Coach Katie Gearlds made a last-minute addition to her roster.

Slovenian guard Zoja Stirn joined the Boilermakers Wednesday for the 2026-27 season. She stands as the first-ever Purdue student athlete to be from Slovenia.

Stirn played with Slovenian Women’s Basketball League under Cinkarna Celje before making her commitment to Purdue. She also contributed to a trio of Women’s Adriatic Basketball Association League championships.

During her 2025-26 season with SWBL, Stirn won six straight titles, appeared in 23 games, averaged 10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. While with WABA, she averaged 9.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

While in her youth, Stirn helped guide the Slovenia National Team to its first U18 EuroBasket title in 2023 after defeating France in the finals. She was one of four players in the tournament to average better than 12 points, five rebounds and three assists per game.

Stirn holds basketball

Now-incoming guard Zoja Stirn poses for a photo.

Photo Provided by Purdue Athletics

Stirn stands as the seventh international athlete on the Purdue women’s basketball 2026-27 roster.


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