COLUMBUS - Columbus State University head women's basketball coach Matt Houser announced the signing of two future Lady Cougars on Tuesday.
Zuzanna Rudenko and Maya Jackson will both be added to the Lady Cougars roster for the 2021-22 season.
Rudenko, also known as Suzie, is one of the top-ranked shooting guards in Poland. The 5-9 star hails from Piasecno, Poland and has represented her country at multiple U18 international competitions, including the European Championships and the FIBA 3X3 World Championships. Rudenko was honored as the best scorer in her region in 2018, while also receiving MVP honors on her U15 and U16 team.
"Suzie brings a scoring mentality to CSU," commented Houser, who is entering his second year as the head man in charge of the Lady Cougar program. "She is relentless on defense, has an amazing shot and her ability to take someone off the dribble really makes her a triple threat. She is going to be a lot of fun to watch."
A 6-1 forward from Lawrenceville, Ga., Jackson has earned multiple accolades playing for Archer High School. In her junior year, she earned spots on the Gwinnett County All-Academic team, the all-region 8-7A team and was an All-Gwinnett County honorable mention selection. Jackson was honored by the Gwinnett County Tip-Off Club in January 2020 for her efforts on the court.
Outside of Archer, the power forward played and started for the Georgia Pearls Blue Star National Team, which is considered one of the top club teams in the country.
"Maya is such a great player who has a high basketball IQ, is extremely athletic and super aggressive," said Houser. "She gets after it on the defensive side of the floor and never stops being able to guard anyone on the court. She makes her presence felt on the defensive end first but loves to attack the glass on offense. The sky's the limit for this one and she is going to make a huge statement as a freshman."
The Lady Cougars will open the 2021 season with Augusta University on Wednesday, Jan. 6 in the Frank G. Lumpkin Center.
