FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's basketball program has officially added another key piece to its future with the signing of Emma List, a 5-10 lefty guard from the University at Albany.

List, who averaged four points, two rebounds and one assist over 15 minutes per game for Albany in 2017-18, will sit out the 2018-19 season to comply with NCAA transfer rules. She will have three seasons of eligibility left beginning in 2019-20.

"Emma is someone we really wanted out of high school," FGCU head women's basketball coach Karl Smesko said. "She is tough, aggressive and skilled as well as an excellent driver. She is someone who fits perfectly into our system, and we are really excited to be adding her to our program."

In 2017-18, List scored in 26 of 32 games for Albany, which finished 24-8 overall (12-4 in the America East Conference) and made an appearance in the WNIT. Some of her freshman year highlights included: four points and three steals in her collegiate debut against No. 15/13 Maryland; a season-high 12 points along with three steals on Dec. 3 vs Holy Cross; 10 points and five rebounds vs Binghamton on Jan. 15; eight points and a season-high seven rebounds against Northern Illinois on Dec. 21; and nine points in just 12 minutes against New Hampshire on Feb. 3 in her lone start.

Overall, List finished seventh on the team in scoring while registering top five placements in 3-point field goal percentage, free throw percentage, free throws made, free throws attempted and assists per game. She also finished sixth in field goal percentage.

List starred at Discovery Canyon Campus High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., which is the same hometown of FGCU assistant coach Chelsea Lyles. The two-time team captain transferred in from Pine Creek and averaged 16 points as a senior to finish her high school career as a three-time Colorado Springs All-Area First Team selection. In her final campaign, she was named Honorable Mention All-Colorado, First Team All-Pikes Peak Athletic Conference (PPAC) and PPAC Player of the Year.

List becomes the fifth student-athlete overall, the second transfer and the second from the state of Colorado to sign with the Green and Blue for this upcoming year. Erna Normil, a 5-10 guard from Florida Southwestern State College (FSW), is the other transfer, while the following three players signed out of high school in November – Tanner Bryant, a 5-11 guard from Miami Trace High School in Washington Court House, Ohio; Ashley Panem, a 5-9 guard from Fairview High School in Broomfield, Colo.; and Shekinah Guthrie, a 5-10 guard/forward from Centennial High School in Roswell, Ga.

In addition to those five, four other Division-I transfers who joined the program last year will be eligible to play the entire 2018-19 season, including Tyra Cox, a 5-8 freshman guard from Orlando, Fla. who transferred mid-year from William and Mary. The other three include: Keri Jewett-Giles, a 5-6 guard from Southern Miss; Kerstie Phills, a 5-9 guard from Wagner; and Davion Wingate, a 5-6 guard from Stony Brook.

The FGCU women's basketball team finished 31-5 overall and 13-1 in ASUN play in 2017-18, capturing the program's eighth ASUN regular season championship and fifth ASUN tournament championship. The team finished the season ranked 25th in the final USA Today Coaches Poll, produced winning streaks of 12 and 10 games, recaptured the NCAA record for most 3-point field goals made in a season with 431 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven seasons, where the Eagles knocked off 5th-seeded and No. 15 ranked Missouri in the opening round. It was the team's second tournament win over the past three appearances. Over the course of the season, FGCU knocked off three ranked teams - No. 15 Missouri, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 21 DePaul.

STORY PHOTO BY BILL ZISKIN (ALBANY ATHLETICS)
 
FGCU SUMMER CAMP
The FGCU women's basketball program is hosting a summer camp June 18-21 in Alico Arena for girls entering grades 5-12 in the fall of 2018. To register, and for more information, visit the camp's website page here. You can also contact director of basketball operations, Mandi Pierce by email at apierce@fgcu.edu or by phone at 239-590-1566.

COACH SMESKO
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko led the 2017-18 Eagles to another historic season. The Green and Blue finished 31-5 overall and 13-1 in ASUN play, capturing the program's eighth ASUN regular season championship and fifth ASUN tournament championship. The team finished the season ranked 25th in the final USA Today Coaches Poll, produced winning streaks of 12 and 10 games, recaptured the NCAA record for most 3-point field goals made in a season with 431 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven seasons, where the Eagles knocked off 5th-seeded and No. 15 ranked Missouri in the opening round. It was the team's second tournament win over the past three appearances. Over the course of the season, FGCU knocked off three ranked teams - No. 15 Missouri, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 21 DePaul.

Over the past four seasons, Smesko has guided FGCU to three 30 plus win seasons while recording a 121-23 (.840) record overall. The now eight-time ASUN Coach of the Year rallied the 2016-17 team to its seventh straight 25-win campaign, culminating in an ASUN tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2015-16, he was named the espnW mid-major coach of the year following a run that witnessed the Eagles claim a WNIT runner-up finish and a Division-I program best ever 33-6 record. In 2014-15, the team achieved its first-ever top-25 ranking and made another trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the Eagles earned a No. 7 seed and won the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament game, toppling No. 10 seed Oklahoma State.

Including the 2017-18 campaign, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 14-straight 20-win seasons and eight-straight 25-win seasons. He maintains a record of 496-114 (.813) overall in his career, including a 170-16 (.914) mark in ASUN play. Over the past seven seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 106-4 (.964) record in conference play with four undefeated seasons. Smesko earned his 400th career coaching win in 2014-15 in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma. Entering 2016-17, he ranked 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. Over the past year, first-year NCAA Division-I head coaches Nancy Fahey (Illinois) and Bart Brooks (Belmont) pushed the list to six.

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the women's basketball program, follow @FGCU_WBB on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook at /FGCUWBB.

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.