Simone Costa, a native of Lisbon, Portugal, who spent the past two seasons at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas, has signed a National Letter of Intent with the Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball program, head coach Joni Taylor announced on Friday.
 
 
Costa will join the Lady Bulldogs for the 2016-17 season as a collegiate junior.
 
 
“We are so excited to welcome Simone to our family,” Taylor said. “I have really enjoyed getting to know her throughout the recruiting process, and I look forward to welcoming her to Athens. Simone is a versatile player who looks to push the ball and will fit well into our system. She has a lot of experience going back to her playing days in Portugal and her time at the junior college level. Simone can contribute immediately to our team, and I think Lady Bulldog fans will be excited to watch her for the next few years.”
 
 
During her sophomore season at Independence Community College, Costa averaged 13.9 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per contest. She hit 43.5 percent from the field and a remarkable 83.3 percent from the free-throw stripe last season.
 
 
The 5-foot-10 guard scored in double figures an impressive 23 times with six 20-plus point efforts last season. She was second on the team in scoring and helped ICC to a 21-9 overall record and 12-7 mark in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.
 
 
Costa was an outstanding player in Portugal as she played in multiple FIBA (International Basketball Federation) events, including the 2011 and 2012 U12 European Championships, the 2012, 2013 and 2014 U18 European Championships and the 2015 U20 European Championships. Her two best seasons were in 2012 and 2014. She averaged 14.1 ppg in the U16 European Championship in 2012, before averaging 11.9 points per game in the U18 European Championships in 2014.
 
 
Costa is the first UGA signee of the spring recruiting period, which runs from April 13-May 18. She joins former high school standouts Stephanie Paul and Kortney Eisenman, who signed during the early period in the fall, in Georgia’s 2016 signing class.
 
 
FOLLOW THE LADY BULLDOGS
For more information on the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, follow the team on Twitter (@UGA_WBB), Instagram (@uga_wbb), Facebook (Facebook.com/UGAWomensBasketball) and Snapchat (@uga_wbb).