PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Pilots women's basketball has announced their final signee of the early signing period in Melika Samia, another talented player out of New Zealand. The 5-9 talent will join the Pilots as a freshman in the fall of 2022.
"Melika Samia has been a proven scorer at every level," Portland head coach Michael Meek said. "We are excited to add her ability to score on all three levels as well as her ability to play off the dribble at a high level. She also comes highly regarded as someone who is known as a great teammate and seeks to bring out the best in others. Melika also adds incredible versatility to our roster and is another athlete that can play 1-4. We are really excited to be adding her to our roster and Pilot Family."
Samia has shined at almost every level of basketball she's played at. At Mount Maunganui College, she was named the MVP of her team in 2020. She helped the team earn second place at the Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) Invitational Nationals. In 2019, she dominated with Mount Maunganui, averaging a double-double at the New Zealand Secondary School Nationals in 2019. She led the team in rebounds and assists as well.
The Hawkes Bay native also has a wealth of experience at the regional and national level. She represented Hawkes Bay at the U-13, U-15 and U-17 level from 2014 to 2019 before representing Tauranga City in 2020. In 2021, she played for the Waikato U-19 squad as well as the New Zealand Tall Ferns team. Nationally, she was selected to the U-16 squad in both 2017 and 2018.
She's thrived with most of the regional clubs that she's played for. She was named to the National U-15 Tournament Team in 2017, the U-17 team in 2018 and 2020 and the U-19 Team in 2021. With the U-17 team in 2019, she averaged 36 points across the tournament. Her 2021 team U-19 squad took home the national championship.
Samia is the second player the Pilots have signed from New Zealand during this signing period, with Portland announcing the addition of Florence Dallow last Friday. Both players will add to the long list of student-athletes the women's basketball team has brought from Oceania to The Bluff. Seven players hail from Australia and one – Emme Shearer – comes from New Zealand.
The Pilots are coming off back-to-back seasons with a record above .500 for the first time since 2011 and back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since 2010. They are currently 2-0 after defeating the UC San Diego Tritons and the Weber State Wildcats in their opening slate of games.
Next up, they'll travel to Palo Alto for their matchup against the defending national champions – the No. 3 Stanford Cardinal. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will be live on the Pac-12 Network. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats options as well.
