Welcome to the first Alumni watch of the new season as we take a look at how Ipswich Basketball’s former players have started their seasons.
Susannah Rafiu earned her first start in NCAA action when she lined up for Columbia against Stony Brook on opening night. Susie has gone from strength to strength, with 10 points against Wagner on 4-6 shooting and games against the likes of Duke, Georgia, Villanova and Memphis. Her Columbia side will be looking for another strong season after a famous 2022-23 year.
Ethan Price has started his junior season at Eastern Washington with a season high so far of 19 points at Stanford. It has been a tough start to the season for Eastern Washington with a current record of 2-6 having faced off against some tough opposition such as USC, Ole Miss and Stanford. Ethan's third season comes off the back of a European tour that saw his EWU side face off against a host of Ipswich alumni in Essex this summer.
The consistent level of minutes that Esther Little saw last season has continued into the new season with Gonzaga currently 10-2 for the season. The highlight of the season has to be a huge 96-78 win over #3 ranked Stanford, which is the highest ranked victory in Gonzaga’s women’s basketball history.
Freshman Anya McKenzie made her debut for Tarleton State in NCAA Division One when she played three minutes against Howard Payne on Monday, November 6 but is, as yet, waiting for her second taste of action.
In NCAA Division Two, Ella Pearson has played 100 minutes across the first eight games of the season. Her best performance came against Francis Marion where she played 28 minutes, scored eight points and got five rebounds.
Ella’s sister Millie Pearson has also had her first minutes in America for Eastern Arizona College where she scored seven points against Community Christian College in 11 minutes. The season has started well for Eastern Arizona College who are 5-1 on the season, with their first loss being a 56-50 defeat to Cochise College.
Ben Michaels and Tyrese Perry-Huggins are both playing in American High School basketball this season. Michaels is at Long Island Lutheran who won their first game of the EYBL Scholastic season, in which he played four minutes and got a defensive rebound. Ben is playing alongside nationally ranked players, including Kiyan Anthony, son of New York Knicks legend Carmelo. Ben will go up against the likes of Montverde, La Lumiere, Oak Hill and IMG Academy, where he could meet former IBA Coach and IBC legend Tom Sadler. Perry-Huggins is having a very successful season with Stars Athletes Academy in Florida. a 23-point game in an 11-point win for Star Athletes Academy on Tuesday, October 31.
There are two former Ipswich Basketball players in the WBBL which are Cameron Taylor-Willis and Maya Price. Taylor-Willis has played 32 minutes so far this season with nine rebounds for Essex Rebels. Maya Price is yet to have a minute for the London Lions as she builds up to her return from injury.
An Ipswich duo is representing Hemel Storm in NBL Division One this season, with Sam Newman recruiting Veron Eze to join him in a reshaped Hemel side, that currently sit in 3rd with a 6-3 record. Another Ipswich duo in D1 are the Winter brothers, Ben and Rory, who return for Essex Rebels. The Rebels recently visited Copleston as they defeated our Ipswich Men’s side in a National Cup contest. Essex top the table at 8-1 Another former Ipswich player to make a return to Ipswich this season is Saruna Gudza, whose Brent Bulls have a 5-3 record this season. Elsewhere in the NBL Moyo Adekeye has played sparingly for the Nottingham Hoods but does have a 66.7 FG% from his 15 shots across those two.
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