Women's Basketball | 5/18/2017 4:06:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team has announced the signing of Honoka Ikematsu to a National Letter of Intent.
Ikematsu, a native of Kumamoto, Japan, is set to become the first Japanese player in program history. She has played both at the point and as a combo guard, and adds to the team's depth in the backcourt. Robert Morris now is slated to feature international student-athletes from four different countries (England, Finland, Japan, Spain) and two Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec) on its 2017-18 roster.
"Honoka really impressed us with her motor and non-stop energy," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "She has very good all-around skills – she's able to go off the bounce and feels comfortable pulling up. She sets other players up on the floor and is always looking for the open player. Her intelligence on the floor shows why she does so well in the classroom.
"Culture-wise, [Honoka] is a really good fit," Buscaglia continued. "She's very appreciative and that's one of the things in the recruiting process that we really look for. I really love bringing in new cultures into the program. Being from Japan herself, Coach [Asami] Morita led the way recruiting Honoka and it's been really neat seeing them communicate together. Japan's not a country that you see a lot of players come over to play Division I basketball, whether it's because of the language barrier or the different style of play, but there is a lot of talent in the area and it's nice to expand our reach."
Robert Morris finished the 2016-17 season with a 22-11 overall record, advancing to its fifth NCAA Tournament in program history. The Colonials captured their seventh Northeast Conference (NEC) title and third in the past four seasons.
