RICHMOND, Ky. – Former Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball standout Alice Recanati has signed a professional contract with Herner TC of the Toyota DBBL in Germany, becoming the 14th Colonel since 2008 to continue her career overseas.
 
Recanati, who concluded her EKU career in March, leaves as one of the most accomplished players in program history. She holds school records for career assists (676), minutes played (5,078), games played (154), and games started (151). Nationally, she ranks 26th all-time in NCAA women's basketball history in minutes played.
 
Her signing marks the fourth consecutive season that an EKU women's basketball graduate has inked a professional contract. Since 2008, 14 Colonels have taken their talents abroad, with three former players currently active on professional rosters across Europe.
 
Herner TC, located in Herne, Germany, competes in the top tier of the German Basketball Association and regularly contends for the Toyota DBBL Championship. Last season, Herner finished with an 11-11 record and advanced to the league quarterfinals, where they fell to the Saarlouis Royals in a three-game series.
 
"We are extremely proud of Alice and have no doubt she will have success at the professional level," said EKU head women's basketball coach Greg Todd. "She has an everlasting presence with our basketball program and is one of the most competitive players I have ever been around. Coaches love players who are much more concerned with winning over individual stats, Alice was always about winning while also racking up the accolades here at EKU. We can't wait to watch her fulfill her dreams."
 
In the 2024-25 season, Recanati led the Colonels to the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament semifinals, averaging career-highs of 13.0 points and 4.9 rebounds, along with a team-leading 4.2 assists per game. Her performance earned her Second Team All-ASUN honors.
 
The Bergamo, Italy native scored in double figures 21 times, including six 20-point outings. She recorded a season-high 27 points against Jacksonville on Jan. 30, grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds in a win over Hampton on Nov. 25, and posted her third career double-digit assist game with 11 assists against North Alabama on Jan. 11.
 
In 2023-24, she averaged 10.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 4.0 rebounds, helping EKU reach the ASUN Tournament semifinals and achieve its first 20-win season since 2002. That season also saw her become the program's all-time leader in assists and 25th member of the 1,000-point club.
 
That season, Recanati earned national recognition as one of only 13 active players, including WNBA star Caitlin Clark, to surpass 1,000 points, 500 assists, and 400 rebounds in their collegiate career.
 
In 2022-23 as a junior, she led the ASUN Conference with a career-best 166 assists. As a sophomore in 2021-22, she ranked sixth in the ASUN in steals, and during her freshman campaign in 2020-21, she finished third in the Ohio Valley Conference in assists also earning OVC Freshman of the Week honors once.
 
Throughout her five-year career in Richmond, Recanati guided the Colonels to 85 victories and four conference tournament appearances. She also led EKU to the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) in 2024, the program's first national postseason appearance in nearly 20 years.
 
Her accolades also include two all-conference selections, three conference player of the week honors, three academic all-conference selections, and one scholar-athlete of the year award.
 
Recanati is expected to report to Herner TC's training camp mid-August in preparation for the upcoming season. The season opener will mark her official debut as a professional basketball player, following earlier semi-professional appearances with Reyer Venezia and several FIBA 3-on-3 events in Italy during her youth career.
 
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