Pamela Bethel, a 23-year-old centre from Nassau, Bahamas, is joining the Holland College Hurricanes for the 2016-17 basketball season.

The Holland College Hurricanes women’s basketball team went to a familiar spot to help replenish its frontcourt.

The Hurricanes announced the addition of 23-year-old centre Pamela Bethel on Wednesday. She is from Nassau, Bahamas.

The Hurricanes finished second at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association national championship last season and are the two-time defending Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) champs.

Head coach Mike Connolly said they are excited to get Bethel in a Hurricanes’ uniform after trying to get her to join the team for three years.

“We are very pleased things came together this year for her to join our program,” Connolly said. “Pamela is a six-foot post who brings toughness and rebounding. She is putting up big numbers in the Bahamas and we expect she'll do the same in the ACAA.”

Bahamian forwards Marvia Dean and Ashley Moss played for the Hurricanes last season but are moving on to Concordia University in Montreal.

Bethel won three championships with her high school team beginning in 2007. She then went to the New Providence Women’s Basketball Association, a senior women’s league, and won the championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014.

“I have friends that have talked and bragged about how good the basketball program is,” Bethel said. “It also gives me a better opportunity to further my education as well as my basketball skills.”

Bethel joins former UPEI Panther guards Darcy Zinck and Kendra Craswell as new additions this season. The Hurricanes will lose four-fifths of their starting lineups.

“Most of it is at the post spot,” Connolly said. “That was our big need. We’ve really recruited well in the backcourt, so Pamela is a big get for us. . . She’s one piece, we hope to add another piece at the post spot.”

Source: theguardian.pe.ca