JUCO transfers sign with Schneider, Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas head women’s basketball coach Brandon Schneider and his staff added a pair of junior college transfers to their 2018 signing class after Mariane De Carvalho and Niccolly Ramalho signed valid National Letters of Intent to play for the Jayhawks.
As members of the 2018 signing class De Carvalho and Ramalho join Brooklyn Mitchell and Aniya Thomas as Schneider’s third recruiting class since taking over the KU women’s basketball program in 2015. Both De Carvalho and Ramalho are natives of Brazil and prepped at Highland Community College prior to signing with the Jayhawks.
“Nany (Mariane) and Nicci (Niccolly) led Highland Community College to a 63-5 record over the past 2 season,” said Schneider. “They definitely fit our recruiting profile in terms of recruiting competitors with a winning mentality.”
A 6-foot-2 guard/forward, De Carvalho was ranked the No. 6 junior college player of the 2018 class and No. 1 for her position by Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. While at Highland, she earned two All-American nods for efforts on the hardwood. De Carvalho is the only player in women’s basketball history at Highland to score 1,000 career points.
“Nany (Mariane) is a long, athletic scorer,” Schneider said De Carvalho. “She has a quick first step and can deliver from every level offensively. She has a high basketball IQ and is very active defensively and on the glass. Her length and quick hands allow her to be very disruptive in a pressure scheme.”
De Carvalho, the nation’s top wing, averaged 19.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while connecting on 48 percent from the field. She also made 38 percent of her attempts from long range. De Carvalho was named Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) Player of the Year in 2018 and KJCC Freshman of the Year in 2017. Additionally, De Carvalho earned KJCCC All-Conference First Team honors along with Region VI All-Region First Team accolades.
The native of Araraquara, Brazil was a member of the 2015 U19 Women’s World Championship Team. She chose Kansas over South Carolina, Mississippi State, Kansas State and Creighton.
A 5-foot-5 guard, Ramalho led the Scotties to a 35-1 overall record in 2018 and earned first-team all-conference and all-region honors. She earned National Player of the Week honors after nearly recording a quadruple double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and nine steals.
“Nicci (Niccolly) is a very skilled, hard-nosed guard, said Schneider of Ramalho. “(If you) Glance at the stat sheet, you immediately see how many ways she positively impacts the game. We love her toughness and high energy approach to the defensive end of the floor. Offensively, she can hit the open 3-pointer and is a terrific passer, especially in an open court game.”
Ramalho averaged 12 points, five assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. Ramalho also averaged three steals per contest. She led the nation in steals with 131 and ended the year fourth in assists on the season, which helped her set the Highland single-season record for assists and steals.
A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Ramalho chose the Jayhawks over Kansas State, Campbell, Saint Louis and San Francisco.
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