ANCHORAGE (June 15) – The Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team continued to bolster its 2023-24 roster with top junior-college talent as head coach Ryan McCarthy announced Thursday that Nessa Walsh has signed a scholarship agreement with the Seawolves.

A 5-10 foot forward, Walsh was a two-time NJCAA All-Region IV performer at Oakton College in Des Plaines, Ill., leading her squads to consecutive regional title games and a combined 49-12 record.

The Berwyn, Ill., native led NJCAA Div. II with 8.0 assists per game and ranked second with 4.8 steals per game as a sophomore last season, along with 16.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest, and shooting numbers of .483 overall and .778 on free throws. She posted three triple-doubles and had 11 games with at least 20 points as the Owls went 28-5, recording a 20-assist effort against Moraine Valley and 22 points, 20 rebounds and 18 assists in a road win over Waubonsee among several huge performances.

"We are very excited to sign such a well-rounded player like Nessa," said McCarthy, whose team returns just four letterwinners from last season. "She fits in nicely with our program because her length and skill set allow her to play just about any position on the floor. Nessa sees the game at a slower speed than a lot of players, and her ability to make plays on both ends of the floor is going to be exciting to see in our system."

As a freshman at Oakton, Walsh averaged 12.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.9 steals per game for an Owls club that finished 21-7. In just her eighth collegiate game, she spearheaded a 107-81 win over Kankakee with 10 points, 12 assists and 13 steals.

Walsh was a team MVP and an all-conference performer as a prep star at St. Joseph High School in the Chicagoland area.

Walsh becomes the eighth member of UAA's 2023 recruiting class, joining fellow transfers Ja'Niah Alexander (5-10, G, Rex, Ga./McDonough HS/Indian River State College), AJ Allard (5-11, G/F, North Charleston, S.C./Fort Dorchester HS/Richard Bland College), Jaisa Gamble (6-0, F, San Bruno, Calif./Capuchino HS/Laney College), Tori Hollingshead (6-2, F/C, Orem, Utah/Umpqua CC), Kya Pearson (5-7, G, Oakland, Calif./Oakland HS/Laney College) and Senya Rabouin (5-5, G, Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain HS/Central Arizona College), and incoming freshman Erin Sellers (5-5, G, Oakland, Calif./Oakland Tech HS).