FORT MYERS, Fla. – In anticipation of the 2015-16 campaign, FGCU women's basketball head coach
Karl Smesko announced the addition of
China Dow to the program Wednesday afternoon. As a transfer from Middle Tennessee State University, Dow will sit out for the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Dow (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy of Louisville) joins the Green and Blue from Middle Tennessee where she helped the Blue Raiders to a record of 53-15 over two seasons. The 5-8 guard played under head coach Rick Insell and averaged roughly 14 minutes per game as a key reserve.
"China is a very talented player," noted Smesko of the team's latest addition. "She really made a good impression with the coaches and our players on her visit. We are excited to have her in our program."
While with MTSU, Dow averaged five points per game with a 41.6 percent success rate from the floor. She converted 25 percent of shots from 3-point range and pulled down 2.7 rebounds per game with 90 assists and 62 steals in 68 contests. She played in all 34 games for the Blue Raiders in each season she was on the roster, making 22 total starts.
Dow produced eight double-figure scoring games last season, including an 18-point performance in the team's win over Miami in November. She also contributed 16 points in a loss to No. 8 Arizona State to open the season and put up 17 points in a win over Xavier in December.
Prior to her time at MTSU, Dow was a standout at the Christian Academy of Louisville. She finished her high school career as the team's all-time leading scorer, having scored 2,403 points through four years as a varsity starter. Dow's impressive high school performance garnered a four-star rating and a position among ESPN HoopGurlz's Top-100 recruits.
The Eagles will enter the 2015-16 season as the winners of five-straight Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championships and as the defending champions of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. Led by the six-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year, the 2014-15 team finished the historic season with an overall record of 31-3 and an Atlantic Sun record of 14-0. The program earned it's first-ever Top-25 ranking as a Division I program and finished the season ranked 21st in the nation after defeating Oklahoma State 75-67 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles return all but two players from last year's squad and maintain a strong core of experienced upperclassmen. The Eagles will also see three newcomers on the court this season in transfers
Kady Schrann, Sierra Harley and
Sydnei McCaskill.
For up-to-the minute information on the FGCU women's basketball team, stay tuned to FGCUAthletics.com and follow the official Twitter of FGCU women's basketball at @FGCU_WBB. Head coach Karl Smesko earned his fifth-consecutive Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year award after a successful 2014-15 campaign. Under his direction, the team compiled with a Division I program best record of 31-3, including a 14-0 mark in conference action and earned its first-ever national ranking. The team earned its third NCAA Tournament appearance as a seven seed and won its first ever DI NCAA Tournament gave against No. 10 Oklahoma State. With 31 wins in the 2014-15 season, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 11-straight 20+ win seasons. He maintains a record of 347-66 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.9 with a mark of 130-13 (91 W%) in Atlantic Sun contests and has led the team to a 67-1 record in conference play in the last four seasons. The six-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year earned his 400th career win this season in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma and holds a career record of 406-94. Smesko ranks among an elite list of just four active Division I coaches with a career win percentage of .800 or higher, joining Auriemma, Baylor's Kim Mulkey and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer in the esteemed group. SUPPORT THE CAUSE FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
