoes of point guard Jerika Baldin who led the OUA in assists last year.
She joins an already impressive cast of recruits including: Nikolina Vrcic of Georgetown, Ont; Talia Peters of Winkler, Manitoba; and Julia Dunbar of Dartmouth, N.S.
Local recruits Mariah MacFarlane, and Nicole Pocion of St. Ignatius High School round out the class.
