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TENERIFE, Spain – While her Vanderbilt teammates are just starting preparations for the upcoming season, Mariella Fasoula has been showcasing her basketball talents in front of the finest players in the world.
Fasoula capped a successful FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup competition with an outstanding individual performance Wednesday. The 6-foot, 4-inch center notched a double-double in Greece’s heartbreaking loss to Nigeria that ended her country’s pursuit of the title and erased a showdown against the United States squad on Friday.
Fasoula impressed Greek teammates, coaches and hoops insiders at the World Cup despite being one of the youngest players in the international competition.
Vanderbilt head coach Stephanie White was delighted to see Fasoula enjoy success on the international stage.
“I’m so happy for Fas and everything she has accomplished as a member of her national team,” White said. “Just to play with and against the best players in the world is an incredible experience for Fas.
“What she’s experiencing (in the World Cup) can’t be duplicated here in practice. She’s learning so much that will benefit our team,” White added.
Fasoula, a native of Athens, Greece, who transferred last year to Vanderbilt following an All-ACC freshman campaign at Boston College in 2016-17, is expected to arrive back in Nashville in a matter of days.
Fasoula’s combination of size and ability adds an exciting new dimension to the 2018-19 Commodores.
“We’re excited about having Mariella for many reasons,” White said. “Fas is going to be a difference maker for us and an inside player that we simply haven’t had in the last years. On top of that, she’s has been a great teammate ever since we arrived on campus,” White said.
Facing Nigeria on Wednesday in the final round of qualifying, Fasoula paced Greece with 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. It was her highest scoring and rebounding total in the World Cup competition.
On Tuesday, Fasoula contributed six points and six rebounds in Greece’s 58-48 victory over Korea.
In four World Cup games, Fasoula averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Greece squad.
Fasoula is one of Greece’s most talented young players. In 2017, she paced the country’s FIBA U-20 European Championship effort by averaging 22.1 points and 9.3 rebounds.