ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis University head women's basketball coach Rebecca Tillett has announced the addition of freshman point guard Rita Nazário to the 2024-25 Billikens' roster.
 
A native of Figueira da Foz, Portugal, Nazário plays for CRC Quinta dos Lombos, which this year finished third in the U18 National Final Four and in the U18 Lisbon District Final Four. She was selected to the Ideal 5 in each competition and was the leading scorer in district play. Nazário helped the club finish second in the 2022-23 U18 nationals and win the 2021-22 U16 national championship, where she earned Most Valuable Player honors.
 
On the Senior Level, Nazário has competed in the U22 National Championship and is playing in the Women's Betclic Portuguese League with Quinta dos Lombos. She was a member of the Portuguese Basketball Federation Supercup championship team. Nazário also has competed with the U18 and U16 Portuguese National Teams.
 
"Since I had the first contact with SLU's coaches, it felt like home," Nazário said. "I felt welcomed and heard, and I instantly knew I would fit in that environment.
 
"Since I started playing basketball, I had a dream, which was to play at the highest level possible, in the USA, while being able to study a challenging academic degree, mechanical engineering," Nazário said. "When I got this offer, I felt I had to take this lifetime opportunity. It is a balance of everything I was looking for. The Billikens are extremely competitive, they have goals and ambitions that align with my own, and I have never been so ready to work towards a common goal and get that feeling of accomplishment at the end, being able to share it with my teammates and everyone who helped us get there.

"It is not going to be easy, I am aware of that, but I will go to every practice with the mentality to be a better athlete than I was the day before and ready to push my limits every day, inside and outside the court," Nazário said. "I am thrilled with what's to come and can't wait to be a part of the Billiken family. Go Billikens!!!"
 
"As we finalized this year's roster, we thought it was important to add depth," Tillett said. "Rita brings so much of what we are always looking for in players. She celebrates her teammates' successes in a big, joyful way. She plays with smarts and has a flare about her game. She accesses high-level basketball reads and has an obvious love of the game. The more we got to know her, the more we knew she would add to our team-first culture."