WBB 2022 recruiting

[AmonRa777]

A few names in hearing. Talaysia Cooper from Clarendon SC

Ashlynn Watkins from Columbia area

Maya Nnaji from Midwest

Ayanna Patterson from Indiana

Lazaria Spearman from Dacula Ga.

Janiah Barker from Tampa

Get 3 or 4 of that list and it's another banner class.

 

[sgacock]

Below is an All Too Early COMPOSITE list of the prospects for 2022 that are most highly rated by the recruiting services. I started with the Top 44 of all rankings and calculated the average ranking of each recruit based upon four services that presently have rankings.

For those prospects that have been ranked by at least three of the services, I have calculated their average rankings (Prospect Nation has not yet ranked the prospects but lists them with star ratings. I have shown those ratings but not included them in calculations ). Below that, I have listed players who have Top 44 rankings by at least 2 of the 4 services. I did not calculate their average rank.

Why 44? Because that's all Blue Star has ranked

PLAYER ……………………………………. BLUE...HOOP….PREP…ASGR...Av Rank\AVG.PROS...COMMiT
........................................................STAR…….GURLZ,,GIRLS…………….RANK……..NATION…SCHOOL

1. LAUREN BETTS, 6-7 Post, CO….1……………1………..1…………1………….1…………….4.5.....
Nine Finalists: Arizona State, Baylor, UConn, Louisville, Notre Dame, Oregon, SCar, Stanford, UCLA

2. JANIAH BARKER, 6-2 F, FL………2………….. 2………..3…………..4……2.75……….4.5
crickets as to offers or involvement

3. ISUNEH BRADY, 6-3 Post, CA…5…………..2………..5…...…2…………..3.5…………4.5....UCONN


4. TIMEA GARDINER, 6-2 F, T…….3…………..4………...8………….3…………..4.5…Pretty much crickets from her, but lots of rumors > No known involvement by us. Mostly PAC rumors.

5. KIKI RICE, 5-11 PG, MD/DC……7……………6…………4………….5…………..5.25……….4.5
Top 11: Stanford, Maryland, UNC, Duke, UCONN, Arizona, Louisville, BC, Yale, Michigan

6. AYANNA PATTERSON, 6-2 W, IN 6,,,,,,,,,,,,,,3…………5………….8…………..5.5………..4.5
Purported Offers include Maryland, UCLA, Louisville, Notre Dame, Scar, UConn and many others

7. MAYA NNAJI, 6-4 F, MN…………14…………7………….7………….7……………8.75………….4.5
13 Finalists: SCar, Baylor, Stanford, Oregon, Louisville, Arizona, UCLA, Michigan, Illinois, Georgia,Florida, Vandy, Virginia whew

8. AALIYA GAYLES, 5-9 PG, NV……11………..9………..10…………6……………9.0………4.5
Top Nine: Georgia, UCLA, So.Cal, LSU, Louisville, TexTech, Cal, Duke, Arizona

9. LONDYYN JONES, 5-5 PG, CA….8………….15………….9………..10…………..10.5……….4.5
Stanford, UCLA, Arizona, Duke, Michigan

10. KK BRANSFORD, 5-10 G, OH… 4…………..27…………6………….9……………11.5…………..4.5
Top 12: Arizona, Baylor, UConn, Duke, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, UNC, Notre Dame, Tenn. Texas, UCLA

11 ASHLYN WATKINS, 6-3 Post, SC.9…………13………..11………..23…………14.00…...4.5
SCar, Baylor, MsSt, UNC, KY, Florida, FSU,Clemmpson, UGA and others

12. ASHLON JACKSON, 5-10 G, TX…/……………22………..22…………11………..18.33……4.5
Baylor, TX, Stanford

12. BRIANNA McDANIEL, 5-10 G, IN 12…………. 30………….13…………31……….18.33……….
Purported offers: Basically entire Big Ten, Texas, Maryland, Louisville, TxA&M, UGA, Kentucky & More

14. GRACE V. SLOOTEN, 6-3 F, OH…23………….16………..23………...14……….19.00…………..
Purported Offers: Oregon, UCLA, Stanford, Duke, Maryland, MsSt, Kentucky, AZ, AzSt & others

14. ZYANNA WALKER, 5-8 PG, KS…./…………..20………..15…………22………..19.00………….
AzSt, SoCal, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa St, Louisville, KY, Tenn, UNC, UGA, Florida, Mizz St others

16. SYDNEY BOWLES, 6-1 W, GA 19………….25………..17………..18…………19.75………..4.5

17. ALEXIA MOBLEY, 6-2 W, OH 21………….29………..12………..28………..22.5………..4.5 LOUISVILLE commit

18. LAZARIA SPEARMAN, 6-3 F, GA .24…………..23………..25………..19………..22.75………..
"Finalists": SCar, Louisville, Miami

19. RUBY WHITEHORN, 6-0 G, MI…35…………..21………..20………..20………..24.00……4.5
Purported Offers: UNC, Rutgers, PSU, Indiana, Iowa, Ill., Ms.St, Florida, Vandy, Kentucky & others

20. COTIE McMAHON, 5-11 W, OH9……………42………..28………..21………..25.00…………..
tOSU, Iowa, Northwestern, Louisville, Tenn, Arizona, Indiana, KY, UNC, Miami, WVU, others

21. SHAY BOLIN, 6-3 F, MA……… 34…………..19………..26………..24………..25.75……..4.5... DUKE

21. SA’MYAH SMITH, 6-2 F, TX……18………….44………..14…………27………25.75…………..
Purported Offers, Baylor, Tex, Entire Big 12, AZ, Kentucky, Ark,, Colarado, Florida, VaTech

23. MILA REYNOLDS, 6-2 SF, IN .15………….32………..32…………/…………..26.34………..MARYLAND

24. REAGAN BEERS, 6-3 PF, CO……/…………10………..35……….35………….26.67…….OREGON ST

25. PARIS CLARK, 5-10 PG, NYC…16………….34………..31………./…………….27.00…….4.5

26. D. LITTLEPAGE-BUGGS, 6-1 SF, OK28….35………..24…………/………….29.00……..
Louisville, MsSt, AzSt, UNC, Tenn

27. YSABELLA FOUNTLEROY, 6-1 F, MO40….12…….27………39………….29.5……..4.5
Stanford, Ohio St, FSU

29. MYA PETTICORD, 5-9 PG, mi…/……………21………..33……….37………….30.33……..4.5
Purported Offers: Iowa, tOSU, Mich, PSt, UVA, VaTc, GaTc, UNC, MsSt, Kentucky others

30 KYLA OLDACRE, 6-5 P. OH ......38.................17...........42............/........32.34………
SCar - Maybe, Louisville, UNC, KY, FSU. Had a great visit in jan/Feb. Have no clue if we offered. She is not revealing ANY offers

31. AUMARI WILLIAMS, 6-3 Post, AR….31………/…………37………42………….36.67..........
Top Ten: Ark, UK, GTech, MsSt, OkieSt, WVU, Vandy, Bama, Notre Dame, Wake

32. CHANCE GRAY, 5-9 PG, OH…….42…………..14………..40………..32………..38.75…………4.5
Finalists: Arizona, Oregon, UCLA, Maryland, OhioSt, Michigan, MichiganSt, MissSt, UNC,

Prospects Received Two Rankings
Kennedy Basham: UCLA, Az., Oregon, Utah, Wash, Louisville, UNC, Florida

Amini Muhammed: Arizona, MsSt, Ky, Tenn, Tx

JENNAH ISAI: Stan, UCLA, AZ, Cal, Oregon, Colo, MsSt, , Fl, LSU, Mich

TALYSIA COOPER: SCar , MsSt, KY, UGA. FSU, UNC, Clempsun, VaTech Recent huge rankings jump in hoopgurlz. Low ranked by prep girls (60s) Decent ranking by ASGR. Not mentioned in Blue Star. A top performer at the recent Wooten 150 Camp.  Her stock should rise.

Saniah Tyler: KY, Mich, Iowa, UGA, Ill, Indiana, Louisville, DePaul

PARIS MILLER: Ohio St

SANIYA GLENN

AALIYA Smith, 5-5 PG, WI

 

[sgacock]

Take # 21 Shay Bolin off our offer list Committed to Duke.

 

[sgacock]

6-0 Guard T'yanna Todd from Montreal has announced 13 "finalists" including us, Uconn, Miss St., Louisville and NC State. No PAC schools listed. She has been touted by some as the top player in Canada. I have no idea regarding the level of interest by schools in her "finalist" group like us and UConn.

 

[DooDooCock]

Hope they come

 

[sgacock]

Scratch #1: Lauren Betts. Committed to Stanford,

 

[sgacock]

I'm going to add Kayla Oldacre  6-5 Post to our list. She is #17 on ESPN's ranking, She has not revealed any offers from any schools.

She did visit us in 2020 shortly before the Covid shutdawn.

 

[ShepCock]

Great list above.

Maybe it's just me, but every time I saw "Scar" in that list, I thought of:

 

[sgacock]

Great list above.

Maybe it's just me, but every time I saw "Scar" in that list, I thought of:

Many years ago,Cocky's family appeared during homecoming. His brother Scar was there. He had a big scar on his face and was the badass, black sheep of the family. I liked him better than Cocky

Nevertheless, I use "SCar" when posing on other school's board or national boards. It's just easier than getting into the distrcting arguments over "USC."

 

[sgacock]

We were not in the Final Five released last weekend by Ayanna Paterson.

Really, we are down to Maya Nnaji, Ashlyn Watkins and Talaysia Cooper. May still be in on Janiah Barker and Kayla Oldacre.

 

[USCMM]

We were not in the Final Five released last weekend by Ayanna Paterson.

Really, we are down to Maya Nnaji, Ashlyn Watkins and Talaysia Cooper. May still be in on Janiah Barker and Kayla Oldacre.

We really need some big girls in this class so that they'll at least have one season backing up Boston and Amihere before they are put in the spotlight. We really need Ashlyn and Maya!

 

[sgacock]

My thoughts (with no real info)....

Since two of our remaining targets, PG Talaysia Cooper and C Ashlyn Watkins, are from in-state, they would seem to be the most likely gets. Watkins fills the need for a big and is from Columbia - Cardinal Newman, where Frank's kid played. Talaysia would be able to run Point with Zia and Raven Johnson (she's So Raven, LOL), and snag PT as a Sophomore after Zia leaves. We cannot let an in-state PG get away from the coach who set the standard for PGs.

Oldacre is not rated that high, but she has the height that we need and we have had success in Ohio in the past, notably Zia Cooke.

Barker is keeping things on the downlow with recruiting, but we have had success in the state of Florida with Destanni, and another 6'2 forward - KeKe Herbert-Harrigan. And she has size - snatch up Watkins and/or Oldacre to play Center, and Barker can play one of the Forward positions.

Nnaji seems iffier - I do not think we have pulled anyone out of Minnesota, and she is looking at 13 schools, so she would be a longshot. FYI, her brother Zeke played for Arizona, one of the 13. But she has size and talent, and I would not put anything past Dawn when it comes to recruiting,

I really like Maya's offense. Soft touch on her jumper. Never "clangs" the ball off the board or rim. Plus, her footwork on offense is top notch.

Dawn can train her as a defender.  We need more reliable shooters.

OBTW, we have offered 2023 legacy Riley Stack out of Wren. Daughter of Ryan Stack. We are her 4th P-5 offer in the past week,

 

[ConwayGamecock]

We were not in the Final Five released last weekend by Ayanna Paterson.

Really, we are down to Maya Nnaji, Ashlyn Watkins and Talaysia Cooper. May still be in on Janiah Barker and Kayla Oldacre.

Patterson commits to Connecticut.....

 

[kingofnerf]

We apparently lost Mary Wooley, our Directory of Recruiting, sometime last year to Villanova.

Dawn Staley added Mary Wooley to the South Carolina staff in Summer 2017 to solidify the program’s recruiting efforts, a move that paid dividends just a year later when the Gamecocks landed 2019’s No. 1 recruiting class in the nation.

In joining the Gamecocks, Wooley reunited with Staley, who launched her career by hiring her at Temple as a graduate extern and director of basketball operations. From there, Wooley went on to spend the next eight seasons on the coaching staffs of three other programs.

https://gamecocksonline.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/mary-wooley/737

Mary Wooley enters her first year on the Villanova staff in 2020-21. She arrives on the Main Line after spending the previous three years at the University of South Carolina as the program’s Director of Recruiting Operations/Administration. Wooley will oversee the Wildcats national recruiting efforts, in addition to assisting with on court coaching duties.
 
Wooley arrives on the Main Line after spending the previous three years at the University of South Carolina as the program’s Director of Recruiting Operations/Administration. During her time in Columbia, Wooley helped the Gamecocks to two SEC tournament championships, one SEC regular season crown, two Sweet 16 appearances in 2018 and 2019 and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2018. She was also instrumental in South Carolina signing the number one recruiting class in the country in 2019. In her three years at South Carolina, the Gamecocks tallied an 84-18 record (.824), including a 32-1 mark during the 2019-20 season. This rates as the best winning percentage in program history.

https://villanova.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/mary-wooley/3682

It seems like Wooley has the assistant coach slot she didn't have here.  It makes you wonder if not having that here made her vulnerable to Covid cut-backs from a staffing standpoint.

Not sure how the timing worked with the incoming recruiting class.  Hopefully there isn't much of a drop-off next year.

 

[ConwayGamecock]

We apparently lost Mary Wooley, our Directory of Recruiting, sometime last year to Villanova.

https://gamecocksonline.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/mary-wooley/737

https://villanova.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/mary-wooley/3682

It seems like Wooley has the assistant coach slot she didn't have here.  It makes you wonder if not having that here made her vulnerable to Covid cut-backs from a staffing standpoint.

Not sure how the timing worked with the incoming recruiting class.  Hopefully there isn't much of a drop-off next year.

Perhaps the covid cut-backs may have had something to do with it, but I doubt it had much: the staff is pretty stable - Jolette Law joined the staff as an assistant coach during the same 2017 summer that Wooley joined. I am sure Wooley wanted to have a continuing career as a member of a coaching staff, and even one day return to the head coach position, after spending so many years in those capacities. So even without the shadow of covid, unless one of the current staff members of Staley's staff chose to move on, it would take Wooley leaving herself to find access to returning to the sidelines.

Wooley's relationship with Staley going back to the Temple years I'm sure will be missed, but once a program starts dealing with nationally elite standards of success, it becomes almost an annual rite of staff members moving on to bigger and more compensatory job opportunities. Sounds like Connecticut's Geno Auriemma's assistant Shea Ralph is taking the Vanderbilt HC job in replacing the fired Stephanie White. Ralph was an assistant to Geno for 13 seasons.

The cycle of excellence should continue as the staff changes, as long as the head of the staff remains. The program just won its first national title when both Law and Wooley joined the program. With them, the program recorded it's first two #1-ranked classes all time, and are among the top 2-3 contenders heading into the 3rd straight season for the national championship. That kind of excellence will continue to bring the top prep players, and attract or develop top recruiting coordinators, and keep the wins pouring in.

The new DoR Payten Martin is young, but she's a USC graduate and former student manager for the program, and worked as a Grad Assistant for a year before taking over the job - hopefully she continues doing the good work and grows in her new role along with the program.... 

 

[kingofnerf]

Perhaps the covid cut-backs may have had something to do with it, but I doubt it had much: the staff is pretty stable - Jolette Law joined the staff as an assistant coach during the same 2017 summer that Wooley joined. I am sure Wooley wanted to have a continuing career as a member of a coaching staff, and even one day return to the head coach position, after spending so many years in those capacities. So even without the shadow of covid, unless one of the current staff members of Staley's staff chose to move on, it would take Wooley leaving herself to find access to returning to the sidelines.

Wooley's relationship with Staley going back to the Temple years I'm sure will be missed, but once a program starts dealing with nationally elite standards of success, it becomes almost an annual rite of staff members moving on to bigger and more compensatory job opportunities. Sounds like Connecticut's Geno Auriemma's assistant Shea Ralph is taking the Vanderbilt HC job in replacing the fired Stephanie White. Ralph was an assistant to Geno for 13 seasons.

The cycle of excellence should continue as the staff changes, as long as the head of the staff remains. The program just won its first national title when both Law and Wooley joined the program. With them, the program recorded it's first two #1-ranked classes all time, and are among the top 2-3 contenders heading into the 3rd straight season for the national championship. That kind of excellence will continue to bring the top prep players, and attract or develop top recruiting coordinators, and keep the wins pouring in.

The new DoR Payten Martin is young, but she's a USC graduate and former student manager for the program, and worked as a Grad Assistant for a year before taking over the job - hopefully she continues doing the good work and grows in her new role along with the program.... 

The other thing to consider if you're always bringing in top recruiting classes is that there will be a log jam when they're always Top 5.  You have to balance that with some may leave for lack of PT, but great recruits will always get PT when they're 4/5* players that can get it done on game day.

I think she probably wanted to get back to a coaching role of some kind with a view to a HC job eventually, but I wouldn't rule out her coming back down the road since she and Dawn seem to have a good relationship.  You could see that happening if Law left for a HC job somewhere and the timing worked out, but realistically Wooley will probably be a HC somewhere after Villanova.

 

[sgacock]

State of South Carolina recruiting prospects:

2022
HG #8 Talaysia Cooper 6-0 Guard
HG #13 Ashlyn Watkins 6-3 PF

2023
HG #3 Malaysia Fulwiley 5-6 PG
ASGR #17 Mary Ashley Groot 6-3 F
? Riley Stack 6-4 F

2024
HG Top25 Joyce Edwards 6-2 W/F

All of the above are reported to have offers from Dawn except Mary Ashley Groot who plays with Ashlyn Watkins on Asia Dozier's Cardinal Newman team. She is a Gamecock born and bred. Her grandmother (former chief judge of the US 4th District Court of Appeals) is an alumnus and the Law School Courtroom is named after her. Her mom is a NYC attorney and also an alum. Mary Ashley is rumored to have an open walkon offer because she doesn't need an athletic scholly. Rumor only and can never be confirmed. She does reportedly have a scholly offer from Miami.

All three 2023 prospects are listed as invitees to tryout for spots on the US U-16 national team! (Dawn's influence?)

Please post info on other SC state prospects whether or not they have SCar or P-5 interest

 

[sgacock]

Maya Nnaji to Arizona.

We are "down to":

Cooper

Watkins

Barker maybe

Oldacre maybe

 

[ConwayGamecock]

The 2022 recruiting cycle would be incoming freshmen for the 2022-2023 season, or the season after the next. That season, Lele Grissett would be gone, Destanni Henderson and Victaria Saxton would be gone, and Destiny Littleton and Elisa Wesolek would be all gone. The roster of players on the team now and incoming freshmen for the 2021-22 season would look like:

(So.) PG Raven Johnson

(So.) G Saniya Rivers

(So.) G Aubry Hall

(So.) F Sania Feagin

(Jr.) G Eniya Russell

(Jr.) P Kamilla Cardoso

(Sr.) PG Olivia Thompson

(Sr.) G Zia Cooke

(Sr.) G Brea Beal

(Sr.) F Laeticia Amihere

(Sr.) P Aliyah Boston

That's 11 players, and it's an extremely talented group of players, but we have room for 4 more scholarship players. Dawn and her staff typically DO NOT guarantee incoming prospects immediate major minutes, much less starter's minutes. They have been known to earn them just the same, but still.

ANY incoming prospects for the 2022 cycle would most likely NOT find immediately starting minutes with this lineup of returning talent. But at the front court, there is at least some daylight. A rotating two-deep of Boston and Cardoso at the 5, and Amihere and Feagin at the 4 would be championship caliber depth for most teams, but a freshman 4/5 could still find room to play at each position as a freshman. But the important thing, it would be for just one season, as Boston and Amihere would be gone for 2023-24, and then the roster would be in DIRE NEED for post help for Cardoso and Feagin. So the major minutes would come then, and quickly.

But here's the thing: in 2022-23, the BACK COURT would also have a depth chart of Johnson as the #1 PG, Cooke or Rivers as the #1 SG, then ALSO have Beal, Hall, and Russell at depth to provide support whenever they aren't holding down the 3 position. And the PG position is the big question here: after Johnson, there's no true PG in place, but Johnson would be a sophomore in 2022-23. Would PG Talaysia Cooper who is listed as a PG want to play behind Johnson for 3 years? And if (as a 6-0 PG), she ends up like other past "big" guards who played the point like Grissett, Russell, and Hall, and ends up as a SG in college, would THAT position be even DEEPER when she comes in (Rivers for 3 yrs, Russell for 2 yrs)

It depends on what Cooper is looking for as a collegiate player. Does she have visions of becoming a superstar right off the bat, and want to land at a place that would give her that chance? Or is she a diehard Gamecock fan out of Turbeville who wants to be a part of the Dawn Staley train? With Fulwiley in the wings for the 2023 cycle, THAT would be the year that we'd need to get a true replacement for Johnson when she graduates.

I would love for us to get Watkins, as she'd be a great piece to fit into the frontcourt depth. Then add another big (Groot perhaps - I want Stack as well but she hasn't shown herself to be a physical banger quite yet, and we'll need that in the SEC) in 2023. There's also the option of a transfer or two too......