ARU Basketball shooting guard Jazmin Gyulai graduates to the WBBL

Published: 26 February 2021 at 10:04

Jazmin Gyulai holding a basketball

Following the decision to withdraw our women's basketball team from national league competition for the remainder of the 2020-21 season, we have agreed for Hungarian shooting guard Jazmin Gyulai to transfer to WBBL side Durham Palatinates for the rest of the season.

Since joining ARU back in January 2018, Gyulai has had a major impact on the growth, improvement and success of our women's basketball programme. Most notably, she will always be remembered for scoring the winning field goal and free throw during the 2017-18 WNBL division one play-off final against the Essex Blades in an unforgettable come-back victory.

The following season she was awarded the ARU Female Sports Person of the Year award in recognition of her contribution to the team achieving back-to-back WNBL D1 Play-Off victories and winning the 2019 BUCS Trophy competition. In what turned out to be her last full season, Gyulai won the 2020 Women's National Cup with the team.

Gyulai recently completed her Law degree at ARU and is excited for this new challenge in her basketball career: "I am looking forward to joining Durham for the remainder of the season. It is an amazing opportunity to improve and step up my game and have a taste of the league.

"The team have been very welcoming from the first minute I stepped on court with them and I know I will be learning a lot from them, as well as from the coach, Lee, who has been just as encouraging. I'm looking forward to learning a lot from him and improving my game with the team."

ARU Head Coach Jacob Lloyd recognised the impact that Gyulai has had on the programme and commented: "Jazmin has been a fantastic ambassador for ARU basketball and has helped us to establish the culture and reputation we have today.

"This is a great opportunity for her to learn under a fantastic coach in Lee Davie, and to develop her game against some of the best players in the country. She is completely deserving of this opportunity, and I’m looking forward to following her progress in the WBBL closely."

ARU retains their position within the WNBL Division One Basketball England competition for the 2021-22 season and continue to plan for their return to the court in the near future.