FORT MYERS, Fla. – The eighth 2023-24 signee for the Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball team is senior guard Emani Jefferson (Miami, Florida/North Port High School/ University of Memphis/Wright State University), who officially transferred to FGCU.    

"Emani is a very good player," said FGCU head women's basketball coach Karl Smesko. "She can score, rebound and defend. She is a competitor and she is aggressive. She is a great addition to our program."  

Other new arrivals for the 2023-24 season are: senior guards Sofia Persson (Arvika, Sweden/Lulea Gymnasieskola/Eckerd College/ University of San Francisco /Odessa College), Casey Santoro (Bellevue, Ohio/Bellevue High School/Kent State University), Dolly Cairns (Saratoga Springs, New York/Saratoga Springs High School/University of Rhode Island), sophomore guard Ashley Baez (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Hyde School/Chipola College), graduate forward Ajulu Thatha (Indianapolis, Indiana/Decatur Central High School/Southern Illinois University Edwardsville), redshirt senior guard Alyssa Jimenez (Thornton, Colorado/Horizon High School/ University of Nevada), and junior guard Macarena Retamales (Santiago, Chile/Liceo San Pedro Poveda High School/Florida SouthWestern State College) 
  
At the University of Memphis last season, Jefferson recorded her first double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. She also scored in double-figures 17 times including four double-doubles. Jefferson was the third-best scorer for the Tigers, averaging 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. She played in all 33 games, logging 760 minutes on the court. Jefferson made 119 of her 160 free throw attempts (.744) and dished 74 assists — the most on the team. Memphis went 22-11 in the America Athletic Conference (AAC) and advanced to the championship game.   

The previous season as a Tiger she played all 28 games and was the second-best scorer on the team with an average of 9.4 points. Jefferson scored a career-high 20 points with 14 of them coming from the free-throw line in November 2022, before setting a new record of 22 points against Tulsa two months later. She was the second on the team with 63 assists and led the team with 40 steals.
Jefferson was ranked nationally at 59^th in free-throw attempts and 76^th in makes.

Before Memphis the Florida native played her freshman year at Wright State and saw action in all 27 games. She tallied 224 points and pulled down 123 total rebounds. She was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman team and helped the Raiders earn a third championship title and reach the second round of the NCAA women's championship.

During high school she was a three-time Charlotte Sun All-Area First Team member (2017, 2018, 2019) and was the Charlotte Sun Player of the Year in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Jefferson was named to the Florida 7A All-State First Team in 2020 and was North Port High School's MVP as a sophomore and junior. Jefferson holds five North Port single-season records and six single-game records, and she became the school's all-time leading scorer in 2019.