Iowa lands a post from Spain

IOWA CITY — The Iowa Hawkeyes are going overseas to add interior depth.

Paula Valino Ramos has signed a national letter of intent to join the Hawkeyes, women's basketball coach Lisa Bluder announced Tuesday.

'We are excited to have Paula join our team in August,' Bluder said in a release. 'Paula comes from Spain and will bring us depth in the post position.

'She is an exceptional student as well. She will thrive in the classroom setting.'

Valino Ramos is the third foreign player at Iowa. Current player Christina Buttenham is from Canada. Simone Edwards, who played in the late 1990s, was from Jamaica.

A 6-foot-3 forward/center, Valino Ramos has experience at the high school, regional and national level. A native of The Ourense, Spain, she attended IES Otero Pedrayo High School.

As a freshman in 2013-14, Valino Ramos averaged 15.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks to lead her team to a sixth-place finish at the Spanish 15-and-under national club championships. She also helped the Galicia Regional Team to a third-place finish at the Spanish National Championship, before guiding the Spanish national team to a Friendly 15-and-under international championship.

As a sophomore, Valino Ramos served as a co-captain on a 16-and-under Spanish national team that finished fourth at the FIBA European Championship. She also averaged 11.2 points, 12 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks to guide the Galicia Regional Team to a fifth-place finish at the Spanish 16-and-under national championship.

As a junior, Valino Ramos competed for Bovina (Texas) High School.

She returned to Spain as a senior, averaging 19.7 points and 13.3 rebounds to guide Ensino to a sixth-place finish at the Spanish 18-and-under national championship.

Valino Ramos excels in the classroom. She graduated with special honors from IES Otero Pedrayo and was selected for Regional Extraordinary Prize Examinations. She comes from an athletic family. Her father, Liru, played professional basketball with CB Breogan (Lugo Spain, 1984-85) and Caja Bilbao (Bilbao, Spain, 1985-86).

Valino Ramos joins Jinaya Houston of Davenport North in next year's freshman class. Alexis Savillian will be a redshirt freshman.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com