MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas women’s guard Vanessa de Jesus is transferring to Notre Dame for her final year of collegiate basketball, following a four-season run with Duke University.
The 5-foot-8 guard helped Duke reach the Elite 8 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, nearly upsetting defending champion South Carolina in a narrow 54-50 loss. De Jesus averaged 3.1 points, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game this past season.
“Being a Blue Devil is one of the greatest treasures of my life,” she said on social media. “There aren’t enough words to express how grateful I am for the opportunity to have called Duke home for the past five years.”
De Jesus was sidelined by a knee injury during the 2023–24 season but made a strong return to help lead Duke’s postseason campaign. She also expressed heartfelt gratitude to her teammates across the years.
“To my teammates, from my COVID freshman year to my graduate year, you all are the reason this experience has been so special,” she said. “The memories we’ve shared will stay with me forever.”
She admitted the decision to transfer was not easy. “Making this decision was one I never thought I’d have to face. Saying goodbye is never easy… But after much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided that it’s time to see what comes next in my journey. This is a difficult step, but I trust it’s the right one for me.”
De Jesus has one year of eligibility left and will join a Notre Dame squad that reached the Sweet 16 in 2025 before falling to TCU. The Irish also recently lost star guard Olivia Miles to the transfer portal.
De Jesus previously represented Gilas Pilipinas in the 2023 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup Division A, averaging 12.8 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 rebounds.
