BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb women's basketball added a fourth piece to its 2019 recruiting class in post player Laura Kozo from Markham, Ontario Canada head coach Alex Simmons announced today.
"Laura is a great addition to our program, and I couldn't be more excited," said Simmons. "She brings a dynamic to our team that we don't have right now and that's size. She has a very high basketball IQ and has an impeccable feel for the game. She finishes well around the basket but can also stretch the floor with her jumper. Laura has a bright future in our Gardner-Webb women's basketball program."
Kozo, a 6'3" post presence, comes to Boiling Springs from J. Addison School in Markham where she played for head coach Christopher Francis and averaged 14 points and seven rebounds her senior year of high school.
As a freshman, Kozo had a stint for with the Hungarian national team and during the 2016-17 season, Kozo played at Wiliamsburg High School in Pennsylvania. During her time as an exchange student, she led the team to a 17-9 overall record and 10-4 mark in conference play. Kozo averaged a double-double of 20.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game for the Blue Pirates.
The following season in Ontario, she was named to the HooptownGTA's Prep Fab 48 list. She was one of six J. Addison players to receive recognition by HooptownGTA.
The oldest of four children, Kozo played travel basketball for the Advantage Titans A Game squad, which was ranked fifth overall among travel teams in Canada. The Advantage Basketball Club was founded in 2007 by Chris Smalling and Rick Maloney, and Kozo is not the first player from the organization to sign with an NCAA Division I program. She joins teammate Madalyn Anderson (NC Central) as the second Advantage Titans player from the class of 2019 to sign a national letter of intent with a Division I school.
Kozo will join a trio of signees that inked NLIs in November – guards Lauren Bevis (High Point, N.C. / Homeschooled) and Ki'Ari Cain (Sumer, SC / Sumpter HS) stretch forward Grace Knutsen (Alpharetta, Ga. / Alpharetta HS).
The Runnin' Bulldogs are coming off a 16-15 (10-8 Big South) campaign in 2018-19 which saw the 'Dogs upset the Florida Gators, 60-58, in the season opener and reach double-digit Big South wins for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Gardner-Webb earned the #5 seed in the Big South tournament and fell to UNC Asheville in the quarterfinals.
The Runnin' Bulldogs' 2019-20 schedule will be released at a later date. For the most up-to-date news on Gardner-Webb women's basketball, visit gwusports.com or follow @GWU_WBK on social media.
