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USF’s Kitija Laksa opts to go pro in her native Latvia

By Kim Doss

UNCASVILLE, CT - MARCH 06: South Florida Bulls Guard Kitija Laksa (33) receives the American Athletic Conference All Championship Team trophy after the game as the South Florida Bulls take on the UConn Huskies on March 06, 2018 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
UNCASVILLE, CT - MARCH 06: South Florida Bulls Guard Kitija Laksa (33) receives the American Athletic Conference All Championship Team trophy after the game as the South Florida Bulls take on the UConn Huskies on March 06, 2018 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Kitija Laksa’s future was undecided at the end of her senior year at the University of South Florida. After suffering an injury on Nov. 15, she missed almost all of her senior season and left open the possibility that she might return to college ball in 2019-20. That is no longer the case, as Laksa announced that she would sign a professional contract with TTT Riga, the top club in her native Latvia.

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When the Bulls bowed out of the WNIT at the hands of James Madison last spring, Laksa had not made her decision yet. Having completed her degree, she had the option of applying for a medical waiver to continue her college career or looking for professional opportunities.

In May, it became clear that she would not pursue the first option at USF. She also passed on entering her name into the WNBA draft, but she did eventually enter her name in the transfer portal. Now, she has announced that she will pursue her professional career back home.

Laksa’s next stop will take her to the best club in Latvia, where the top Latvian players at both the professional and youth levels ply their trades and hone their talents.

TTT Riga won the LSBL (the Latvian domestic league) last season. They also won the Baltic League playoffs and the EWBL title. In Euroleague play, they went out in the quarterfinals, losing to eventual champion UMMC Ekaterinburg.

The storied club has won 14 domestic titles and 18 Euroleague titles, taking their first in 1960.

Laksa brings the kind of shooting ability that made her USF’s leading scorer her junior year and earned her a career 3-point percentage of 39.1 percent. She averaged 22.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 34 games in 2017-18. She was off to a similar start her senior year, averaging 16.1 ppg when her season was cut short in just the third game.

Despite only playing three years for the Bulls, Laksa ended her career with 1,764 points. That is good for sixth on the program’s all-time scoring list.

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