Elisa Leghissa knows what she wants. Since she was little, she dreamed of America, and while she was in high school, she even tried to go there. Then another dream, basketball, got in the way until the two paths finally crossed and became one. After a rather complicated year due to a shoulder injury and surgery, the Italian player has arrived at Sacramento State, a college that in recent years has been investing more and more in basketball (the men’s team is coached by Mike Bibby and the GM is Shaquille O’Neal).
We had a long chat with her: from her experience with other Italians in NCAA, to Basket Roma, her January shoulder injury, her basketball family, and the Sacramento State recruitment.
We could say you have traveling in your nature: Trieste, then Rome, Empoli, and now America. Before talking about the NCAA, tell us a bit about this wandering around Italy. Is it something you like or were you “forced” by your career?
It’s absolutely something I like. From the very beginning, when I was little, I discovered I liked to travel and I’ve always done it with my family. The move to Rome was also because of the idea behind the team: the call came when I was 16, we were all young, and I wanted to experience living away from home, being independent, and enjoying the experience fully. All my birthday presents are trips. It’s not something forced by my career either; the team in my city, Trieste, is in A2 and had asked if I could stay with them, but I decided to have a different experience, away from home and to explore. Does basketball help you leave and travel? Yes, absolutely, a lot.
How did the spark with basketball start and how has your playing career gone so far?
My whole family—mom, dad, sister—has always played basketball. My mom is a coach, so we’ve been surrounded by basketball forever. I used to swim and then played volleyball because I didn’t want to play basketball in a basketball family. But eventually, I did a summer camp with the Trieste team in Piancavallo, tried it out, and I decided basketball was my sport. I haven’t played that long, probably since the third year of middle school, so about seven years.
You were part of an interesting experiment with Basket Roma, which focused first on very young players to win the A2 championship and then to fight to stay in A1. How was that adventure and do you think it can help you in moving to a possibly similar college environment?
Absolutely yes, I think playing with girls my age is an experience similar to college since there you also play mostly with girls born in 2002; we are all peers. The A2 year was an experiment that didn’t work very well. In a senior-level league, you need some senior players, strong leaders who lead the team. We were all young, in our first A2 experience, so it was very complicated but also very constructive for all of us. It remains a very important experience that will help me in college to live the team environment. Also because in Rome we all lived together – me, Nicole, Martina, Ginevra, and Benedetta Cenci. All on the same team, all in the same house, we were about seven with the athletic trainer. It was intense.
How did the idea of going to the USA come about: was it your idea or did offers come in? How well did you know the NCAA before this offer?
I always wanted to go to America. I had already tried in my fourth year of high school to do a year abroad but couldn’t because of basketball, so I postponed it. Then the national team called me while I was playing in the A2 in Italy, so I had missed the chance to go over then. After the national team, some college teams started to contact me again and the spark reignited; it’s always been something I wanted to do. So the idea came true and I managed to leave—it’s something I always wanted: to go to America, see a new culture, experience a new style of basketball because it’s totally different there. It’s definitely very fascinating.
How did the recruiting process go? Which teams contacted you and why did you choose Sacramento State?
Rhode Island contacted me first; they were very interesting, but they mostly focused on individual skills and not much on team play. I found that interesting individually but not for tactical game-building. Then Toledo contacted me, then Seattle where Nicole went, and finally Sacramento. I chose Sacramento because from the first call they offered me a scholarship and said they had been following me for a while. It felt like the coach really knew me, so I thought it fit my needs. They talked to me about all the things I need to improve, which were the same things I thought, so we immediately connected. Also, the location was very appealing—Sacramento, California. The coach is really nice; he writes to me every day asking how I’m doing, even after my shoulder injury. He has been great on a personal level.
From Italy to Sacramento! 🐝 We’re beyond thrilled to welcome 6’1” Freshman Forward Elisa Leghissa 🇮🇹 The Nest is ready to see you dominate on the court. Get ready to shine as a newly signed Hornet! 💫#StingersUp pic.twitter.com/jjXwyCvzTX
— Sac State WBB (@SacStateWBB) May 6, 2025
What course have you chosen and why? When will you leave for Sacramento?
I decided to study Political Science. I don’t yet know precisely what kind of job it will lead to, but I chose to study what interests me most, and based on that and my experiences, I’ll decide. I think it opens many opportunities; it’s a very broad degree.
You come from a generation of players very interested in the USA: in the current U20 team you belong to, 4 or 5 will take that adventure. How important is it to live this situation together? Do you face it together or is it more personal?
It’s a personal choice because it’s a radical change in every aspect. However, I keep in touch with Nicole, Greta, and other girls. On the other hand, I think living it together is important; it’s such a big change that if you do it with others, it’s less scary, you build community, help and support each other. The language is different, you don’t know anyone, and living it together can really help.
Let’s talk about last season in Italy, which was affected by your shoulder injury. First, how are you? How was it to live that period away from the court, and how do you live a season when injured?
I got injured in January, in the middle of the season, when everything was still wide open. Both Empoli and the team supported me a lot. They took me to the bench in the Cup; they didn’t have to, but they were very attentive to the human side too. The year out helps you grow personally and in determination because living away from the court means only working in the gym, lifting weights, focusing on rehab, which isn’t easy. I think it’s a constructive moment for an athlete.
How is living the NCAA experience from a distance: are the coaches already reaching out? Have you met any players (you’re not the only European, right?) even virtually? Are you already starting to build the roster? What kind of team should it be?
As soon as they posted me on Sacramento’s site, the whole team started following me and contacted me. I know a couple of girls, we talked, and they seem great. They had me do all the video calls with the girls and staff. I saw some amazing things; it’s all beautiful. I feel like I know them now. The university seems to be the friendliest place in the world, really nice people.
There’s a Hungarian and another European player (Dutch Benthe Versteeg). They just switched conferences from Big Sky to Big West. They told me the conference is tougher, but changing it was their goal, which they have reached. I know they definitely want to be top of the conference to do well in the post-season and reach March Madness.
Let’s talk about NIL, the opportunity for you players to earn money, which obviously doesn’t exist in Italy. What role do you think it will have in recruiting? Do you think it will become an increasingly chosen path for Italian and European players?
It’s a factor that enriches the experience you’re already having: learning a new language, meeting new people, seeing a new culture. Then comes what for me is the last significant piece of a very attractive overall context. Basketball in Italy is going through a decline; many teams are shutting down in A2, and no one wants to register teams in A1. NIL is important in recruiting since it’s an enticing factor because this kind of opportunity doesn’t exist in Italy and encourages leaving Italy and Europe.
What kind of player are you and what do you think you need to work on?
I’m a pretty concrete player who relies mostly on defense. In America, they want to make me more of an outside player since physiques there are completely different. In Italy, I always played 4-5; at Basket Roma, I played the entire season as a 5 because we had no bigs. I want to play outside; they told me they will develop me as a small forward. I hope to speed up both my shooting and dribble shooting and my movement game. I really like the idea.
Women’s basketball in America is booming, and we had a wonderful first half of the summer here in Italy. You will play on ESPN next year, it’s hugely followed in America. How does that make you feel?
For me, it’s a responsibility because if so many people see you, it’s a bit intimidating. At the same time, it’s absolutely attractive being seen by so many people; it’s exciting and beautiful. The league is really followed; they told me there are more than three thousand people attending games. That many people in Italy would never watch an A2 game. Even two hundred spectators would be a lot. It’s definitely wonderful.
Let’s say in August 2026, exactly one year from now, we talk again for an interview. What would you be happy to have achieved by then?
Surely to have reached my personal goals, to have improved, to have felt good in the American environment, in the new culture, and the campus life—which is very different from dorm life. To have integrated well into the team.
