Women's Basketball Announces Five NLI Signees to 2016-17 Recruiting Class

Bronx, N.Y. – Stephanie Gaitley and the Fordham women's basketball team have announced today the signing of five student-athletes to national letters of intent for the 2017 recruiting class: Halei Gillis, Kendell Heremaia, Zara Jillings, Ralene Kwiatkowski, and Vilisi Tavui.
 
"We are very excited about this recruiting class. It is filled with great kids and outstanding talent. We feel we have met all our needs and feel with this class that Fordham women's basketball's future is very bright."
 
Two of the new signees played together at Carolina Day School and on the same club team, the Western North Carolina Lady Royals – Halei Gillis and Ralene Kwiatkowski.
 

Gillis, a 6'4 forward/center, hails from Asheville, N.C. and has played with the Wildcats for the last seven years. Over the last three years of her high school career, Gillis has averaged a double-double of 11.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, plus three blocks per contest. A terrific junior season saw Gillis earn NCISAA All-State honors, as well as Asheville Citizen-Times All-WNC and All-Carolinas Athletic Association All-Conference. Gillis is also a NCISAA 1-A/2-A discus state champion the last two years, plus runner-up in shot put at the same events.
 
Gaitley on Gillis: "Halei was my favorite post player of this past AAU season. She is physical and tough on the block with a great shooting touch. We expect Halei to come in and contribute immediately."
 
Kwiatkowski, a 5'8 combo guard from Biltmore Lake, has spent the last four years with the Wildcats where she averaged 12.4 points, four rebounds, five assists, and three and a half steals per contest. Similarly to Gillis, Kwiatkowski is a terrific two-sport athlete, excelling in cross country and track over her high school career. In cross country, she is a two-time state champion ('13 & '15), a conference champion ('13, '15, & '16), and a state runner-up this past season. In track, Kwiatkowski was a state and conference champion in her first two years in the 800 meter, 1600 meter, and 3200 meter events, and a conference champion in the same events as a junior.
 
Gaitley on Kwiatkowski: "Halei and Ralene are high school teammates and they complement each other well. They are winners! Ralene has outstanding energy and a strong work ethic. She is a strong floor leader who will step in and help improve our depth at the shooting guard spot."
 
Heremaia, a 5'9 wing from Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand, and Jillings, a 5'11 combo guard from Auckland, will follow in the footsteps of fellow Fordham Kiwis Erin Rooney and Mary Goulding. The duo have competed together with the Junior Tall Ferns and will be playing together in Fiji in December's Oceania Basketball Championships.

Heremaia spent three years at Nga Taiatea in Hamilton and the past two years at St. Peter's high school in Cambridge. At the latter stop, Heremaia was a dominant two-way player in the frontcourt with averages of 25.4 points, 14.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 8.2 steals per game. At the former, she earned two distinctions: 2014 Nga Taiatea Wharekura Senior Sportwoman and the Nga Uaratanga award for example of school values. Heremaia also played club ball with Waikato over the past seven seasons. The Whangarei native has also featured prominently on the international scene, playing within the junior ranks over the last six years, starting with U13 Nationals in 2010 and also competing with the U15s, U17s, U19s, and U23s. Heremaia was named U17 Nationals MVP in 2015 and helped the U23s win a national championship, earning junior player of the year this season as a result. She helped her team win the secondary school AA nationals a year ago and, as team captain, helped St. Peter's to a secondary school championship.
 
Gaitley on Heremaia "I saw Kendell play for the first time recently at the New Zealand national high school tournament. She is a strong, physical, big guard who can score but also is one of the best passers I've ever seen. She's the complete package. Kendell and Zara are members of the Junior Ferns National team and we expect them to have great success on Rose Hill."
 
Jillings played at Westlake Girls high school in Auckland the past four years and also competed with the North Harbour Basketball Association's U13-U23 programs the past seven years. This past year at the New Zealand Secondary School Nationals, Jillings compiled averages of 21 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block per game. Jillings scored over 1,800 points in her Westlake career, including a 500 point season as a senior and 400 points as a junior. On the international scene, Jillings was made a captain with the New Zealand U16s in 2013 and helped the team win the Australian State Championship while also earning the role of reserve for the FIBA Oceania Championships. In 2014, at 15 years old, she was youngest member of the New Zealand Junior Tall Ferns team. With North Harbour, Jillings helped her team win a national championship as U17 captain. The same year, Jillings helped Westlake to the Auckland Premiere High School Competition Championship where she was named Finals MVP. Last year, Jillings averaged 22 points, seven boards, five assists, four steals, and two blocks a game as her team successfully defended their Auckland Premiere title. Jillings earned Finals MVP and Team MVP in the process. She was also named Team MVP of both the North Harbour U19s and U23s that year as they finished fourth and runners-up, respectively, in the New Zealand Nationals.

 
This past season, she has played as team captain of the U19 Junior Tall Ferns and participated in a four-nations tour of China. With Westlake as a co-captain, Jillings racked up over 20 points per game and contributed stats across the board as her team finished fourth at nationals but were named regional champions with Jillings named Team MVP. As captain of North Harbour U19s, she helped win a national championship and was named to the All-Tournament team. Jillings has also excelled in academics, earning an award for best all-around pupil in sporting, scholastic, and leadership achievements this past year. Also named a Hauraki House captain and selected to attend the Rotary New Zealand National Science and Technology and London International Youth Science forums.
 
Gaitley on Jillings: "Zara reminds me a great deal of one of the best to put on a Fordham uniform in Erin Rooney. She is a versatile guard that will be able to play a few positions. Zara is a true student of the game who will only get better with her outstanding work ethic."
 

Tavui, a 6'4 center from Nausori, Fiji, attended Lelean Memorial high school and played at the club level with both the Raptors and the Sharks of the Fiji Amateur Basketball Association over the past three years under head coach Peni Ratumaiyali. She has won a national club championship with the Raptors in 2013 but has spent extensive time playing internationally.  In 2014, Tavui was a member of the U18 National team and played in FIBA Oceania qualifiers, posting 11.7 points and 19.5 rebounds per game, also leading the squad in minutes played. A year later, she participated in the Pacific Games Women's Basketball Championship in Papua New Guinea where Fiji won gold. This year, she played alongside Fordham's Valerie Nainima with the Fiji Select Women's Basketball team in a two test series against the Chinese National U18 team in Suva, the capital of Fiji. Tavui was also chosen to represent her country at the first-ever FIBA-organized Oceania Pacific Youth Leadership Basketball Camp, held in Australia. Tavui is also a top talent at her level in one of the most popular sports in her home country, netball.
 
Gaitley on Tavui: "Vilisi is a big, strong body with a lot of raw talent. She recently played on the Fiji National team with our video coordinator, Valerie Nainima. Vilisi will add much-needed depth to our front line."