Women's Basketball Adds Tonia Uzelac to Class of 2022

Bronx, N.Y. – Head coach Stephanie Gaitley and the Fordham women's basketball program today announced the addition of Croatian youth international Tonia Uzelac to the incoming freshman class for the 2018-19 campaign. "We are excited to get out first ever recruit from Croatia," Gaitley said, "Tonia represented her national team this summer and will get here later this month. She will give us size and depth at the post position. Her defensive presence fits in perfectly to our defensive system."

Tonia Uzelac in Action with Croatia

Uzelac is a 6'4 forward/center from Croatia's capital city, Zagreb. She has spent the past four years playing her high school ball at Kušlanova III Gymnasium, where she has helped lead her team to two state championships, in 2014 and 2016, and an eighth place showing at the 2015 world schools championship. She has also played in the Croatian first division for ŽKK Medveščak Zagreb, the five-time reigning national champions. Uzelac averaged 5.1 points and 4.6 rebounds across 18.3 minutes over 21 contests this past year at the senior level. While playing with the team's juniors squad, she bumped those averages up to 11.8 points and 12.4 rebounds as the team finished runner-up last season. Uzelac also has extensive national team experience with Croatia, representing her country at four different youth European Championships since 2014, where she helped the U16s to a 10th place finish. A year later at the same level, the U16s finished 12th, the same position the she and the U18s finished at the 2016 Euros. With the U20s this past summer, Croatia finished 16th. The Zagreb native will become the fifth member of Coach Gaitley's Class of 2022, joining Chloe Chaffin, Kaitlyn Downey, Megan Jonassen, and Catherine Polisano.