Wilson, Woolley to Reunite with Legette-Jack at Syracuse
Syracuse, N.Y. – Saniaa Wilson and Georgia Woolley, a freshmen tandem at Buffalo this season, have transferred to Syracuse. Wilson, a Rochester native, and Woolley, the MidAmerican Conference (MAC) Freshman of the Year, will reunite with Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack on the Hill next season.
Wilson is a six-foot forward from Rochester, N.Y., and was a three-star recruit by ESPN HoopGurlz and ranked the No. 18 forward in her class.
“The world has not yet seen how good Saniaa will be,” head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “She is a back to the basket post who loves contact. Saniaa has a great IQ for the game and is a fantastic passer that knows how to win. She is an even better person than her basketball accolades. I’d like to welcome her to the best school in the country.”
Wilson appeared in 14 games for the Bulls as a freshman and scored a season-high 12 points in her collegiate debut against Northern Illinois shooting 4-for-5 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line. Wilson had back-to-back games with double digit rebounds grabbing a season-high 14 against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 2 and had 13 the following game against Central Michigan three days later. Wilson finished the season averaging 55.9 percent from the field while averaging 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 points per game.
A graduate of Bishop Kearney High School, she led the Kings to three-straight Section V Championships, two regional champions and two appearances in the New York State Championship. Upon her graduation from Bishop Kearney, she was the Kings all-time leading scorer with more than 1,600 points and 1,500 rebounds and was a nominee for the McDonald’s All-America Game.
Wilson was honored as a member of the Democrat and Chronicle’s all-decade team and is a four-time All-Greater Rochester selection.
Woolley was named the MAC Freshman of the Year after an outstanding freshman campaign at Buffalo. She played in all 34 games for the Bulls, starting in 24, and averaged 14.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game. She scored in double figures 26 times and scored 20 or more points on 16 occasions. Woolley had a career-high 30 points against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 2 shooting 10-for-18 from the field, including five three-pointers and a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line.
“Georgia is the most angle-smart defensive player I’ve coached in a long time,” Legette-Jack said. “She’s a fantastic scorer from three different levels – layups, mid-range, and three-ball. She is tough as nails and smart as they come. We are so excited to have her join the best school in the country.”
Woolley led the Bulls to the MAC Tournament Championship with 29 points against Ball State and scored 15 points in the NCAA Tournament against Tennessee.
A top-20 player in her graduating class in Australia, Woolley starred for St. Paul’s School in Brisbane where she averaged 43.1 points, 19.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.3 steals, and 3.3 blocks per game. She shot 90.1 percent from the free throw line as a senior and helped lead St. Paul’s to its first premiership title in school history.
Woolley earned 2019 Brisbane Basketball Graduate Player of the Year honors and was a recipient of the Amarlie Carol Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the Queensland School Sport Basketball Tournament. She was the 2019 Southern Basketball League MVP and member of silver medalist Queensland U20 All-State Team at the Australian National Championships where she averaged 15.4 points per game. Woolley also earned a silver medal with the U18 team.
She attended the 11th edition of Basketball Without Boarders Asia where she was named the women’s camp MVP and competed in the 2020 Queensland State League where she helped the Brisbane Capitals to an 8-3 overall record while pouring in 15.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 2.8 apg. Woolley also received the academic gold award for DUX of general mathematics.
Wilson and Woolley become the first two players to commit to the Legette-Jack era of Syracuse women’s basketball.
“Orange Nation, help us welcome these two incredible ladies who understand our C.A.B. philosophy,” Legette-Jack added.
All 2022-23 season ticket renewals will be available soon. Current season ticket holders will receive an email and phone call from an account representative as soon as details are available. Fans looking to purchase new season tickets for the upcoming season can now place a $25 per seat deposit.
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