Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: Eric Evans Photography
CU Signs Three For 2018 Recruiting Class
June 05, 2018 | Women's Basketball
Clarke, Finau and Volcy will be freshmen this fall with the Buffs
BOULDER – Colorado women's basketball head coach JR Payne announced the signing of three student-athletes for the 2018 recruiting class on Tuesday. Emma Clarke (Perth, Western Australia), Lesila Finau (Dublin, Calif.) and Kai Volcy (Bloomfield, N.J.) all signed National Letters of Intent. All three will be eligible to compete as freshmen during the 2018-19 season.
"We are so excited to welcome Kai, Emma and Sila to our Buffalo family," Payne said. "These are high-character, highly academic, and extremely competitive young ladies, who will bring so much to our program both on and off the court."
Emma Clarke
Clarke is a 6-foot-1 wing from UC Lake Ginninderra College in Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory. She has been a prominent member of Australia's youth national teams. At the U-17 FIBA Oceania Championship, she averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists and was named one of five all-stars for the tournament in 2017, leading her team to the championship with a perfect 5-0 record.
In Australia, she scored 42 points in a game at the U-16 Australian Junior Championships and finished as the team's leading scorer at the U-18 tournament most recently, averaging 21.9 points and 8.7 rebounds. Clarke also won several awards with her club team, Perry Lakes Hawks, and helped the team capture league championships in 2013 and 2016.
At CU, she plans on majoring in neuroscience and psychology, but her immediate goal after graduation is to play for Australia's National Team.
"Emma comes to Boulder with a wealth of experience at a very high level of competition," Payne said. "At 6-1, Emma's length on the perimeter will be a huge asset both offensively and defensively. She is one of the more competitive players we have recruited. I believe her desire to be great, combined with a fantastic work ethic, will give her a great opportunity to be very successful here at CU."
Lesila Finau
Finau is a 5-foot-10 guard from Dublin (Calif.) High School. She originally signed with Minnesota but was granted a release from her NLI after a coaching change and she re-opened her recruitment. She selected the Buffs over nine other Division I offers, including Pac-12 foe Washington.
At Dublin, she had a decorated prep career, earning first-team all-state once and all-conference three times. As a senior, she averaged 20.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 4.8 steals to guide DHS to a 25-6 record. She also helped Dublin to the section tournament all four years and was named section freshman of the year after taking the team to the state semifinals with a 28-4 record in 2014-15.
In club basketball, she led Cal Stars to a 51-1 record. Finau is rated as the No. 10 guard by Nor-Cal Preps Rivals and she is a three-star recruit from ESPN.com. She plans on majoring in psychology and would like to play professionally in Europe after her career in Boulder.
"Sila was a fantastic surprise for us," Payne said. "She is a long point guard who excels in transition, makes great decisions on the break and is long enough to defend multiple guard positions. Sila is also a great 3-point shooter, who is versatile enough to stretch the D, attack the basket and deliver when necessary."
Kai Volcy
Volcy is a 6-foot-4 post player and played for The Hun School, a prep school in Princeton, N.J. She averaged 12.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots this past winter and was named to the Times of Trenton All-Prep team.
Prior to The Hun School this past year, she graduated from The Groton School in Groton, Mass., in 2017, where she was an all-league basketball player and a team MVP as a senior, and a two-time team MVP in track and field.
She plans on majoring in biology or finance at CU to possibly follow her mother's career path in a medical field.
"Kai will be a great addition to our frontcourt as she brings a unique combination of size, and agility," Payne said. "Kai is young in her basketball career and comes to Boulder with a strong desire to grow as both a player and student of the game. She will bring us low-post presence for years to come."
The three newest Buffs join Cameron Swartz and Sirena "Peanut" Tuitele, who signed with CU during the early-signing period in November.
The Buffs wrapped up the 2017-18 season with a 15-16 record after reaching the WNIT in 2016-17 in Payne's first season with the Buffs. The team will return four starters, including senior guards Kennedy Leonard and Alexis Robinson.
"We are so excited to welcome Kai, Emma and Sila to our Buffalo family," Payne said. "These are high-character, highly academic, and extremely competitive young ladies, who will bring so much to our program both on and off the court."
Emma Clarke
Clarke is a 6-foot-1 wing from UC Lake Ginninderra College in Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory. She has been a prominent member of Australia's youth national teams. At the U-17 FIBA Oceania Championship, she averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists and was named one of five all-stars for the tournament in 2017, leading her team to the championship with a perfect 5-0 record.
In Australia, she scored 42 points in a game at the U-16 Australian Junior Championships and finished as the team's leading scorer at the U-18 tournament most recently, averaging 21.9 points and 8.7 rebounds. Clarke also won several awards with her club team, Perry Lakes Hawks, and helped the team capture league championships in 2013 and 2016.
At CU, she plans on majoring in neuroscience and psychology, but her immediate goal after graduation is to play for Australia's National Team.
"Emma comes to Boulder with a wealth of experience at a very high level of competition," Payne said. "At 6-1, Emma's length on the perimeter will be a huge asset both offensively and defensively. She is one of the more competitive players we have recruited. I believe her desire to be great, combined with a fantastic work ethic, will give her a great opportunity to be very successful here at CU."
Lesila Finau
Finau is a 5-foot-10 guard from Dublin (Calif.) High School. She originally signed with Minnesota but was granted a release from her NLI after a coaching change and she re-opened her recruitment. She selected the Buffs over nine other Division I offers, including Pac-12 foe Washington.
At Dublin, she had a decorated prep career, earning first-team all-state once and all-conference three times. As a senior, she averaged 20.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 4.8 steals to guide DHS to a 25-6 record. She also helped Dublin to the section tournament all four years and was named section freshman of the year after taking the team to the state semifinals with a 28-4 record in 2014-15.
In club basketball, she led Cal Stars to a 51-1 record. Finau is rated as the No. 10 guard by Nor-Cal Preps Rivals and she is a three-star recruit from ESPN.com. She plans on majoring in psychology and would like to play professionally in Europe after her career in Boulder.
"Sila was a fantastic surprise for us," Payne said. "She is a long point guard who excels in transition, makes great decisions on the break and is long enough to defend multiple guard positions. Sila is also a great 3-point shooter, who is versatile enough to stretch the D, attack the basket and deliver when necessary."
Kai Volcy
Volcy is a 6-foot-4 post player and played for The Hun School, a prep school in Princeton, N.J. She averaged 12.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots this past winter and was named to the Times of Trenton All-Prep team.
Prior to The Hun School this past year, she graduated from The Groton School in Groton, Mass., in 2017, where she was an all-league basketball player and a team MVP as a senior, and a two-time team MVP in track and field.
She plans on majoring in biology or finance at CU to possibly follow her mother's career path in a medical field.
"Kai will be a great addition to our frontcourt as she brings a unique combination of size, and agility," Payne said. "Kai is young in her basketball career and comes to Boulder with a strong desire to grow as both a player and student of the game. She will bring us low-post presence for years to come."
The three newest Buffs join Cameron Swartz and Sirena "Peanut" Tuitele, who signed with CU during the early-signing period in November.
The Buffs wrapped up the 2017-18 season with a 15-16 record after reaching the WNIT in 2016-17 in Payne's first season with the Buffs. The team will return four starters, including senior guards Kennedy Leonard and Alexis Robinson.
Players Mentioned
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