Bozzella Adds Three For 2018-19 In Signing Period
11/13/2017 2:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Seton Hall women's basketball and head coach Anthony Bozzella have announcing a trio of signings for the 2018-19 season during the early signing period. Femi Funeus (Plantation, Fla.) and Whitney Howell (Lake Worth, Fla.) have signed National Letters of Intent to join The Hall as a freshman next year, while Victoria Cardaci (Holmdel, N.J.) has inked a grant-in-aid agreement and will enroll in a graduate program at Seton Hall following her graduation from Clemson in December.
The 6'1 Funeus is one of the top-ranked players in the state of Florida and was named the Sun Sentinel 2017 All-County small-schools Player of the Year after her junior season at American Heritage. She averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds per game to lead the Patriots to a 27-3 record and district and regional titles.
"What stood out to us most during the recruiting process of Femi was her outstanding versatility," Bozzella said. "She is one of the most polished players I have ever seen at the high school level regardless of position. We think she is the type of player who can have an immediate impact in our program as soon as she steps on the court."
A 6'2 post, Howell plays at the high school level with Santaluces High School in Lantana, Fla. In her junior season she averaged 11.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and three blocks per game. She was an Honorable Mention All-County selection and a Second Team All-Conference pick.
"Whitney is a tremendous athlete with a high-motor who already has proven to be an effective rim protector at the high school and AAU level. We are confident that her size and athletic ability will translate well to the BIG EAST as her offensive game continues to develop," said Bozzella.
A New Jersey-native, Cardaci played in 74 games for Clemson from 2014-17. In each of the last two seasons she has played in at least 30 contests and made a total of 25 starts. The 5'7 guard scored 6.1 points per game as a sophomore in 2015-16 and 5.4 per game as a junior last season. A 3-point shooting specialist, Cardaci knocked down 109 triples over her thee-year career at CU.
Prior to her time at Clemson, Cardaci was a four-year starter at Holmdel High School in Holmdel, N.J. and was a two-time First Team All-Division selection. The addition of Cardaci continues a trend under Bozzella of bringing graduate transfers back home to New Jersey after Garden State natives Daisha Simmons (Alabama) and Shakena Richardson (Florida State) made similar moves in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Upon graduation from Clemson, Cardaci will be eligible to practice with the Pirates beginning in the spring semester and will have one year of playing eligibility remaining in 2018-19.
"Victoria is a tough, hard-nosed player who has battled throughout her career and had tremendous results. Her basketball IQ, toughness and shooting ability along with the experience that comes from playing in a conference like the ACC will be invaluable to our team in practice this year and on the court next year. I'm so excited to bring another one of New Jersey's best players back home," Bozzella added.
The Pirates, who have started the year with wins over Saint Peter's and at Wake Forest, are back in action on Thursday night when they host top regional rival Princeton at Walsh Gym.
The 6'1 Funeus is one of the top-ranked players in the state of Florida and was named the Sun Sentinel 2017 All-County small-schools Player of the Year after her junior season at American Heritage. She averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds per game to lead the Patriots to a 27-3 record and district and regional titles.
"What stood out to us most during the recruiting process of Femi was her outstanding versatility," Bozzella said. "She is one of the most polished players I have ever seen at the high school level regardless of position. We think she is the type of player who can have an immediate impact in our program as soon as she steps on the court."
A 6'2 post, Howell plays at the high school level with Santaluces High School in Lantana, Fla. In her junior season she averaged 11.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and three blocks per game. She was an Honorable Mention All-County selection and a Second Team All-Conference pick.
"Whitney is a tremendous athlete with a high-motor who already has proven to be an effective rim protector at the high school and AAU level. We are confident that her size and athletic ability will translate well to the BIG EAST as her offensive game continues to develop," said Bozzella.
A New Jersey-native, Cardaci played in 74 games for Clemson from 2014-17. In each of the last two seasons she has played in at least 30 contests and made a total of 25 starts. The 5'7 guard scored 6.1 points per game as a sophomore in 2015-16 and 5.4 per game as a junior last season. A 3-point shooting specialist, Cardaci knocked down 109 triples over her thee-year career at CU.
Prior to her time at Clemson, Cardaci was a four-year starter at Holmdel High School in Holmdel, N.J. and was a two-time First Team All-Division selection. The addition of Cardaci continues a trend under Bozzella of bringing graduate transfers back home to New Jersey after Garden State natives Daisha Simmons (Alabama) and Shakena Richardson (Florida State) made similar moves in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Upon graduation from Clemson, Cardaci will be eligible to practice with the Pirates beginning in the spring semester and will have one year of playing eligibility remaining in 2018-19.
"Victoria is a tough, hard-nosed player who has battled throughout her career and had tremendous results. Her basketball IQ, toughness and shooting ability along with the experience that comes from playing in a conference like the ACC will be invaluable to our team in practice this year and on the court next year. I'm so excited to bring another one of New Jersey's best players back home," Bozzella added.
The Pirates, who have started the year with wins over Saint Peter's and at Wake Forest, are back in action on Thursday night when they host top regional rival Princeton at Walsh Gym.
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