Oregon women’s basketball is going all-international for its 2017 recruiting class.
The Ducks signed guard Aina Ayuso and forward Satou Sabally on Wednesday, filling their two open scholarships for 2017-18. Ayuso is a native of Spain and Sabally is a native of Germany.
The two will add to Oregon’s dynamic youth movement after the program signed the No. 3-ranked recruiting class for 2016.
“Both of them speak English really, really well,” head coach Kelly Graves said in an interview with the Emerald. “I don’t think the language is going to be any kind of a barrier. They’re really good kids, outgoing. They both have great personalities and they’ll fit in well with out team. It’ll be seamless.”
Aina Ayuso
(Courtesy: Aina Ayuso)
Ayuso is a scoring point guard who verbally committed to the Ducks in May. She played alongside current Duck Maite Cazorla on Selge XXI, a basketball academy in Barcelona.
“It feels amazing! I’m anxious to be there, play and have fun!” Ayuso said in a Twitter direct message to the Emerald.
Last summer, she represented Team Spain at the FIBA U17 World Championships. There, she averaged 9.7 points a game and 3.6 rebounds a game while shooting 37.5 percent from the field. The Ducks first found out about her while scouting Cazorla.
“It’s not often that you get a chance to get arguably the best point guard in Europe,” Graves said in an interview with the Emerald. “I think a lot of people would consider her as such. After how the last Spanish guard (Cazorla) worked out, you kind of get excited about the next one.”
Ayuso committed during her official visit to Eugene last spring. She said Oregon offers her everything she’s always dreamed.
Satou Sabally
(Courtesy: Satou Sabally)
Sabally, who was born in New York City, is a centerpiece on the German junior national teams. She currently plays for USC Freiburg, a German professional team. So far this season, she’s recored averages of 11.8 points and 5.1 rebounds a game.
“We’ve heard about her for years,” Graves said. “You watch her and you’re mezmerized by how skilled she is for someone her size and athletic. It’s smooth. It’s really incredible the talent that she has.”
Graves said associate head coach Mark Campbell “spearheaded” Sabally’s recruitment and deserves much credit for her signing.
Sabally committed to the Ducks in early September. She’s rated a 4.5-star player by ProspectsNation.com and signed with Oregon over in-state rival Oregon State. Graves said if she played in America, she would be top 10 recruit.
“Coach [Mark] Campbell and I built a close relationship and I believe that he and coach Kelly [Graves] will help me reach my full potential,” Sabally said in September. “I trust them a lot and had a feeling that it was the best place for me.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
