Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Nab JuCo All-American Joseana Vaz
4/13/2022 3:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Colorado State Signs Guard from Casper College in Wyoming
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Dipping into the junior college pool, Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams has added another strong guard to the program with the signing of Joseana Vaz, a NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American from Casper College (Wyo.).
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In 2021-22, the 6-foot sophomore guard helped the Thunderbirds to a 5X Region IX North Championship, a Region IX Championship, and an appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament, while ultimately finishing with a 28-5 overall record. Vaz was the lone Thunderbird to start all 33 games, leading the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
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"Jo comes to CSU having played in one of the best junior college programs in the country," Williams said. "We believe Jo will be a very difficult match up for teams. She has tremendous strength, explosiveness and has the game to score at multiple levels and guard all five positions. We are excited to see what she can do in a Ram uniform."
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Vaz, a formidable shooter, shot 44.9% from the floor, 32.4% from 3-point territory and 79.2% at the free-throw line this past season. In late January, she dropped a career high 23 points against Central Wyoming College. In addition to the All-American nod, she was named All Region IX North Team and NJCAA All-Region.
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As a freshman, Vaz started 21 of 23 games played, logging 20 minutes per game. She shot 42.4% from the floor en route to averaging 9.6 ppg. She had a season high of 38 minutes and 19 points against Western Nebraska Community College.
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Originally, Vaz is from Praia, Cape Verde, which is a group of islands off the western coast of Africa from Senegal. She has played internationally for her country since 2016 and the most recently competed in the 2021 International Basketball Federation's Afrobasket League. Additionally, she played in the 2018 FIBA U18 Women's African Championships as an 18-year-old, averaging a team-best 18.5 points per game. Prior to coming state side, she was a member of the club Barreiro team in Portugal.
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The addition of Vaz brings CSU's total of newcomers for 2022-23 to six with the three freshmen (Marta Leimane, Hannah Ronsiek, and Jayden Fife) and transfers Meghan Boyd and Kiya Dorroh. Vaz will have three years left of eligibility with the Rams.
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For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball
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In 2021-22, the 6-foot sophomore guard helped the Thunderbirds to a 5X Region IX North Championship, a Region IX Championship, and an appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament, while ultimately finishing with a 28-5 overall record. Vaz was the lone Thunderbird to start all 33 games, leading the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
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"Jo comes to CSU having played in one of the best junior college programs in the country," Williams said. "We believe Jo will be a very difficult match up for teams. She has tremendous strength, explosiveness and has the game to score at multiple levels and guard all five positions. We are excited to see what she can do in a Ram uniform."
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Vaz, a formidable shooter, shot 44.9% from the floor, 32.4% from 3-point territory and 79.2% at the free-throw line this past season. In late January, she dropped a career high 23 points against Central Wyoming College. In addition to the All-American nod, she was named All Region IX North Team and NJCAA All-Region.
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As a freshman, Vaz started 21 of 23 games played, logging 20 minutes per game. She shot 42.4% from the floor en route to averaging 9.6 ppg. She had a season high of 38 minutes and 19 points against Western Nebraska Community College.
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Originally, Vaz is from Praia, Cape Verde, which is a group of islands off the western coast of Africa from Senegal. She has played internationally for her country since 2016 and the most recently competed in the 2021 International Basketball Federation's Afrobasket League. Additionally, she played in the 2018 FIBA U18 Women's African Championships as an 18-year-old, averaging a team-best 18.5 points per game. Prior to coming state side, she was a member of the club Barreiro team in Portugal.
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The addition of Vaz brings CSU's total of newcomers for 2022-23 to six with the three freshmen (Marta Leimane, Hannah Ronsiek, and Jayden Fife) and transfers Meghan Boyd and Kiya Dorroh. Vaz will have three years left of eligibility with the Rams.
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For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball
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