Oct. 11, 2011
SEATTLE - The Washington women's basketball team announced the signing of two additional guards Tuesday, with Deborah Meeks and Beatrice Carta signing letters of intent to play for first-year coach Kevin McGuff. Both Meeks and Carta will be eligible to play during the 2011-12 season. Their additions provide depth for the Huskies at the guard position, which had to absorb the loss of Sarah Morton (graduation) and Kristi Kingma (injury) during the offseason. "Deborah and Beatrice are both terrific young women who should be able to contribute a tremendous amount to our program," McGuff said. "They're the type of student-athletes who can compete for minutes and help us contribute to a successful season." Meeks and Carta bring impressive resumes to Seattle. The 5-8 Meeks was a star player out of Benton Harbor High in Michigan, averaging 17.2 points per game for the Tigers. Her aggressive style of play should fit well in McGuff's up-tempo system, which lends itself towards athletic players. "Deborah is a tough, physical guard who gives us a presence on the wing," McGuff said. "She should be able to compete for playing time at the 2-guard or at the small forward position." For as accomplished as Meeks is on the court, her academic resume is even more extraordinary. Meeks was the recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship, a full-ride award - from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - given annually to just 1,000 high-performing minority students around the country. The Gates Scholarship assists students by helping them develop leadership skills and is applicable until graduation - including graduate school. Meeks was selected out of 23,000 applicants. Carta comes to UW from Cagliari, Italy, which is located on the island of Sardinia. The 5-7 point guard has a resume loaded with international experience, including captaining the Italian U-18 team to a gold medal at the FIBA European Championships in 2010. During the tournament in Poland, Carta was at her best in the championship game, scoring 17 points to help the Italians down top-seeded Spain. Carta played club basketball for Virtus Cagliari, which plays in the Italian second division. Last year, the club finished fifth in the table and missed out on promotion to the top Italian league during the knockout playoffs. "Beatrice is a combo guard who has great speed and is terrific with the ball. She'll give us depth at the point and the 2." The Huskies are currently on the practice court in anticipation of their exhibition opener on Nov. 8 against Concordia. The season officially begins against Big West power UC Davis on Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. SIGNEE BIOS Deborah Meeks Prep Career: Awarded the Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship, which is a full scholastic award packaged given to 1,000 minority students with high academic standing. Meeks was selected out of 23,000 applicants. The gift will continue through graduate school should Meeks decided to pursue select fields of study ... also named a Horatio Alger scholarship awardee, given annually to community leaders who demonstrate individual initiative and a commitment to excellence ... averaged 17.2 points per game at Benton Harbor High. Named All-State as a junior ... finalist for the Berrien County Female Student Athlete of the Year as a senior ... plays with a tough, aggressive style ... wants to be a pediatrician after college. Beatrice Carta Prep Career: Highly skilled combo guard out of Europe ... handles the ball well and has speed to get past defenders ... considered an excellent decision maker ... team captain for the U-18 Italian national team that won the FIBA Div A European Championship in 2010 ... scored 17 points and collected five steals in the championship game versus top seed Spain ... Played club basketball for Virtus Cagliari ... Nicknamed "Bea" ... Both parents are doctors ... plans to major in psychology. |
