TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State University head women's basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne today announced that Mael Gilles will be joining the Sun Devils as a graduate transfer for the 2021-22 season.
A 6-1 forward who originally came up through Canada's youth national teams, Gilles will be coming to ASU from Rutgers University where last season she averaged 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds as a senior in helping the Scarlet Knights earn their highest seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2012. A starter in 55 of 101 games for Rutgers over the last four seasons, Gilles will be playing a fifth year due to a COVID-19-related NCAA rule granting an extra season for student-athletes who competed in 2020-21 winter sports.
"I am so thrilled to announce the addition of graduate transfer Mael Gilles to our 2021-22 squad," Turner Thorne said. "Mael comes to us from Rutgers University where she was a standout forward and was an extremely dynamic presence on both ends of the floor. She will not only be a versatile scorer but also a tremendous defensive stopper for us. We also are very excited about the experience and toughness that Mael will bring to our team. Lastly, with her selfless character and high energy personality, Mael is a perfect fit for what we value in our program."
A starter in all 18 games she played in last season, Gilles notched six double-figure scoring efforts, including a season-high 16 points on two occasions. One of her top performances of the season came against perennial Big Ten powerhouse Maryland, a contest in which she posted a double-double with 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds and played all 40 minutes in Rutgers' four-point loss to one of the eventual No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
As a junior, Gilles played in 31 contests with 28 starts. She averaged 7.7 points per game in Rutgers' 22 victories and added 5.5 rebounds per content in those wins. The Scarlet Knights were 9-0 when Gilles scored in double figures in 2019-20. Her junior campaign included a career-high 17-point performance in Rutgers' win over Towson. In a win over Niagara, Gilles scored 10 points and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds, the highest, single-game rebound total by a Rutgers player in 2019-20.
In 2018-19, Gilles played in 29 contests with nine starts. She posted her first career double-double (13 points and a career-high 16 rebounds) in the season-opener against St. Francis. The 16 rebounds were the most by a Scarlet Knight since 2014 and helped Rutgers set the RAC rebounding record with 73 total boards.
Gilles was a member of the 2016 Canadian Development National Team and Canadian Junior Women's National Team that placed eighth at the U19 World Championships in Russia, as well as the 2014 Canadian Women's National Team that competed at the FIBA U17 Championship. In 2014, she shot 43 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 83 percent from the free throw line for the Canadian Junior Women's National Team that finished as the runner-up at the U18 FIBA Americans. She also earned a silver medal with the 2013 Canadian Women's National Team that competed at the FIBA U16 World Championships in Mexico. Gilles was also named a CÉGEP League First Team honoree, recognizing the best in Quebec high school basketball in 2016-17.
Gilles is the third active college player the Sun Devils have added to their roster since the conclusion of the 2020-21 season. She joins 2020 Mountain West Conference Newcomer of the Year Ayzhiana Basallo (San Jose State) and 2021 All-Mountain West standout Jade Loville (Boise State). Combined with incoming freshmen Meg Newman and Jade Melbourne the Sun Devils will have five newcomers on their 2021-22 roster.
In addition to the aforementioned newcomers, the Sun Devils also return several talented players including guards Taya Hanson (averaged 2.58 3-pointers per game in 2020-21, the most ever by a Sun Devil) and Jaddan Simmons (averaged 10.8 ppg in 2020-21, becoming the first Sun Devil freshman to average double figures in scoring since 2003) and posts Jayde Van Hyfte (led team and finished fourth in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds in 2019-20 before missing all but one game last season due to injury), Maggie Besselink (led the team and finished 16th in the Pac-12 in rebounds last season) and Katelyn Levings (led the team and finished seventh in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds in conference games last season).
A 6-1 forward who originally came up through Canada's youth national teams, Gilles will be coming to ASU from Rutgers University where last season she averaged 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds as a senior in helping the Scarlet Knights earn their highest seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2012. A starter in 55 of 101 games for Rutgers over the last four seasons, Gilles will be playing a fifth year due to a COVID-19-related NCAA rule granting an extra season for student-athletes who competed in 2020-21 winter sports.
"I am so thrilled to announce the addition of graduate transfer Mael Gilles to our 2021-22 squad," Turner Thorne said. "Mael comes to us from Rutgers University where she was a standout forward and was an extremely dynamic presence on both ends of the floor. She will not only be a versatile scorer but also a tremendous defensive stopper for us. We also are very excited about the experience and toughness that Mael will bring to our team. Lastly, with her selfless character and high energy personality, Mael is a perfect fit for what we value in our program."
A starter in all 18 games she played in last season, Gilles notched six double-figure scoring efforts, including a season-high 16 points on two occasions. One of her top performances of the season came against perennial Big Ten powerhouse Maryland, a contest in which she posted a double-double with 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds and played all 40 minutes in Rutgers' four-point loss to one of the eventual No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
As a junior, Gilles played in 31 contests with 28 starts. She averaged 7.7 points per game in Rutgers' 22 victories and added 5.5 rebounds per content in those wins. The Scarlet Knights were 9-0 when Gilles scored in double figures in 2019-20. Her junior campaign included a career-high 17-point performance in Rutgers' win over Towson. In a win over Niagara, Gilles scored 10 points and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds, the highest, single-game rebound total by a Rutgers player in 2019-20.
In 2018-19, Gilles played in 29 contests with nine starts. She posted her first career double-double (13 points and a career-high 16 rebounds) in the season-opener against St. Francis. The 16 rebounds were the most by a Scarlet Knight since 2014 and helped Rutgers set the RAC rebounding record with 73 total boards.
Gilles was a member of the 2016 Canadian Development National Team and Canadian Junior Women's National Team that placed eighth at the U19 World Championships in Russia, as well as the 2014 Canadian Women's National Team that competed at the FIBA U17 Championship. In 2014, she shot 43 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 83 percent from the free throw line for the Canadian Junior Women's National Team that finished as the runner-up at the U18 FIBA Americans. She also earned a silver medal with the 2013 Canadian Women's National Team that competed at the FIBA U16 World Championships in Mexico. Gilles was also named a CÉGEP League First Team honoree, recognizing the best in Quebec high school basketball in 2016-17.
Gilles is the third active college player the Sun Devils have added to their roster since the conclusion of the 2020-21 season. She joins 2020 Mountain West Conference Newcomer of the Year Ayzhiana Basallo (San Jose State) and 2021 All-Mountain West standout Jade Loville (Boise State). Combined with incoming freshmen Meg Newman and Jade Melbourne the Sun Devils will have five newcomers on their 2021-22 roster.
In addition to the aforementioned newcomers, the Sun Devils also return several talented players including guards Taya Hanson (averaged 2.58 3-pointers per game in 2020-21, the most ever by a Sun Devil) and Jaddan Simmons (averaged 10.8 ppg in 2020-21, becoming the first Sun Devil freshman to average double figures in scoring since 2003) and posts Jayde Van Hyfte (led team and finished fourth in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds in 2019-20 before missing all but one game last season due to injury), Maggie Besselink (led the team and finished 16th in the Pac-12 in rebounds last season) and Katelyn Levings (led the team and finished seventh in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds in conference games last season).