PULLMAN, Wash. (May 19, 2023) – Washington State Women's Basketball Head Coach Kamie Ethridge has announced Eleonora Villa, a guard from Lissone, Italy, as the fifth member of the Cougars' 2023-24 signing class.
"I am thrilled about signing Eleonora Villa. She is an extraordinary basketball talent and guard who possesses exceptional game instincts and skills," stated Ethridge. "Ele is a combo guard who will fit seamlessly into our Coug system and style of play. She is a high-energy, high-IQ player who competes with an unrelenting motor. She is a tremendous floor leader. Her ability to play any of the guard spots will bring great depth and competition to our gym day in and day out. The signing of Eleonora Villa gives us a chance to elevate our program to even new heights of growth and success."
Villa is a 5-8 guard that brings a heap of international level playing experience to the Cougs, as she has been a fixture in the Italian National Women's Basketball program since 2020. The guard recently played for Italy at the 2022 FIBA U-18 Women's European Championship, where she guided her home country to a fifth-place finish in the 16-team tournament. She has played club basketball for Limonta Sport Costa Masnaga for the last three seasons.
Villa, who has no relation to fellow WSU women's basketball incoming freshman Jenna Villa, is currently playing in Serie A2 for Limonta Sport Costa Masnaga. Through 30 games this season, the guard is averaging 13.2 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 42.8 percent from the floor. The sharp-shooting Villa has made 44 3-pointers for her team this season, making an average of 1.5 per contest. Back in November, Villa hit a career-high seven 3-pointers en route to a career-best 31-point performance against Treviso. Villa has scored double-digit points in 21 of her 30 games for Costa Masnaga this season, while she has scored 20 or more points six times. Villa has been on a hot streak of late for Costa Masnaga, as she is riding a three-game double-digit scoring streak, which features a 21-point performance against Scrivia where she sank four 3-pointers.
"Ele has excelled throughout her young career while competing for several years on various Italian National Teams," added Ethridge. "She plays a significant role on her current club team. Just as we have seen from several current and past Cougs, Ele's career path has allowed her to play against older competition throughout her life. I am confident those experiences have prepared her with the skills and knowledge necessary to step into our program and make an immediate impact."
Villa and Costa Masnaga will begin the Serie A2 Championship series this Monday at 12 p.m. PT. Coach Ethridge enthusiastically invites all of Coug Nation to follow Eleanora Villa on social media to show their support for her in the championship series. "I encourage our fan base to follow Ele on social media as she plays in the Championship in Serie A2 of the Italian league. Cougs Nation help up welcome our first Italian player to join our program, Eleonora Villa! Go Cougs!" Links to Villa's championship games will be posted to the WSU women's basketball social media pages the day of the game.
At the international level, Villa has represented Italy at the U-17 and U-18 levels. She played for her home country at the 2020 FIBA U-17 Women's Skills Challenge and at the 2022 FIBA U-18 Women's European Championship in Heraklion, Greece. Villa averaged 7.7 points per game and shot 36.4 percent from behind the arc through seven games in Greece. She ended the tournament with a 15-point performance against the Czech Republic, where she drained three 3-point field goals.
The 5-8 guard from Italy joins a veteran Washington State women's basketball team that is coming off the program's first Pac-12 title in program history. The Cougars return four starters from last season's team, which includes three-time All-American Charlisse Leger-Walker and All-Pac-12 Tournament selection Bella Murekatete. Washington State won a program-best 23 games last season.
Villa becomes the fifth addition to the Washington State women's basketball team this season, joining graduate transfer Beyonce Bea (6-1/G/F/Washougal,Wash./Idaho) and incoming freshmen Alex Covill (6-6/C/Missoula, Mont.), Candance Kpetikou (6-3/C/Niamey, Niger) and Jenna Villa (6-1/G/Arlington, Wash.). Click here for more information on WSU's three early signees for the 2023-24 signing class. Click here for more information on Bea's signing.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 Washington State women's basketball season are now on sale at WSUCougars.com or by calling the WSU Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-COUGS.
For more information on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow @WSUCougarsWBB on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
