Women's Basketball | 4/11/2018 11:32:00 AM

FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason's three signees for 2018 hail from a variety of backgrounds, offering experience at the high school, collegiate and international levels.

On Wednesday, the Patriots received national letters of intent from three student-athletes who will be eligible to play during the 2018-19 women's basketball season: graduate student Ariana Freeman and incoming freshmen Devyn Wilson and Livija Kaktaite.

"We're excited to welcome Ariana, Devyn and Livija to the George Mason women's basketball family," head coach Nyla Milleson said. "All three young ladies bring exceptional skills and come from strong backgrounds, including a top 50 recruit of high school, who will make our team better as we look to build off a historic season. Not only do all three come from winning backgrounds but they exemplify what we want a George Mason student-athlete to embody on the court, in the classroom and in the community."

Freeman, a 5-foot-9 guard from Manassas, Va., returns to her home state. The Paul VI grad arrives at Mason after spending the last three years at the University of Colorado. She played just one season with the Buffs, though.

After she began her collegiate career at Louisville in 2014-15 – playing in nine games and helping the Cardinals reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament – she transferred to CU. She redshirted the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules. She played in 31 games in 2016-17 and averaged 7.7 points and 3.2 points for the Buffs, who reached the third round of the WNIT.

She did not play for Colorado last year, instead choosing to focus on her academics. She will receive her bachelor's degree in journalism from Colorado next month. She is eligible to play immediately. 

Freeman strung together a successful and decorated high school career at Paul VI in Fairfax. She left as the school's all-time leading scorer and led the Panthers to its first WCAC Championship in 2013-14, averaging 16.2 points and earning Washington Catholic Player of the Year honors. She is a two-time All-Met honoree and three-time All-WCAC recipient. She averaged 19.7 points and 10.8 rebounds as a junior and was ranked in the ESPN HoopGurlz Top 100 throughout her career, reaching as high as No. 15.

"Ariana is a physical and super aggressive guard who will be a big part of our success next season," Milleson said. "Throughout high school and college, she has shown she can be an elite scorer. On offense, Ari stays in attack mode, always looking to get to the rim, or hit the mid-range shot. We are excited to have her finish her career back home in Fairfax."

The Patriots will also add another player with an international background as their roster already features two rising sophomores from outside the states: 2017-18 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year Nicole Cardaño-Hillary (Spain) and Marika Korpinen (Finland).

Kaktaite hails from Sveksna, Lithuania, but moved to the United States this past season for her senior year of high school. She is currently a student at Long Island Lutheran High School, the same school where Korpinen spent her last two years of high school. Kaktaite helped Long Island Lutheran reach the semifinals of the New York state tournament.

A 5-foot-7 guard, Kaktaite has played on several national teams back in Lithuania. She won a gold medal in 2015 with Lithuania at the U16 European Championship and also played on the U18 National Team in 2016 and 2017. Her 112 assists in 2017 were the most in the Lithuanian Women's Basketball League.

"Livija brings more international experience to this Mason roster," Milleson said. "She is a talented distributor with the ball, looking to set up teammates, but can also score it herself. As a point guard for the Lithuanian National Team the past few summers, Livy has proven on the court to be a leader, a worker, and a winner."

Wilson should add some depth in the post as a 6-foot-1 forward from Norcross, Ga. She scored more than 1,000 points at Norcross High School and was named to the Region 7 AAAAAAA First Team as a senior.

She was also tabbed to the Gwinnett Daily Post First Team and made both the GCAC North Senior All-Star Team and the Gwinnett County Senior All-Star Team. She also played on the AAU circuit with the Innerman Lady Rebels.

"Devyn is a versatile and skilled forward who brings value inside the paint and outside on the perimeter," Milleson said. "A talented passer and rebounder, Devyn looks to make plays happen each time she touches the ball. Her ability to shoot the 3 will stretch opposing defenses and open up options for our offense."