A while back, Australian recruit Anneli Maley decided she would hone in on a program’s coaching staff rather than flashy facilities or jerseys.
Turns out, that made Oregon the No. 1 choice for Maley, who signed with the Ducks on Wednesday, joining a three-international recruit freshman class.
“I tried to pick schools off people,” Maley said in a phone interview with the Emerald. “Every college seems to have amazing facilities — obviously Oregon’s are next-level — but I just felt like I fit in really well. All the girls were really nice. As soon as I got there, I was already part of the team.
“It wasn’t much of a competition — Oregon was the best school I visited. As soon as I got there, I said, ‘This just feels right.’”
Oregon signee Anneli Maley has known current Duck Morgan Yaeger since she was 10 years old. (Courtesy – Anneli Maley)
That right feeling gives the Ducks another underclassmen with international playing experience. Maley, a 6-foot-2 guard of Melbourne, Australia, visited Oregon in November.
Oregon head coach Kelly Graves called Maley a “big-time player with a strong competitive sprit.”
“She’s used to playing on a big stage,” Graves said on Twitter. “She’s very athletic — a tremendous rebounder and attacks the basket with fury.”
Maley has known current Duck Morgan Yaeger since she was 10 years old. And she said she’s known Duck associate head coach Mark Campbell for two years.
Maley weighed the option of attending Oregon versus a few offers to sign a professional contract in Australia’s Women’s National Basketball League.
“That was a big decision for me because it was such a great group of people there as well,” said Maley, who’s competed on Australia’s U16, U17, U18 and U19 national teams. “But, you know, the WNBL will always be there. But Oregon as an opportunity won’t.”
Maley said as soon as she visited Eugene, watched a practice and attended a game, she was sold. Her family kept a close eye on Oregon’s most successful season in school history.
“Me and my whole family were sitting there cheering them on,” Maley said of the NCAA Tournament. “They’re such a great group of people. They seem to love each other so much. You can see the team chemistry on the court when they do play. It was great to see them succeed because they deserve it. Mark [Campbell], Kelly [Graves], Jodie [Berry] and Xavi [Lopez] — they all work so hard.”
Maley could be on campus as soon as June but will likely compete for Australia this summer in international play. The U19 FIBA World Championships will be held this summer in Italy.
Maley reportedly also considered TCU as a college destination.
“Eugene is beautiful,” Maley said. “It was definitely what I was looking for. It was so green and all the people were really nice. I just got along with the team so well. They accepted me as soon as I got there.”
Most of all, Maley is ready to join Oregon’s international-laden roster. And to make an impact — however she can. She joins Satou Sabally (Berlin, Germany) and Aina Ayuso (Barcelona, Spain) in the program’s incoming class.
“I’ve always wanted to go to college since I was a kid,” she said. “And especially today because I signed the papers and everything. It’s all official. It feels super surreal.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
