Wisconsin Women’s Basketball adds Spanish point guard to 2024 recruiting class

Alba Martin Mesa Quick Facts

• Height: 1.68 m
• Position: Point Guard
• Number 9
• Class: 2024
• Place of Birth: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
• Secondary school: ÍES Pérez Galdós
• Club team: SPAR Gran Canaria

Alba Martin Mesa Statistics

• 14 points per game
• 6 assists per game
• 3 steals per game
• These stats are all from the UW release. I couldn’t find any more online.

“Alba Martín Mesa, a native of the Canary Islands, comes to Madison after representing her country at every level since the age of 12,” Moseley said in the UW press release. “Alba is a court general and a skilled passer, and will be a tremendous addition to our backcourt. I am excited to have another player with vision and playmaking skills to take our program to the next level.”

This is the second straight season the Badgers have brought a Spanish player to Madison. Forward Ana Guillen (Badalona, ​​Spain) played a limited role as a benchwarmer for UW last year but transferred to Yale in the offseason. Martín Mesa was helped on her journey from Spain to the United States by Elite Sports Academy, a group in Spain that has helped dozens of players land spots in college basketball.

Martín Mesa joins freshmen Gracie Grzesk (6-foot-1, forward, Green Bay, Wis.), Alie Bisballe (6-foot-3, forward, Lake City, Mich.) and Reese Jaramillo (5-foot-1, guard, Racine, Wis.) in the class of 2024, as well as transfers Tess Myers (graduate, 5-foot-10, guard, Duquesne) and Carter McCray (sophomore, 6-foot-1, center, Northern Kentucky) as new players for the Badgers this season.

Highlights

Scouting report

There wasn’t much footage I could find on Martín Mesa, but what little I did see was promising. She looks like a classic pass-first point guard, but one who can shoot and score when needed. The way she looks up immediately after grabbing a defensive rebound warmed my cold, dead heart. Her first time connecting with D’Yanis Jimenez running down the court for a fastbreak layup will be a joyous occasion for me.

Her defensive instincts appear solid, and her shooting stroke is compact and repeatable with high follow-through. Having Martín Mesa, a true point guard, on the roster could prove valuable in keeping Ronnie Porter fresher throughout the season. Moseley hasn’t shown much willingness to play extended minutes as a freshman, but if Martín Mesa proves herself during fall practice, she could see an early shot on the court.