Lobos add two to 2019 signing class
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico head women’s basketball coach Mike Bradbury has announced the signings of two more players to his 2019 recruiting class. Joining the already highly-touted incoming class are Ciani Cryor and Celine Dupont.
Cryor will be a graduate transfer from Rutgers and eligible to play next season for her final year of eligibility. Dupont will join the Lobos from her home country of The Netherlands and will have four years of eligibility in the Cherry and Silver.
“We’re all very excited to add CiCi and Celine to our team,” remarks Bradbury. “Next year’s team will now have eight new faces on The Pit floor with Bride and Naj eligible in the fall as well. We’ve been improving every year and this unprecedented class will help us raise the bar again.”
Ciani Cryor
5-5 | Point Guard
Philadelphia, Pa.
Cryor comes to UNM with a wealth of Division I playing experience having played at Georgia Tech as a freshman and most-recently playing the past two seasons at Rutgers. Prior to her college days, Cryor was regarded as one of the top point guards and overall prospects in her class. Blue Star Basketball had Cryor listed as their No. 65 recruit overall and Prospect Nation had Cyror tabbed as the No. 68 recruit overall and the 17th-best point guard as well.
“CiCi is an elite competitor and was the starting point guard for a Top-25 team,” lauds Bradbury. “That experience and her lock-down defensive mindset will help us immediately. She’ll be just as quick and tough as Aisia Robertson. We expect CiCi to step right in and make a major impact not only on our team, but in the Mountain West Conference.”
In her rookie campaign at Georgia Tech, Cryor played in 29 games and averaged 5.7 ppg, 2.4 apg and 1.7 spg in 17.7 minutes per game of action. In her time at Rutgers, Cryor played in 50 career games and averaged 6.8 ppg. This past season was the best of Cryor’s career as she averaged 8.1 ppg, 5.6 apg, and 2.0 spg. In Big Ten action-only, Cryor led the league in steals with 2.8 spg and ranked second in assists with 6.1 apg.
Celine Dupont
6-4 | Forward/Center
Almelo, The Netherlands
With ties to former Lobo Richelle van der Keijl, Dupont comes to the Lobos as a seasoned international player having played on The Netherlands Youth National Teams from the time she was 13. As part of her international playing experience, Dupont played in two FIBA European Women’s Championships as part of The Netherlands U16 and U18 teams.
“Celine will bring us size and skill in the post at 6-foot-4. Her ability to score inside and on the perimeter make her a great fit in our system,” said Bradbury. “She has had tremendous experience playing against some of the best players in the world while playing for her country’s national team. Celine has a really big upside and we expect her to be a big part of the present and the future of this program.”
This past year, Dupont averaged 14.6 ppg and 10.0 rpg in the Dutch National Women’s Under 20 Basketball League. On the club circuit in 2017, Dupont won the U20 National Cup as a part of the Royal Eagles/FSG Apeldoorn. The year prior, Dupont helped her U20 Binnenland team place second. Additionally, as a member of the Binnenland team, Dupont helped reach the National Women’s Final Four in 2019 and win the National Women’s Super Cup in 2018.
Cryor and Dupont add on to the class that signed in the fall. That initial batch of signings were ranked in the Top-30 in the country and include the likes of Andriana Avent (Sacramento, Calif.), Corina Carter (San Antonio, Texas), Azaria Robinson (Anchorage, Alaska) and Autumn Watts (Centennial, Colo.).
The Lobos will enter the 2019-20 season having come off of consecutive 20-plus win seasons that also saw consecutive post-season appearances in the WNIT. The Lobos will also return three starters from last year’s team including the 2019 Mountain West Newcomer of the Year in Aisia Robertson and the 2019 Mountain West Freshman of the Year in Jayla Everett.
