ODU taps Portuguese Connection again with Michelle Brandao

Old Dominion's overseas pipeline appears to be back up and running. Several reports out of Portugal - here, here and here - inform us that guard Michelle Brandao is heading to Norfolk to play for the Lady Monarchs this season. As every Lady Monarchs fan knows, ODU Hall of Famers Ticha Penicheiro and Mery Andrade also came from Portugal. And while it may not be fair to hold Brandao to those standards, headlines like "Michelle Brandao following in the footsteps of Ticha" atop of of these overseas reports suggest that such comparisons are already being made.

UPDATE: Old Dominion put out a press release on Brandao Monday. Said Lady Monarchs coach Karen Barefoot: "Michelle Brandao brings a passion for the game that will be contagious to the entire program. She is a versatile guard that can do it all and fits our uptempo system. We are excited to bring back the Portugal connection to the ODU campus."

From Brandao: "I love the game and to have the opportunity to improve as a player at ODU is simply amazing. Ticha played at ODU and she is the best Portuguese player as far as I'm concerned. She is definitely an inspiration and it's an honor to put on the same uniform as her!"

Brandao, who will turn 21 years old on Jan. 4, was born in New York City, is roughly 5-foot-7 and has been a fixture on Portuguese national teams the past three years. She helped Portugal's U20 team to a fourth-place finish at the 2010 European Division B Championships; Portugal dropped a 59-40 decision in the semifinals to an eventual champion Great Britain team led by current Lady Monarchs Mairi Buchan and Becca Allison.

In July, Brandao averaged 13.9 points as Portugal finished second to Sweden in the European B Championships.

Brandao will be joining an ODU team well-stocked with guard prospects both now and in the future. The Lady Monarchs incoming freshman class includes 5-3 Ashley Betz-White and 5-8 Myeisha Hall. And ODU's two known verbal commitments for 2012 are 5-9 LaQuanda Younger from Warwick and 5-4 Galaisha Goodhope of Princess Anne.