FIU women’s basketball taking advantage of a British invasion
Kyla Nelson learned basketball from her older brother, Luke, who gave her tips — as well as some sharp elbows underneath the hoop in their front driveway.
Emerald Ekpiteta learned basketball because she felt her height demanded it, even though that turned out to be misleading.
“I was 5-11 when I was about 10,” Ekpiteta said, “but then I never grew another inch.”
These days, Nelson and Ekpiteta — who are both from England — are perhaps the top two players on the FIU basketball team.
Nelson leads the team in scoring (15.2) while shooting a blistering 41.0 percent on three-pointers. Ekpiteta leads FIU in rebounds (10.6) and field-goal percentage (51.7) while ranking third in scoring (13.1).
They played against each other in high school in England, but they didn’t become friends until they committed to FIU within a few days of each other this past May. FIU coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley was hired one month prior, and she quickly landed Ekpiteta and then Nelson.
Ekpiteta, a 5-11 forward, transferred in from Niagara, where she played 85 games, including 57 starts. Nelson, a 5-11 guard, transferred in from Pittsburgh, where she played in 64 games, including 17 starts. Both of them are 23-year-old seniors.
Nelson said “hell yea” when asked if she appreciates all the extra shots she gets due to Ekpiteta’s offensive rebounds.
“She’s a dog — relentless on the boards,” Nelson said of Ekpiteta, one of just three players in Conference USA who is averaging a double-double.
“I’m glad she’s on my team. I love having another Brit on the team.”
Burks-Wiley loves it, too. Her team is off to a 6-6 start overall and 3-3 in Conference USA, and a lot of that relative success — FIU went just 6-23 last season — can be attributed to the two Brits.
Nelson ranks second in the league in three-point percentage. Ekpiteta ranks first in Conference USA in offensive rebounds, third in total rebounds and fifth in field-goal percentage.
But even though Nelson and Ekpiteta are both from England, they didn’t arrive at FIU as a package deal. Instead, here’s how it happened:
Burks-Wiley was an assistant at Boston College for the 2016-2017 season when she tried to recruit Nelson.
“She decided to break my heart and [sign with Pitt]. I try not to hold that against her,” Burks-Wiley joked. “But I’m glad I’m finally getting a chance to coach her — perfect timing.”
Burks-Wiley was an assistant with the University of South Florida the past three years, and, because of connections she made there, she became aware of Ekpiteta.
Both Nelson and Ekpiteta come from athletic families.
Ekpiteta, who is from London, has twin brothers, Marvin and Marvel, who play pro soccer.
Nelson, who is from the small town of Worthing, has two members of her family who have played pro basketball: her father, Steve, who is 6-5; and her brother, Luke, who is 6-3.
That background in basketball has given Nelson an advantage over the more than 100 British women currently playing college basketball in the United States.
That’s according to Steve Vear, who coached Nelson and Ekpiteta in England.
“Kyla is a lefty, which also gives her an edge,” Vear said. “She has always been a three-point shooter, but she’s become more athletic since she came to the U.S. I think she will be on the UK national team within two years.
“Emerald is a different type of player, a terrific rebounder. She and Kyla together are showing what British girls can do in America.”
