Gonzaga women sign 6-foot-5 post player from Romania
The Gonzaga coaches must have liked what they saw last November from Anamaria Virjoghe of Northwest Christian College.
In an exhibition game at the Kennel, the 6-foot-5 Romanian had seven points, two rebounds and two steals in just 18 minutes of action.
Now she’s a Zag. GU coach Lisa Fortier made it official on Friday.
“She has a skill set that fits very well in our system,” Fortier said.
“The way she can score around the basket and in the midrange reminds me a lot of former post players at Gonzaga who had tremendous success,” Fortier said.
The only drawback: Because of NCAA transfer rules, Virjoghe must sit out next season.
As a freshman at the NAIA school in Eugene, Virjoghe averaged 15.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while leading the Beacons to their first trip to the NAIA national tournament.
“She has a great work ethic and will continue to improve,” Fortier said.
Virjoghe was the only underclassman on this year’s All-Cascade Collegiate Conference team. She played and started all 30 games for the Beacons, shooting 49.9 percent from the field and 71.2 percent from the foul line. She added 37 assists (just more than one per game) and had 17 steals.
She scored in double figures in 24 games, scoring 20 points or more seven times.
Virjoghe ended the year eighth in the country in blocks per game and 33rd in field-goal percentage.
In her native Romania, Virjoghe was the MVP of the U18 National Championships in 2017, playing for the U18 National Team.