Day: October 7, 2024

Valletta BC sign Janae Barnes

Valletta BC are set to start life in the MAPFRE MSV Life Womenā€™s League with a new import player as Malta Basketball can confirm that the Citizens have signed American guard Janae Barnes.

ā€œIn collaboration with Ladies First Agency, Dreamcatch Management is proud to announce the signing of Janae Barnes to play in Malta for Valletta Basketball Club!ā€ A statement read on Monday. 

ā€œA special thanks to Valletta Basketball Club and head coach Savaya for trusting in Janaeā€™s talents and in Dreamcatch Managementā€™s services. We believe this is Janaeā€™s time to shine!ā€

Barnes joins the team after stints in Egypt, Nicaragua, Morocco, Mexico, Albania, and Kosovo besides her native country. This led to her being a WUBA National League Western Conference Champion in 2020, Western Conference champion, and championship finalist a year later; an Albania Cup winner in 2022; and a finalist in the Nicaraguan League a year later.

Last season in Egypt, Barnes played with Gezert El Ward in the Egyptian SuperLeague but has now been in Malta for the past few days, to link up with the team ahead of their debut in the Womenā€™s John Tabone Shield against Depiro on October 15. 

Barnes is one of numerous signings the capital club has made over the summer after announcing it will be competing in the womenā€™s league as part of an expansion of the club that is now in its second season in the local basketball league. 

Sophie Abela signs for Isla Bonita

Women’s Super Cup winner Sophie Abela is once again a Maltese abroad with her move to Spanish side CD Isla Bonita, the club has officially confirmed.

ā€œIntroducing Sophie Abela, a Malta natural player who started playing basketball when she was five years old,ā€ a club statement read.

ā€œ(Abela) Graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor in Business and Sports Management. Returning to Malta she played at Depiro club for a year and this year joins our Isla Bonita family for this new season 24/25. Welcome Sophie to your new home!ā€

Abela, who was on the books of Depiro until a few days ago, returns overseas after her time in the USA playing college ball in Colorado.Ā 

Last season, she was part of a Depiro team which made it to the playoff finals, losing to the eventual champions Caffe Moak Luxol in Game Five. However, Abela lifted the KnockOut trophy earlier on in March. Abela was also part of coach Charlie Bonniciā€™s Malta national team over the summer at the FIBA Small Countries Games, in which Malta finished second place, as well as the Malta Women’s 3×3 team in the Fiba Europe Cup qualifiers.Ā 

Now she moves to an Isla Bonita side that has already played their first two encounters of the new season, beating Gran Canaria 81-67 in their latest game, one which featured the Abela.

Isla Bonita are part of the Primera DivisiĆ³n Nacional Femenina, which is the top regional league in the Canary Islands. This league represents a significant level of women’s basketball in Spain, with teams often aspiring to reach higher national competitions like Liga Femenina 2. The team is associated with the Roque Idafe project and is based on the island of La Palma.