Size, International Flair Headline Duquesne’s 2019 Signees

Duquesne women’s basketball coach Dan Burt officially added four members to his recruiting class of 2019 this week.

Burt added size, with three players over 6-foot tall, and continued his emphasis on an international flair, with the four players hailing from four different countries.

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Burt and the Dukes received signed national letters of intent from Amaya Hamliton, Precious Johnson, Snezhe Serafimoska and Bernada Rreshpja.

Hamilton, a 6-foot-2 wing from Fishers, Indiana, committed to the Dukes back in August.

“Amaya is a winner,” Burt said. “She will play multiple positions for Duquesne. Her ability to shoot the 3-pointer, rebound well on both ends of the floor and defend multiple positions will allow Amaya a strong case to play early in her career at Duquesne.”

Hamilton is the only American of the four, as Burt continues to heavily recruit in Europe. Johnson is a 6-foot-3 wing from Helsingborg, Sweden. She averaged 6.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game at the 2018 FIBA U18 championships and has also played for Sweden’s U20 national team.

While Johnson plays in Sweden, she has American roots. Her father, Stewart Johnson is a former ABA player from Clairton, Pa.

“Precious is a center with very good size, strength and the ability to rebound outside of her space,” Burt said. “We expect her to make an immediate impact on the glass and the defensive end. Precious has good range to the short corner/high post area and drives the ball well for a center.”

The focus on height continued for for the Dukes with 6-foot-4 Macedonian forward Serafimoska. Serafimoska will be the first Macedonian to play at Duquesne, but she’s already gotten acclimated to playing in the US at Nebraska City High School.

“Snezhe has guard-like skills but will be a developmental redshirt for us in her first year as she will need to add size and strength to her frame,” Burt said. “Her hook shot in the post and ability to shoot the 3-point shot off the pick and pop at 6-foot-4 will be a difficult match up for opponents. With great effort, Snezhe’s upside is unlimited.”

Finally, there’s 5-foot-10 guard Rreshpia. She’s been the team captain of the Albanian U18 and senior national team and averaged 16.4 points per game while shooting 37 percent from 3-point range at the 2018 FIBA U18 Championship. She’ll be the first Albanian member of the Dukes.

“Bernada is a strong, athletic off guard who is a very good shooter beyond the 3-point line,” Burt said. “She is crafty with the ball and will be able to get to the rim also. We are very excited about her offensive game and what she brings to the team.”