On Saturday, April 13th at the esteemed Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, the University of Washington Women’s Basketball program was well-represented by Annika Soltau, an incoming UW Husky freshman.
The Hoop Summit featured handpicked teams of elite basketball players (19 and under with no college experience) from the United States and worldwide to play a “USA versus the World” contest.
Annika Soltau is no stranger to high stakes international basketball competition — having represented Germany in multiple FIBA basketball tournaments; as well as, recently, playing a season of professional basketball for Germany’s esteemed basketball club, Eisvogel USC Freiburg.
Soltau, a 6’4″ wing/forward, used her experience, length and athleticism to make a noticeable impact for the World team at the Nike 2024 Hoop Summit.
Annika Soltau showcased a well-rounded skill set: active hands and feet on both offense and defense, including the ability to drive the ball to the basket and block shots to protect the rim.
Soltau recorded seven (7) points; three (3) offensive rebounds; two (2) blocks; two (2) steals and two (2) assists in 14 minutes of play.
Asked by UDUBWBB.com to give an assessment of Annika’s play, the World team coach Carley Clark (Canada) remarked that:
I think really an exciting player. She’s dynamic, she’s long, you saw her make contributions in a bunch of different ways tinight: assists, steals, rebounds, putbacks , scored some buckets — so I’m sure Washington is excited.
After the game, in an exclusive interview with UDUBWBB.com, Soltau noted that:
I am so excited, I feel like UW is such a great place to be and I’m so excited to finally get on campus, [to] get started.