HOUSTON – HBU head women's basketball coach, Donna Finnie, and her staff have announced the signing of Caro Lloyd to a National Letter of Intent to play for the Huskies in 2014-15.

"Caro is a great find for us as she is a very long and athletic forward," said Finnie. "Her national team coach, James Weldon, was the one who alerted us to her and we were immediately impressed by her upside. Not many kids with her size can get up and down the floor as well as Caro does."

"She is very quick laterally for her size and can get out and pressure defensively, which, with her length, will be a huge asset for us," continues Finnie. "She has had numerous triple-doubles (points, rebounds, and blocks) in the last two seasons with her national and club team, and changing opponents' shots with her length will prove challenging for other teams."

Lloyd, a native of Dublin, Ireland, is a six-year letterwinner and starter at her high school, The Kings Hospital. She earned the Whiteside Cup, which is the highest award given to a female student-athlete. Lloyd finished top of her class academically her first and second years in high school.

She played club basketball for the Dublin Lions and head coach Mick White, who was also her coach in high school. Lloyd also played for the Irish U-18 National Team from 2012-14, which she considers her biggest athletic achievement. Last season in international play, she had two triple-doubles (blocks, points, and rebounds). She scored a game-high 19 points in a win over Belgium. She registered seven blocked shots in a victory over Sweden.

"The transition to a more physical game will be challenging for Caro initially, but we are excited about her upside and matched with what we can see is a tremendous appetite to learn," said Finnie. "We are confident she can be a big presence for us at both ends of the floor."

"I chose HBU because it felt right on my visit and it was good to know other girls had made the transition from Europe," said Lloyd. The Huskies had five international players in 2013-14, four from Europe: Heidi Sihvola (Finland), Wiebke Bruns (Germany), Erin McGarrachan (Scotland), and Maisie Elston (England). Finnie, who completed her first season in '13-14 as head coach for the Huskies after spending the previous three years as an assistant coach, is a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and became the first Division I international head coach.

"Caro is also a wonderful student," Finnie said. "She is very focused academically and I know that she will be a young woman who will represent HBU with excellence both on the floor and in the classroom."