Top 10 International prospects
- Thread starter HuskyNan
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I’ve wondered about Ainhoa for a while now. She comes from a talented family and has a complete package of skills in a long frame. Will she go straight to the pros or would she consider playing D1 ball first?
As for Zhang Ziyu, she is a package of paradoxes. Too big to stop, but perhaps too slow to want to build a team around. She’s something over 7’ tall, though exactly how much taller is unclear. Maybe as much as 7’3”. Last summer, the PRC team led by Ziyu rolled through the FIBA summer tournament crushing all opposition… until they encountered Australia and lost in the finals.
I think Ziyu was 17 at the time and she was in tears after the game. She seems to be quite child-like at heart. Kids like her can suffer from all sorts of pressures, like loneliness and bullying, and the PRC tends to take a proprietary interest in some of their athletes which can also be oppressive. Li Yueru is an example of this. Big kids can be vulnerable to stuff like this. Lauren Betts has talked about her own experiences with stuff like this.
In any event, I doubt very much Ziyu will play any college ball in the U.S.
As for Zhang Ziyu, she is a package of paradoxes. Too big to stop, but perhaps too slow to want to build a team around. She’s something over 7’ tall, though exactly how much taller is unclear. Maybe as much as 7’3”. Last summer, the PRC team led by Ziyu rolled through the FIBA summer tournament crushing all opposition… until they encountered Australia and lost in the finals.
I think Ziyu was 17 at the time and she was in tears after the game. She seems to be quite child-like at heart. Kids like her can suffer from all sorts of pressures, like loneliness and bullying, and the PRC tends to take a proprietary interest in some of their athletes which can also be oppressive. Li Yueru is an example of this. Big kids can be vulnerable to stuff like this. Lauren Betts has talked about her own experiences with stuff like this.
In any event, I doubt very much Ziyu will play any college ball in the U.S.
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Among the ten players listed, I think we can eliminate those born in 2006, as they should already have made a decision about committing to NCAA Div. 1. Awa Fam: has been promoted to the Spanish senior national team. Nell Angloma: had a good U19 World Championship for France, she also participated in the last Nike Hoop Summit, she would have made a commitment if it was part of her career plan. Safron Shiels: same as Angloma, the Australian was at the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit, but did not participate in the U19 World Championship(?). As for Stella Kessler, I don't know her. Aïnoha Risacher of France joined the Lyon professional team last season, so she is no longer eligible for the NCAA. Alicia Tournebize is one to watch. She has made significant progress over the past year and had an excellent European U18 tournament this summer. The player who attracts the most attention is undoubtedly Sitaya Fagan: she has received offers from all the major NCAA basketball programs except UConn (?). She is tall (6'4"), fast, and spectacular. In my opinion, if she played in the US, she would appear in the ESPN rankings directly behind Saniya Hall, as they are the same age.