SGTC’s Mio Sakano signs letter of intent to play at University of Miami for 2025 – 2026 season

November 15, 2024
SGTC Mio Sakano is shown above inking her Letter of Intent to play basketball at the University of Miami for the 2025 – 2026 season. She is shown above with head coach Jason Carpenter and members of the 2024 – 2025 Lady Jets basketball team.
SGTC Mio Sakano is shown above inking her Letter of Intent to play basketball at the University of Miami for the 2025 – 2026 season. She is shown above with head coach Jason Carpenter and members of the 2024 – 2025 Lady Jets basketball team.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s basketball program and Head Coach Tricia Cullop have signed South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) sophomore guard Mio Sakano from Yamanashi, Japan, for the 2025 – 2026 season.

   As a freshman for the SGTC Lady Jets, the 5’ 9” Sakano was the second leading scorer with 400 points in 29 games.  She started twenty-eight of those games and was a 51.9 percent field goal percentage shooter and hit 73 percent of her free throws.  The Lady Jets finished the 2023 – 2024 season with a 21 – 11 record and were 13 – 5 in the GCAA where they advanced to the GCAA semi-finals.  The team averaged 73.5 points per game along with 44.3 rebounds and 17 assists.  The Lady Jets are currently 3 – 1 this season.

   “This has always been my dream to pay Division 1 basketball,” said Sakano.  “I have met with the coaches and the players at Miami and they have been great.  I am excited to be a part of such a great team and I look forward to the next step in my basketball career.”

   Sakano had hoped to land a spot on a D1 school roster as a freshman but feels like playing at South Georgia Technical College in the Junior College Division was a good move.  “I got a lot of playing time as a freshman that I may not have seen if I had gone Division 1 at first,” said Sakano.  “This has been a great experience and I am so appreciative of Head Coach Jason Carpenter and Assistant Coach Olivia Melvin and all of my teammates.  There has been great support here.”

   One of Sakano’s dreams is to be able to continue her basketball career after college, either as a player or a coach or in another capacity.  She is currently a Sports and Fitness major at SGTC and will continue those type of studies at the University of Miami.

In addition to Sakano, the University of Miami announced the additions of five high school recruits for the class of 2025.

The Hurricanes signing class includes Camille Williams (Guard / Fort Worth, Texas), Natalie Wetzel (Forward, McMurray, Pa.), Meredith Tippner (Guard / Noblesville, Ind.), Danielle Osho (Guard, Dacula, Ga.), and Emanuella “Soma” Okolo (Forward / Leander, Texas). Miami’s 2025 signee class was recently ranked by ESPNW as the fifth best recruiting class in the country.