CraigheadCraighead

Women's Basketball Adds Four Transfers To Latest Class

San José, Calif. – San José State head women's basketball coach Jamie Craighead has announced the addition of transfers Deja Ross, A'Tyanna Gaulden, Anna Luce and Stephanie Torres to the team's latest class. The quartet will compete for the Spartans beginning in the 2021-22 season. 

Ross, a guard/forward from Xavier, brings some immediate size to SJSU next season. The forward ranked 11th in the Big East in blocks as a sophomore and earned Big East Freshman of the Week honors on the 2017-18 campaign after averaging 10.5 points and six rebounds a game against No. 16 Missouri and Florida A&M. 
 



"Deja is a versatile guard/forward who will be able to play multiple positions for us," says Craighead. "She brings great experience from Xavier and will make a huge impact on our program."

Gaulden will come to San José State by way of Georgia Southern. The Eagles leading scorer a season ago (9.6 points per game), Gaulden scored in double figures in six of her first eight games to start the 2020-21 season. The guard was named Sun Belt Player of the Week throughout that red-hot stretch after totaling 19 points, four rebounds, four steals and a pair of assists in a 28-point victory on the final day of the GSU Holiday Classic. 
 



Prior to arriving in Statesboro, Gaulden received both SEC and ACC experience in stops at Arkansas and Florida State. The Ocilla, Ga. product appeared in 21 games as a freshman for the Seminoles before emerging as a spark plug off the bench as a junior for the Razorbacks. In that 2019-20 campaign, Gaulden finished fourth in the SEC in assist to turnover ratio (2.4) in conference games and was 13th in assists per game. The guard is one of just 17 Razorbacks all-time to dish over 100 assists in a season. 

"A'Tyanna is a high-level point guard that brings a wealth of knowledge and experience," Craighead says. "She is a competitor and will bring toughness on the court every day for San José State."

Luce, a forward from Dartmouth, was second on her team in scoring (9.5 points per game) in her last season with the Big Green. The Mercer Island, Wash. native appeared in 26 games and made 15 starts as a junior in the 2019-20 season, grabbing 4.3 rebounds per game while also blocking 17 shots. 
 



"Anna is a lefty shooter who will bring length in multiple positions on the floor for us," says Craighead. "She is a high IQ player that will be a tough matchup for teams in the Mountain West." 

Torres comes to the Spartans by way of Eastern Florida State. A standout guard for the Titans, she averaged 16.6 points, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game as a sophomore on the 2020-21 campaign. The Orlando product received All-Suncoast Conference honors after helping lead Eastern Florida State to a 12-8 record on the year. 



"Steph is a competitor that plays with a toughness we were looking for," Craighead says. "She has the ability to play both point and shooting guard as she can score from both positions. She can also defend and that is where her toughness shines through. We are definitely excited to add depth and experience to our backcourt this offseason." 

Craighead is entering her ninth season at the helm in San José. Her players have earned 11 conference post-season awards for their play on the court in addition to 36 Academic All-Mountain West and 14 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete honors.