Two former women’s basketball players sign professionally

Two USF Women’s Basketball alumni recently announced their plans to further their basketball careers in Spain.

Maria Jespersen and Laia Flores both signed professional contracts to compete in the Liga Feminina de Balconcesto (LFB), which is the top-tier women’s basketball league in Spain.

“I’m really excited for both of them,” coach Jose Fernandez said. “It’s a very well-respected professional league in Europe.”

Flores is originally from Mataro, Spain. Before attending USF, Flores played for the Spanish National Team and helped lead the U16 and U18 teams to a gold medal.

“I think it’s pretty special for Laia (Flores) to be going back and play in her home country,” Fernandez said. “She’s really excited.”

Flores will be on the 2018-19 roster for Mann-Filter and could potentially earn a starting role.

Jespersen, a forward, signed with Snatt’s Femení Sant Adrià.

Fernandez said he knew both players would go on to play at the next level.

“I thought that both of them were very talented individuals that had great careers here at USF,” he said. “Both of them had aspirations to play professionally and I think they have a lot of basketball left. I’m really excited for both of them.”

 

USF Grad Works with FOX

 

A recent USF graduate was selected by FOX Sports to attend the National Sports Media Association Awards (NSMA) this weekend in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Marcus Wingate was a student in the Vinik Sports and Entertainment marketing class working on an assignment for a marketing campaign for the Miami Marlins. He unknowingly presented his work in front of Micalea Asercion and Cati Hance, who co-manage the FOX Sports University program.

“The achievement from FOX Sports did come as a surprise to me,” Wingate said. “I do not think anyone, including myself, was aware of the opportunity. I keep thinking about how hard we worked on our project from all the previous drafts and ideas and how it came to life.”

At the NSMA event, he will have the opportunity to network with representatives from FOX Sports and other marketing students from around the country. According to Asercion, all of his expenses will be covered by FOX Sports and NSMA.

“You can tell when someone just stands out and has something about them,” Asercion said. “We definitely think Marcus was one of them.”

 

Sun Dome fire sale

 

The doors at Gate D of Sun Dome will open at 11 a.m. today for a USF apparel closeout sale.

Under Armour clothing and gear with USF branding on it has already been advertised at a 50 percent discount at the USF Bookstore. USF used to be partnered with Under Armour, but the contract ended at the end of this season’s sporting events.

Pictures posted on tweets from USF Athletics (@USFAthletics) note that there will only be a limited supply and sizes.

Tweets from USF Equipment (@USF_Equipment) featured pictures of the sale setup. Under Armour clothing, hats, and rows of clothing with USF logos lined the floor of the gym.

Additional reporting by Josee Woble