Sept. 17, 2010
Brianna and Whitney Wilson (Lowell, Mass.), who starred with the Lowell H.S. girls’ basketball team from 2006-09, are among four players who have transferred to UMass Lowell and will represent the women’s basketball team for the 2010-11 season.
The Wilson sisters join sophomore Erika Sjoberg (Stockholm, Sweden) and freshman Nyachuol Biliew (Portland, Maine) who will also suit up for UMass Lowell this season.
The four players give UMass Lowell perhaps its tallest lineup in program history. Brianna Wilson is a 6-foot-4 post player while Whitney stands 6-3. Sjoberg and Biliew are both 5-10 guards.
The four are among nine newcomers and six veterans on the 2010-11 squad, fresh off a 16-11 overall record and a 12-10 clip in the Northeast-10 Conference (tied for sixth) last season.
Brianna and Whitney Wilson come to Lowell after playing their freshman seasons at Salem State College, each having an immediate impact. Brianna Wilson started 25 of 26 games with averages of 10.7 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds, which ranked 10th and ninth, respectively, among MASCAC leaders.
Brianna was twice named the MASCAC Player of the week and earned a spot on the MASCAC All-Conference Second Team.
Whitney Wilson appeared in 25 games (one start) with averages of 6.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Prior to Salem State, both players were Merrimack Valley Conference all-stars at Lowell H.S. and played AAU ball with current teammate Briana Szidat (Pelham, N.H.) for the New England Panthers.
“We are excited to have a couple of local players join our UMass Lowell family,” said Head Coach Kathy O’Neil. “Brianna and Whitney will both give us depth at the post position.”
A two-guard, Sjoberg transferred in from the University of South Carolina-Aiken, where she attended three semesters and redshirted the 2009-10 season. She attended St. Joseph’s Catholic H.S. in Plaucheville, La., for the 2005-06 season where she earned all-state and all-conference honors.
She then went back to Sweden to play for Lidings Basket club team until attending USC-Aiken.
“Erika will give us a pure shooter,” O’Neil said. “She came to UMass Lowell to play basketball and earn her degree in engineering. She is a competitor who will challenge immediately.”
Biliew enjoyed a stellar career at Portland H.S. where she was a three-time all-conference standout and the conference most valuable player as a senior. She also enjoyed a successful spell in the New England Crusaders AAU club system for renowned coach Kara Leary.
“Nash is a terrific athlete who loves basketball,” O’Neil said. “She can do many things on the court. She has only been playing a few years, so she has just scratched the surface of her basketball abilities.”
UMass Lowell opens the season at the American International College Tournament Nov. 13 and 14 against C.W. Post (3:30) and Bloomfield (3:30). The River Hawks open at home on Nov. 17 against Saint Michael’s (5:30).
