STARKVILLE — The national runner-up Mississippi State women’s basketball team signed Australian forward Chloe Bibby on Wednesday.
Bibby, a native a Warracknabeal, Victoria, has been playing against some of the country’s best competition in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) and the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL).
Bibby joins a team that is coming off a program-best 34-win season that featured the program’s first Final Four and national championship game appearances. Watching the run, which included defeating Baylor and ending Connecticut’s 111-game winning streak, solidified Bibby’s desire to come to Starkville.
“I’m extremely grateful and excited to become a Bulldog,” Bibby said. “It’s a great opportunity to continue to improve and grow as a player and to be a part of a program that fights as hard for each as these girls did during the Final Four. That kind of team camaraderie I witnessed, that kind of fight and determination is what I’m excited to be a part of, and hopefully we can be right back there next season.”
The 6-foot-1 forward recently joined the SEABL’s Bendigo Braves and through two games has averaged 21 points and nine rebounds.
“Chloe is a highly-skilled player that brings a wealth of international experience to our program at such a young age,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. “Chloe is a versatile player who has a tremendous skill set that will allow her the opportunity to help our team right away.
“She also comes from a tremendous family. We had a great official visit with them when they came from Australia back in the fall. We appreciate them placing their trust and confidence in our staff, and we are excited to have a great player and person like Chloe joining the Bulldog family.”
Bibby made the transition to the Braves after playing on the elite level for the Dandenong Rangers in the WNBL. She gained valuable experience playing against top competition, seeing action in nine games as the Rangers went on to win their sixth championship in the last eight seasons.
In the Rangers’ 2016 SEABL season, Bibby notched 10.4 ppg while hitting 39.6 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from 3-point range, and 79.1 percent from the free-throw line. She also grabbed 6.9 rebounds per game.
Bibby had the opportunity to represent her country last summer, averaging a team third-best 14.2 ppg to help lead the Australia Gems to a 5-0 record and the FIBA Under-18 Oceania Championship. Winning that title qualified the Gems for the FIBA U19 World Championships in Italy in July.
Bibby joins a 19th-ranked signing class that includes three-time Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year Myah Taylor, Terry High School All-State standout Nyah Tate, Jonika Garvin, of Florida, and Bre’Amber Scott, of Arkansas.
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