By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
Members of USF's 2009 WNIT title team are still shining overseas with professional teams.
Jazmine Sepulvada was the third-leading scorer in Poland's pro league with 15.4 points per game for Energa Torun. The guard has made previous stops with pro teams in Slovakia, Israel and Puerto Rico after helping the Bulls win the WNIT title when she was a senior.
Former Bulls forward Melissa Dalembert also made a name for herself in the Polish league this season by leading all players in rebounding at 10.1 boards per game to go along with 10.5 points. She played in two games for a pro team in Belgium afterward.
Jessica Lawson ruled the boards in Israel by leading its pro league in rebounding with 13.1 per game. The center also scored 15.7 points per game to help Elitzur Netanya make it to the league semifinals.
Brittany Denson also played in Israel and ranked third in the league in blocks (1.8 per game) for Maccabi Ashdod, which went on to win the championship earlier this month. She's also played for two Polish teams and another in Armenia since becoming a pro.
"To have so many players playing at such a high level professionally is a testament to the quality of people we have had in our program," USF head coach Jose Fernandez said. "The kids that are playing overseas had extremely successful careers here, and they have continued to improve their games over there. I am proud of each and every one of them for pursuing their dreams and representing our program."
Players that come through USF become battle-tested by playing in the Big East and Fernandez contributes the strong league to getting them ready for what's to come beyond collegiate basketball.
"I think that the opportunity to play in the Big East and to play against the toughest completion in the country prepared them well to face the best competition in the pro levels," he said. "At USF they had to compete amongst the best day in and day out and that makes it easy to make the transition to pro ball."
