Sports

Meet the New Girls: Women’s basketball’s new additions look to leave their mark

November 11, 2016


Cynthia Petke – 6’2” forward, Yaounde, Cameroon

Graduation hit the Hoyas’ frontcourt hard. The losses of forwards Dominique Vitalis and Logan Battle, two key contributors at the position last season, created a hole in the Hoyas’ rotation that must be addressed.

Cynthia Petke will be a large component of the team’s new frontcourt dynamic. A 6-foot-2 junior college transfer originally hailing from Yaounde, Cameroon, Petke brings size, experience, and athleticism to Georgetown’s frontcourt. Petke spent her first junior college season at Hutchinson Community College, where she averaged 15.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game as Hutchinson advanced to the 2015 NJCAA Division I championship game. Last season, she played at Chipola Community College, where her 14.4 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game were both good for team best.

“[Petke] can score inside, she can score outside, but she’s just that blue-collar worker, that if you say ‘rebound,’ you look around and she’s flying all over the place,” said Coach Natasha Adair.

Petke will bring aggressive rebounding, strong defense, and a polished post game to the Hoyas’ frontcourt. The junior will be eligible to play this season and is expected to compete with freshman Olivia Ramil and returning forwards sophomore Jodi-Marie Ramil, junior Yazmine Belk, and senior Faith Woodard for minutes.

Marvellous Osagie-Erese – 5’4” guard, East Orange, NJ

Osagie-Erese was added to the roster as a walk-on in the middle of the preseason and will fight for minutes off the bench for the Hoyas. A four-year high school basketball letterwinner, she averaged 14.2 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game in her senior season at East Orange STEM Academy in New Jersey, leading her team in scoring en route to a 24-2 record and division championship. She wasn’t solely ‘marvelous’ on the court, though; Osagie-Erese was her high school’s valedictorian in addition to starring as a basketball and track athlete.

“What you’ll hear from Marvellous is just energy and excitement. Whatever we’re going to ask of her, she’ll do, whatever she needs to do, but she’s going to bring another, just leadership, another voice, and just add depth when we need it in certain areas, but just another spark that you’ll see,” said Coach Adair of Osagie-Erese.

Osagie-Erese will bring quick point guard play and energy to the Hoyas’ squad, but she’ll be battling with a talented and crowded Georgetown backcourt for playing time this season. With guards Dionna White, junior Dorothy Adomako, senior Mykia Jones, and others already established in the rotation, Osagie-Erese will likely have to wait a few years until she sees serious minutes.

Morgan Smith G: 6’0” Upper Marlboro, Md.

Morgan Smith, who played high school basketball in nearby Upper Marlboro, MD, is joining a guard heavy Georgetown team, yet she is already finding a way to stand out. At 6’0” she is versatile, and in Coach Adair’s words, is a “crazy athlete.”

In her senior year at Riverdale Baptist School, she averaged 8.1 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game, helping her team to a 36-3 record. Her ESPN scouting report calls her “Explosively athletic, a versatile perimeter performer [who] attacks glass, [is] superb in uptempo, and [is] a developing offensive threat.”

Smith will have to compete for minutes with a very talented group of guards, including Dionna White, DiDi Burton, Jade Martin, Mykia Jones, and Dorothy Adomako. Despite the competition, she seems to have found her place on this team.

“I bring a lot of positive energy and just energy in general, getting the team going and keeping everyone positive,” she says of herself.

Coach Adair agrees.

“We call her Mo’ Buckets… Her personality is so bubbly…she just lights up the room. That’s what she brings to the court.”

Olivia Ramil- C: 6’2” Binghamton, N.Y.

Olivia Ramil joins her older sister, sophomore Jodi Marie, on a talented Georgetown team. Nicknamed by Coach Adair “The Big Fundamental,” Olivia is a very versatile player.

“She has great footwork, she has a great touch around the rim, but she can also stretch [the floor] and shoot the three ball,” Adair said.

She will compete with her sister and junior Yazmine Belk for minutes at the center position. In comparison to Jodi, who is loud and energetic, Adair described Olivia as “that quiet peace.” Adair also promised fans will see the “Ramil tandem” at some point this year.

Jodi is excited to play with her sister. “Olivia and I have been playing together since second grade, so we’ve been able to grow up and learn each other’s game as we go. It’s an absolute blessing that we can get to continue in playing together, like Olivia knows me and I know Olivia, just the chemistry that we have is just… it’s a been a blessing being able to play with her and continue on.”

Expect to see Olivia making a big impact at center for a Hoyas team that is hungry for a Big East Championship.


Beth Cunniff
Beth graduated from the College in 2019. She was Voice's alumni outreach manager, and the former sports editor. She accepts her role as a privileged Boston sports fan, but there’s really nothing she can do about it.

Nick Gavio
Nick is the Voice's former editorial board chair. Follow him on Twitter at @nickgavio, where he primarily retweets cute puppy videos.


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