Virginia Tech center Elizabeth Kitley is returning to school for a fifth year, she announced Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:
- The two-time ACC Player of the Year has played four seasons but has an additional year of eligibility due to COVID-19 rules.
- The 6-foot-6 Kitley averaged 18.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game this season.
- The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant projected Kitley to be selected at No. 8, by the Dream, in the 2023 WNBA Draft if she had entered it.
Let’s gooooo pic.twitter.com/3X56E2MHJV
— Liz Kitley (@elizabethkitley) April 2, 2023
What this means for Virginia Tech
The Hokies welcome back their top two players in Kitley and Georgia Amoore, and Cayla King has a COVID-19 bonus season she could still use, meaning Virginia Tech would have three of its starters back. Coach Kenny Brooks showed how adept he is with transfer portal recruiting by finding perfect fits in Taylor Soule and Kayana Traylor. Kitley is a two-time ACC player of the year and set the program’s all-time scoring record this season. — Jennings
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Impact of Kitley’s decision on the 2023 WNBA Draft
This year’s class already did not feature a ton of high-quality post players, and Kitley might have been the second-best center of the class (behind only Aliyah Boston of South Carolina). Now the question for WNBA teams looking to add a young center on April 10 is who to select.
Iowa State’s Stephanie Soares is a bit of a wild card and has high potential, but limited major-college experience. She played just 13 games with the Cyclones before suffering a season-ending injury in January. A team could draft her and stash her because of the injury. UConn’s Dorka Juhász is another potential center alternative for teams looking to add a big. — Pickman
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(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
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