EDINBURG – University of Texas-Pan American women's basketball head coach Larry Tidwell announced on Wednesday the signing of 6-3 Weslaco High School forward Laura Van Tilburg to a National Letter of Intent for the 2014-15 season.
 
Van Tilburg is off to a strong start this season, earning MVP honors at the Whataburger Mid-Valley Classic Tournament after leading Weslaco to a 5-0 record, including a 39-16 win over Weslaco East for the championship by scoring 13 points with 10 rebounds and six blocks.
 
She also helped Weslaco, RGVSports.com's No. 1 ranked team in the Rio Grande Valley, past No. 2 Harlingen 43-31 on the road on Nov. 12 by scoring 10 points with 12 rebounds and two blocks.
 
After a 51-49 overtime win over Edinburg Vela on Tuesday, Van Tilburg has led Weslaco, the No. 17 ranked team in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Poll and the No. 24 ranked team in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Poll, to a 7-0 record.
 
As a junior, Van Tilburg was the District 31-5A Offensive Player of the Year and an All-Valley Second Team selection after averaging 17.5 points, 14.0 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.1 steals per game. Weslaco won 37 games and reached the regional semifinals.
 
"We're very excited to have Laura because she brings something to the table for us that I think are very important. She'll be a definite inside presence and a definite factor as we're trying to build UTPA into a program that's going to contend for WAC Championships," Tidwell said. "She can play. She is a very good athlete. She can run. She's a presence inside, and the thing I love about her is that she finishes at the rim. She is a big time player. We're very fortunate to get her."

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