UTEP Women’s Basketball Team Signs 6 For 2013-2014 Season

Six individuals have signed national letters of intent to attend school and play for the UTEP women’s basketball team in the upcoming 2013-14 season, head coach Keitha Adams announced Tuesday. The group is comprised of four junior-college transfers, including a native of El Paso, a high school prep star from Michigan and a high school standout from Russia.

“I’m excited about this recruiting class,” Adams said. “We’ve added players who will be able to help us this upcoming season.
We understand the importance of teamwork and depth. We have a great nucleus of players returning and with the addition
of these young ladies it brings excitement for the future season. It will be key that these ladies work hard, buy into the system, have a team-first mentality and that we stay healthy.”

A brief profile, along with a quote from Adams on each signee is below.

Stacie Telles

5-7, Point Guard

Junior

El Paso, Texas (New Mexico Junior College/Burges HS)

Native of El Paso who helped lead New Mexico Junior College to back-to-back Western Junior College Athletic Conference championships and a combined record of 56-11 the past two years … in 2011-12 NMJC qualified for the NJCAA National Tournament for the first time in school history … two-time All WJCAC performer, earning second-team honors in 2012-13 while securing honorable-mention accolades as a freshman … also an All-Region 5 team member in 2012-13 … paced team and ranked in the top five in the WJCAC for assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4, 2nd), assists per game (4.1, 3rd), steals per game (2.1, 3rd), three-point percentage (53-of-143, 37.1, 4th) and points per game (13.2, 5th) … tallied 21 double-digit scoring games while posting 13 contests with at least five assists and coming up with two or more steals 16 times … overall in two years at NMJC, scored 665 points, registered 220 assists and made 58 steals in 60 total games played … previously starred at Burges High School, averaging 18.4 points per game and drilling 101 three-pointers to help it win a bi-district playoff game in 2011 … earned All-State honors in Class 4A by the Texas Girls Coaches Association for her efforts as a senior at BHS.

Adams on Telles: We’re extremely excited about adding Stacie to our team. I’m impressed with how hard she plays and the level she competes at on a daily basis. Her motor is always running on fast.
She will play point guard and the two guard position for us. She passes it well, will push the ball up the floor,
and she can knock down the three-point shot. It will be fun for our fans to have another player from El Paso added to our team.

Sparkle Taylor

5-10, Guard

Freshman

Flint, Mich. (Northwestern HS)

Earned Associated Press Class B All-State Team honors as both a junior and a senior while starring for Northwestern High School … also named to the first team of the Flint Journal area Dream Team her final two years at NHS … averaged a double-double, with 28 points and 10.6 rebounds per game as a senior … showed versatility by shooting 41 percent from the three-point line … registered multiple triple-doubles, piling up steals and assists to go along with her standard efforts as a scorer and rebounder … averaged 15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest during her junior season … was the team’s second-leading scorer … helped lead the school to its first district title since 1999 while accounting for game averages of 13.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals as a sophomore … did not start to play organized basketball until the ninth grade … previously competed only in cross country.

Adams on Taylor: She is a very talented player who has the ability to score. She brings us good size and has a great knack for putting the ball in the basket. She will be able play both inside and outside. She’s one of the top players out of Michigan. She put up very good numbers consistently throughout the season. We will look for her to be a rebounder and scorer for us.

Agata Dobrowolska

6-3, Forward

Sophomore

Lublin, Poland (Casper College)

Spent the 2012-13 season at Casper College, aiding it to a 23-8 record … ranked second on the team in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and scoring (10.7 ppg) … started all 31 contests, earning 26.2 minutes per game … tallied 20 double-digit scoring games … grabbed seven or more rebounds in 16 contests, including five double-digit efforts … secured 358 total boards on the campaign, aided by a team-high 158 offensive rebounds … good shooter who connected on 40.3 percent (142-352) of her shots and 76.9 percent (30-of-39) at the charity stripe … member of the junior national team in Poland … received multiple honors with the U16-20 Polish teams … versatile player who has seen action at the shooting guard, small forward and power forward position during her career.

Adams on Dobrowolska: She’s an upsize guard/forward who brings size and tremendous shooting ability to our team. She will be able to play both inside and out for us. A 6-3 swing player is a great addition. She has excellent basketball IQ.

Anete Kirsteine

5-11, Guard

Sophomore

Riga, Latvia (Seward Community College)

Standout guard who has played the past two seasons at Seward Community College … earned All-Jayhawk West second-team honors and WBCA All-America honorable-mention accolades after averaging 11.3 points and 4.4 rebounds as a freshman in 2011-12 … nailed 65 three pointers, the eighth-highest single-season sum at the school … hit 46 percent from beyond-the-arc, the second-best connection rate ever at Seward … tallied 20 double-digit scoring contests, including a season-high 20 points against rival Garden City … enjoyed a great start to the year as a sophomore, pacing the team in both scoring (15.6) and rebounding (7.6) through five games before sustaining a season-ending injury … in high school in Latvia she averaged 24.9 ppg and 5.3 rpg and was twice named the Latvian Youth League MVP.

Adams on Kirsteine: We’re thrilled to add another Latvian to our team. This has been great for our program.
Anete is a pure shooter. She can knock down the three-point shot, free throws and has great basketball IQ. She will be coming in with three years eligibility, which we think is a bonus.

Anzhelika Moiseychenko

6-0, Forward

Freshman

Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia

Competed with Enisey in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia … averaged a double-double as a senior … poured in 20.6 points per game to go along with 12.6 rebounds per contest.

Adams on Moiseychenko: Anzhelika is power forward who can score both inside and outside. She’s a good shooter and a very strong player. We will look for her to give us an inside presence, and she also will be able to step out on the perimeter to shoot the ball.

Johnishia Welles

6-0, Forward

Junior

Phoenix, Ariz. (Cochise Community College/Barry Goldwater)

Talented forward who has played the past two seasons at Cochise Community College … All Arizona Community College Athletic conference second-team honoree and second-team All-Region recipient in 2012-13 … paced the squad in rebounds per game (7.6) and points per game (14.8) as a sophomore in 2012-13 … efforts helped CCC finish 26-6 overall … consistent scorer, reaching double figures in 26 of 31 games played … grabbed eight or more rebounds 19 times, including seven contests of at least 10 … was an even better rebounder as a freshman, with a team-leading 9.7 rpg … placed second on the squad in scoring (12.3 ppg) … team finished 18-13 … previously starred at Barry Goldwater HS, breaking 18 school records during her career … was the 2010-11 Region Player of the Year and a two-time first-team All-Region honoree.

Adams on Welles: She is an athletic forward who can rebound, run the floor and score around the basket. She’s a hard worker with a competitive attitude! She will play the forward position for us.

Mark Brunner
Associate Director UTEP Media Relations