Leicester Riders Official Release

Leicester Riders Women have completed the signing of overseas player Tori Faieta.

The 6ft 2in American centre has just completed university at Stonehill College, and was selected to the All Northeast 10 Conference first team.

Faieta has just returned from Taiwan, competing for the USA in the 2015 USA Deaf Olympic team.

The USA team won the gold medal in this qualifying competition.

Faieta averaged more than 15 points and nearly 10.5 rebounds last season, with 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 50 per cent from the floor.

She scored more than 1,000 points in her college career.

Faieta was pleased to join up with Riders.

"I am extremely excited going into this season," she said. "The Riders programme is so successful and to be able to be a part of that is amazing.

"I am very excited to play in the WBBL. I feel so blessed to still be able to play basketball since most of my friends and team-mates are retired, and to continue my basketball career and at that level it is such an honour.

"My experience in China was incredible. It was truly a special experience and something I will never forget."

Riders head coach Matt Harber was delighted to secure Faieta's signing.

"Here at Riders, we believe in recruiting good people to be part of our organisation, and Tori is a perfect example of just that," he said.

"From the first moment we spoke, I knew that Tori was right for our programme, because I found her energy infectious and her coach at Stonehill assured me that was something Tori translates on to the floor.

"She is a very humble person and is a team-orientated individual who does what it takes to win.

"Tori has a great feel for the game and her skill-set, combined with her physique, is hard to come by. Her honours this year at Stonehill are an indicator of what she is capable of."