March 15, 2024

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LSU Holds No. 1 Women’s Basketball Recruiting Class

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LSU Holds No. 1 Women’s Basketball Recruiting Class

BATON ROUGE – The recruiting class for LSU’s women’s basketball remained ranked No. 1 ranking by Following the announcement of the class’s final two Top-10 players’ commitments on Wednesday, ESPN reported the news.

Only one program in the nation, LSU, has signed two players ranked in the top 10. Also owned by the Tigers is the No. 1 class according to ASGRxHoopSeenW and Jr. All-Star GBB.

The No. 1 class at LSU is featured in the headlines. 1 player in the country (Prospects Nation, AGSR, and Jr. Mikaylah Williams, a 6-0 guard from Parkway High School who is from Bossier City, Louisiana, and an All-Star National Rankings participant. Aalyah Del Rosario and Angelica Velez, who attended The Webb School in Tennessee and are both The Bronx, New York natives, have also signed with LSU. The No. 1 post player in the country is 6-5 forward Del Rosario, who is regarded as the best in the world. 4 player overall by Velez, a four-star guard who is ranked as the No. 1 in Just Women’s Sports 21 player in the country by Janae Kent, Dan Olson’s No. 1 pick out of Oak Forrest, Illinois, was also acquired by the Tigers. 58 players in the class.

Williams and Del Rosario were included on Tuesday’s Naismith High School Trophy Preseason Watch List.

Williams has excelled on every stage she has played on as the best player in the nation. While playing abroad over the summer, Williams helped Team USA win two gold medals by winning the FIBA U17 World Cup and being named MVP during Team USA’s quest for the title at the FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup, both of which were held in Hungary.

After averaging 22.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.2 steals per game while guiding Parkway High School to a 34-3 record and a state championship appearance, Williams is the current Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year. Williams stands out from the rest of the players in her class with her effort and skill on both sides of the ball. She is a natural scorer and lockdown defender with all-around elite talent. Williams was a junior when she competed for the 2022 Naismith High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year Award and was chosen for the MaxPreps Junior All-America First Team.

“Mikaylah is an incredibly special student-athlete,” Coach Mulkey. “Being from North Louisiana, Mikaylah decided to remain at home and compete as a Tiger. She stands out thanks to her exceptional talent and unwavering work ethic, making her the best player in the nation. You LSU fans are in for a treat.”

“There’s only one place where I’ve wanted to be in order to up my game, continue learning, and develop as a young woman. Home,” Williams said at the time she committed to LSU.

The best true big in the nation, Del Rosario is a five-star prospect with an effective face-up game and a strong inside game. She has good floor vision and can play outside the box as well. She also plays defense with strength and aggression, hitting the boards hard. Del Rosario won the gold medal at the FIBA U18 World Cup that was held in Argentina in the summer.

“Aalyah brings a dominant inside presence to our front court,” Coach Mulkey said. “She has closely listened to post players that I have previously coached, and she has the potential to become LSU’s next outstanding post player. In order to start working, I can’t wait to transport Aalyah to Baton Rouge.”

LSU Holds No. 1 Women’s Basketball Recruiting Class

“I selected LSU because when I first arrived in this country, the first game I watched was of Coach Mulkey’s team,” said Del Rosario, whose ancestors are from the Dominican Republic. “I adored both her coaching style and personal style. Then, I knew I wanted to perform for someone similar to her. When I was on campus at LSU, I had a homey feeling. I will need a development from Coach Mulkey and Coach Starkey if I want to play basketball professionally one day. My goal is to win a national championship, and I am confident that I am surrounded by the best players to achieve it.”

With 13.0 points per game, 11.0 rebounds per game, and 4.0 assists per game on average during her junior year at The Webb School, Del Rosario averaged a double-double. She was a finalist for the 2022 TSSAA Division II-A Miss Basketball Award.

As juniors, Del Rosario and Velez led The Webb School to the Tennessee Division II-A State Championship. They have established themselves as a deadly guard-post tandem.

Velez is a cunning point guard who plays the position with style and cunning ball-handling abilities. With a composed backcourt game, she is an athletic floor leader. Velez scored 13 points to help The Webb School win the Tennessee State Championship.

“Angelica is a true point guard who brings a competitive edge to Baton Rouge,” Coach Mulkey said. “I admire her ability to make her teammates look good because I was a point guard once. Her exceptional on-court leadership will undoubtedly have a profound effect on our team for years to come.”

“I selected LSU because I wanted to be coached by Coach Mulkey and win with the girls that are in that program,” Velez said. “I want to capture a national title, and I have confidence that under Coach Mulkey, I will excel and genuinely demonstrate my ability to compete at the highest level.”

Basketball players from all over the court can be found in Kent’s family. She has won the South Suburban (Chicago) Conference, and Player of the Year award, twice, and last year she was chosen for the First Team All-State. Kent averaged 25 points and 9 rebounds per game during her junior season, and she already had over 1,000 career points at Oak Forrest High School. Kent’s parents and brother are all starters at Bradley, and her father played basketball at Ohio University. Her mother also played basketball in West Virginia.

“Janae brings much-needed size to our perimeter,” Coach Mulkey said. “Her game heavily relies on her adaptability. She has a variety of game-changing abilities thanks to her length, from scoring to rebounding. We are eager to see what she accomplishes at LSU and know she will arrive in Baton Rouge prepared to get to work.”

“I want to come to LSU to compete for championships,” Kent said. “I believe that the support staff that Coach Mulkey has assembled will enable me to perform to the best of my ability and be a part of a program that competes at the highest level.”

Reference: https://lsusports.net/news/2022/11/16/lsu-holds-no-1-womens-basketball-recruiting-class/

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