WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue women’s basketball head coach Katie Gearlds has signed center Anjela Minja, adding more post depth to the squad ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Minja will arrive after a successful two-year stint at Gulf Coast State, going 42-16 and winning the 2026 FCSAA DI/NJCAA South Atlantic District Championship to reach the NJCAA Tournament. The 6-foot-5 center averaged 5.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, with 2.8 on the offensive end, and 1.9 blocks per game over her two campaigns.
As a sophomore, Minja was named Second Team All-Panhandle Conference after posting 7.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per night, while shooting 49.2% from the floor and adding 2.3 blocks per game, the latter leading the South Atlantic Region and finishing 12th nationally overall.
In her freshman season, Minja saw limited action to average 3.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
A native of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Minja represented her country twice on the youth level, competing in the 2022 U18 AfroBasket Tournament and Qualifiers. In 12 games for Tanzania, she averaged 13.3 rebounds and 6.4 points per game, leading all players with 13.2 boards in the main event and 13.5 rebounds in the qualifying tournament.
Minja also participated in the 2022 NBA Africa Basketball Without Borders, before receiving one of 38 worldwide invitations to the first NBA Global Basketball Without Borders in Las Vegas in 2023.
Minja is the second Boilermaker to come from Gulf Coast State, following Fatou Diagne, and the fourth from Africa.