Welcome Waiata!
As a fan, this is an exciting and mysterious signing. Without a lot of familiarity, knowing she comes from New Zealand through the JC ranks, and with minimal video and scouting reports, we're left to consider a wide variety of possibilities:
- Are there elements of Catarina Ferreira? This is our most recent experience with a JC player. Catarina was also a JC All American, and had the size and athleticism to fit in with elite D1 competition, but never earned consistent minutes in the rotation. The game seemed to move fast for her, and she never developed an elite perimeter game.
- Are there elements of Natasha Mack? Mack was a JC All American who went on to a stellar All Conference career at Oklahoma State.
- Are there elements of Kristy Wallace? A guard from Down Under who is off the radar for most teams and recruiters, who packages her skill and competitiveness and iq into an excellent career, once she's finally given an opportunity?
- Are there elements of Jada Walker or Hailey van Lith? Waiata is a lefty, and from video appears to be very crafty at finding angles and creating space on drives to the hoop. Might Waita be a taller, 5'9" version with a similar skill set?
- Are there elements of Nina Davis? Again from video, Waiata appears to play with toughness and physicality, willing and eager to mix it up in a scrum for rebounds and loose balls. (proud of myself for finding a rugby metaphor for the NZ girl).
Excited to learn about Waiata and her game, and see how she fits into the program.