BRONX, N.Y. – Despite being less than a month removed from the conclusion of the college basketball season, attention is already turning to next year for Fordham University women's basketball, as second-year Head Coach Bridgette Mitchell announced the latest group of recruits that will join the Rams next season.
Having announced a trio of newcomers in the fall all measuring 5 '11 or taller, Coach Mitchell has added two more players meeting that criteria in the latest group, and a combo guard capable of filling both roles in the Rams' backcourt. The most recent additions to the squad will also add a variety of knowledge within the game, in a group that includes a true freshman, junior transfer, and graduate transfer.
A 5 '7 combo guard out of Kissimmee, Fla., Camila De Pool will join the Rams next season as a true freshman, known for her ability to drive and attack the basket on offense. Adding further depth to a team that led the Atlantic 10 Conference in steals as a team a year ago, De Pool is also a dominant threat as a lockdown defender, and uses that ability to create chances for her and her team on the offensive front.
Despite coming to the Big Apple as a freshman, De Pool has honed her game down in Puerto Rico, where she was born, and currently plays with the Puerto Rican National Team, where she has averaged 9.0 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game, and 1.0 assists per game.
Coach B on Camila - "I'm so excited that Camila chose to be a part of the Ramily. She comes from a winning program and will bring that competitive nature to our team."
Listed as a true-center at an even 6'0 tall, Irene Murua comes to Rose Hill as a graduate transfer from Detroit Mercy, where she spent the final three seasons of her undergraduate career after playing at LA Tech as a freshman. In just three seasons in Motown, Murua tallied over 1,000 career points, earning a reputation as a true back to the basket center.
Graduating with a degree in Mathematics next month, Murua will look to pursue a Master's in Data Science when she arrives in the Five Boroughs. A career 51% shooter from the floor, she averaged 11.2 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game a season ago, where she would start and play in all 33 games, helping the Titans to an upset win in the first round of the Horizon League Championship.
Coach B on Irene - "Irene coming in as a graduate transfer will instantly help our young team. She is a highly skilled player that will positively impact our program both on and off the court."
Coming back home to The Bronx, Emma Wilson-Santos will join the Rams as a junior transfer out of Monroe College, where she lit up the floor a season ago averaging a double-double with 14.4 points per game, and 11.9 rebounds per game. Scoring nearly 700 points in her two seasons with the Mustangs, she shot 46% over that span, while pulling down 574 rebounds, including more than 350 last season.
At 5 '11 Wilson-Santos will provide further depth at the forward and center spots for the Rams, while also helping in the passing lanes, as she collected 99 steals in her two seasons, including 58 a year ago. Last season, she was selected as an NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball All-American, helping Monroe to a 19-11 record, and winning the 2024 Mid-Atlantic District Championship.
Coach B on Emma - "Emma has had a long journey to end up here at Fordham. She is a fierce competitor that is tough and will be willing to do whatever the team needs. I am happy that she chose to stay close to home!"
The trio of new additions are the latest in the Rams' recruiting class for the upcoming 2024-25 season, with three first-year players announced earlier this fall. With one local product joining the squad in Karissa Antoine, the Rams will bring in another player with New York hoops experience in Precious Omoshola who has played the last two seasons in Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y. after coming over from the United Kingdom.
That international talent continues with Anastasija Veljovic who joins the Fordham lineup next year from Canada, using her height at the guard position to benefit her team on both ends of the floor.
