George Washington University Athletics
Women's Basketball Names Captains for 2020-21
9/16/2020 9:52:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Blethen, Luma and Whitney chosen to serve as team leaders
WASHINGTON - GW women's basketball announced on Wednesday its three captains for the 2020-21 season: sophomore Faith Blethen, redshirt junior Neila Luma and graduate student Jasmine Whitney. The trio was voted on by teammates with oversight from head coach Jennifer Rizzotti and the coaching staff.
"I've been so impressed with the work our team has put in this summer to ensure we started in a great place coming out of quarantine," Rizzotti said. "Their cohesion and commitment to building a positive team culture put the coaches in a position to choose from a multitude of options for captain this season. Naming a senior, junior, and sophomore just means our program and its future are in great hands.
"Our entire team set the standard for who we want to be. Neila, Jasmine and Faith consistently display the values of our team and GW athletic department: Determination, Commitment and Respect. I couldn't be happier that they will represent our program as our captains this season."
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Faith Blethen / Sophomore / Boothbay, Maine
"I've been so impressed with the work our team has put in this summer to ensure we started in a great place coming out of quarantine," Rizzotti said. "Their cohesion and commitment to building a positive team culture put the coaches in a position to choose from a multitude of options for captain this season. Naming a senior, junior, and sophomore just means our program and its future are in great hands.
"Our entire team set the standard for who we want to be. Neila, Jasmine and Faith consistently display the values of our team and GW athletic department: Determination, Commitment and Respect. I couldn't be happier that they will represent our program as our captains this season."
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Faith Blethen / Sophomore / Boothbay, Maine
• One of four Colonials to appear in all 30 games in 2019-20
• Led the team in steals and ranked second in assists and 3-pointers as a first-year
• First sophomore captain in Coach Rizzotti's tenure at GW
Coach Rizzotti on Blethen: "One of her teammates described Fatih as 'unapologetic about her love for this program and this sport.' As a young player, she has been consistent in showing her selflessness, dependability, appreciation and positive perspective both on and off the court. Faith is an incredible human being that stands for everything I want the culture in our program to represent. She is the definition of a true servant leader that all of us, including myself, can learn from."
Blethen on her selection: "I am proud of the energy, effort and enthusiasm my teammates and I have put in this past summer and are continuing to put into building our team's culture and identity. I am both honored and excited about the trust my teammates and coaches have in me to fulfill this role for them. It will be a lot of fun to serve my teammates in this capacity alongside Jasmine and Neila, and I am thankful for their experience and leadership as the three of us work together. I am also thankful for the amount of support and guidance we were given this summer from the coaching staff to take ownership of our program's success and its future."
Neila Luma / Redshirt Junior / Macungie, Pa.
Coach Rizzotti on Blethen: "One of her teammates described Fatih as 'unapologetic about her love for this program and this sport.' As a young player, she has been consistent in showing her selflessness, dependability, appreciation and positive perspective both on and off the court. Faith is an incredible human being that stands for everything I want the culture in our program to represent. She is the definition of a true servant leader that all of us, including myself, can learn from."
Blethen on her selection: "I am proud of the energy, effort and enthusiasm my teammates and I have put in this past summer and are continuing to put into building our team's culture and identity. I am both honored and excited about the trust my teammates and coaches have in me to fulfill this role for them. It will be a lot of fun to serve my teammates in this capacity alongside Jasmine and Neila, and I am thankful for their experience and leadership as the three of us work together. I am also thankful for the amount of support and guidance we were given this summer from the coaching staff to take ownership of our program's success and its future."
Neila Luma / Redshirt Junior / Macungie, Pa.
• Missed all but five games in 2019-20 due to knee injury
• Led team in scoring and rebounding while playing all 30 games in 2018-19
• Longest-tenured student-athlete on roster (entering fourth season at GW)
Coach Rizzotti on Luma: "Neila has always led by example, with her outstanding work ethic and high level of execution in all that she does. As a fourth-year player she has been genuine in her desire for those around her to succeed. Her teammates describe her as compassionate, respectful and a great listener, all qualities we want in our leaders. Because we are still a fairly young team, we need Neila's experience and commitment to excellence to pave the way for our return to Championship level success."
Luma on her selection: "I'm honored that my coaches and teammates trust me to fill this role and I'm excited to help lead the team! I'm happy to have two great leaders, Faith and Jasmine, by my side. This team is really special, and we've spent a lot of time talking about the things we want to do together. Now that we are back working together, we can feel everyday how determined everyone is to accomplish those things. We've worked really hard on and off the court to set a great foundation for our season and I'm so excited to show what we're capable of."
Jasmine Whitney / Graduate Student / Centreville, Va.
Coach Rizzotti on Luma: "Neila has always led by example, with her outstanding work ethic and high level of execution in all that she does. As a fourth-year player she has been genuine in her desire for those around her to succeed. Her teammates describe her as compassionate, respectful and a great listener, all qualities we want in our leaders. Because we are still a fairly young team, we need Neila's experience and commitment to excellence to pave the way for our return to Championship level success."
Luma on her selection: "I'm honored that my coaches and teammates trust me to fill this role and I'm excited to help lead the team! I'm happy to have two great leaders, Faith and Jasmine, by my side. This team is really special, and we've spent a lot of time talking about the things we want to do together. Now that we are back working together, we can feel everyday how determined everyone is to accomplish those things. We've worked really hard on and off the court to set a great foundation for our season and I'm so excited to show what we're capable of."
Jasmine Whitney / Graduate Student / Centreville, Va.
• Transferred to GW in the spring semester after graduating from Pitt
• Ranks among Pitt's top 10 all-time in career assists and steals
• Was only active ACC player to record 100+ assists in three straight seasons at time of her departure
Coach Rizzotti on Whitney: "Jasmine has made a tremendous impact on our team in the short amount of time she's been with us at GW. The strides she made while we were apart this summer, both in her commitment to self-improvement and team buy-in, were unmatched. She is consistent in her care, communication and respect for those around her and in upholding the culture we want to stand for at GW. Add in her positive energy and passion for the game and she becomes an undisputed leader for our program this year."
Whitney on her selection: "When I first got to GW, I told Coach Rizzotti that I wanted to be a leader on this team. I worked really hard all summer to gain the respect and trust of both the coaches and my teammates in order to be able to lead, so I really appreciate and am grateful for this opportunity. I chose to come to GW because of the program's history of success and Coach's vision for the future: winning the right way by creating a culture that people want to be a part of. We spent a lot of time this offseason working toward that both on and off the court, and I can't put into words how excited I am to be able to help lead our team further. There are so many special people in this program and community, we are going to accomplish great things! I'm looking forward to learning from my teammates and coaches and putting in the work for us to get better everyday."
Coach Rizzotti on Whitney: "Jasmine has made a tremendous impact on our team in the short amount of time she's been with us at GW. The strides she made while we were apart this summer, both in her commitment to self-improvement and team buy-in, were unmatched. She is consistent in her care, communication and respect for those around her and in upholding the culture we want to stand for at GW. Add in her positive energy and passion for the game and she becomes an undisputed leader for our program this year."
Whitney on her selection: "When I first got to GW, I told Coach Rizzotti that I wanted to be a leader on this team. I worked really hard all summer to gain the respect and trust of both the coaches and my teammates in order to be able to lead, so I really appreciate and am grateful for this opportunity. I chose to come to GW because of the program's history of success and Coach's vision for the future: winning the right way by creating a culture that people want to be a part of. We spent a lot of time this offseason working toward that both on and off the court, and I can't put into words how excited I am to be able to help lead our team further. There are so many special people in this program and community, we are going to accomplish great things! I'm looking forward to learning from my teammates and coaches and putting in the work for us to get better everyday."
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballSaturday, March 28
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