Kitija Laksa Named Latvian National Player of the Year
LATVIA, NOV. 27, 2018 – USF women's basketball senior guard
Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia), was named the National Women's Basketball Player of the Year in her home country of Latvia, announced this week at the VEF Culture Palace on Monday in the European country.
Laksa, a preseason Wade, Wooden, Naismith and Drysdale Award candidate, competed with her home country of Latvia in the FIBA World Cup in September in Tenerife, Spain, in Latvia's maiden appearance in the championship. She contributed 10.3 points per game to Latvia in three contests against China, Senegal and USA. She matched the likes of A'Ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Jewell Lloyd and Kelsey Plum in the loss to USA.
Laksa, a two-time first team all-conference and honorable-mention All-America selection was on four national award watch lists and was a preseason All-America candidate before suffering a season-ending knee injury in USF's third game of the season. She currently stands sixth on USF's all-time scoring list with 1,764 points. Laksa led USF in scoring in each of the last two seasons and was leading the Bulls with 16.3 points per game on the 2018-19 season before her injury.
She joins the list of Latvian national basketball players of the year including Kristaps Porzingis (2016, 2017), Anete Šteinberga (2016, 2017) and Anete Jekabsone-Žogota (2013, 2014, 2015).
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USF notched its sixth consecutive 20-win season and fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017-18. It marked the ninth 20-win season in program history, with head coach Jose Fernandez at the helm for all nine. The Bulls posted 26 wins in 2017-18, just shy of the program record of 27 set in 2008-09 and 2014-15.
USF has made 14 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez's 18 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.
