Every team is focused on their next game right now, but its easy to start thinking about next year following the early signing period. Both of the ACC teams from the state of Virginia will head into the 2014-15 campaign with optimism after they signed Top 50 recruiting classes.
The All Star Girls Report recently released its national Top 150 for the Class of 2014, and we are taking that opportunity to look down the road and profile a number of programs.
Virginia signed the 15th-best class in the country according to ASGR’s rankings. The Cavaliers’ group has three highly ranked recruits — No. 26 point guard Mikayla Venson, No. 33 wing Aliya Huland-El, and No. 70 power forward Lauren Moses.
Across the state in Blacksburg, the Hokies inked the No. 46 class, with power forward Brielle Blaire (No. 62) leading the list. Virginia Tech also signed center Khadedra Croker (No. 141) and shooting guard Rachel Camp (No. 255).
“When you look at next year, both Virginia and Virginia Tech are going to lose some key players,” noted ASGR analyst Bret McCormick. “Virginia will lose two starters in Ataira Franklin and Kelsey Wolfe. However, they have a solid, five-player freshman class right now, and those players should be ready to play a big role next year. The nucleus will be rising senior Sarah Imovbioh and rising junior Faith Randolph. I think they will also get help from the incoming freshmen, especially with Mikayla Venson at the point, and Aliya Huland-El on the perimeter.
“At Virginia Tech, they will take a hit because they are losing their top two players in Monet Tellier and Uju Ugoka. Their program will be entering a new phase next year when they will look to three players from Australia. Hannah Young, Vanessa Panousis and Maddison Penn are all contributing this year, and they will need to step up in 2014-15. I also think you’ll see two of their incoming freshmen — Brielle Blaire and Khadedra Croker — contribute on the front line.”
Now in its 18th year, the All Star Girls Report is the leader in women’s basketball scouting. ASGR’s rankings are compiled by veteran analyst McCormick, who rated over 1,800 athletes in the class. ASGR members can log in and view the complete updated rankings at www.ASGR.info.
Here is a quick look at the ASGR Super Six for 2014 along with a quick comment from McCormick:
1- A’ja Wilson (Uncommitted): “She is a long, athletic lefty who could play all five positions. She has those types of skills. A’ja is just special. They have some top schools, but they are going to keep looking and talking to schools. ”
2- Gabby Williams (UConn): “Gabby is another very versatile player. She has tremendous athletic ability, and she can do it all on the court. It only takes you a couple of minutes to recognize Gabby’s talent level. She is recovering from an ACL injury so she didn’t play over the summer, but hopefully she will be back at full speed.”
3- Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State): “Kelsey is a quick, strong, left-handed guard. She is a great passer, but it is her scoring that makes her special. She can hit the long three or the pull-up jumper, and she can attack the rim. She also loves to have the ball at the end of a tight game.”
4- Brianna Turner (Notre Dame): “She is athletic and long, and she could probably play the three, four or five. She can compete in the paint, she can hit the three, and she can take the ball coast-to-coast. She will make an immediate impact in South Bend.”
5- Gabby Green (California): “Gabby is another great athlete with a long, strong body. She has a great basketball IQ, and she can act like a point forward. She is also a great defender. She just has an all-around game.”
6- Sadie Edwards (UConn): “Sadie is an athletic combo guard who is just great off the bounce. She can handle the ball and attack the rim, or she can use her pull-up jumper. She has worked hard to refine her skills, and she has become a complete player.”
THE SUPER SIX | HT | P | High School | Hometown | College |
1- A’ja Wilson | 6-5 | WF | Heathwood Hall | Hopkins, SC | Undecided |
2- Gabby Williams | 5-11 | PG | Reed | Sparks, NV | UConn |
3- Kelsey Mitchell | 5-8 | PG | Princeton | Cincinnati, OH | Ohio State |
4- Brianna Turner | 6-4 | PF | Manvel | Pearland, TX | Notre Dame |
5- Gabby Green | 6-2 | SG | St. Mary’s College | Oakland, CA | California |
6- Sadie Edwards | 5-10 | G | Blair Academy | Meriden, CT | UConn |
THE NEXT NINE | |||||
7- Recee’ Caldwell | 5-7 | PG | Feast Home School | San Antonio, TX | UCLA |
8- Courtney Ekmark | 6-0 | SG | St. Mary’s | Phoenix, AZ | UConn |
9- Jordin Canada | 5-7 | PG | Winward | Los Angeles, CA | UCLA |
10- Lajahna Drummer | 6-3 | PF | Long Beach Poly | Los Angeles, CA | UCLA |
11- Ariel Atkins | 5-11 | SG | Duncanville | Duncanville, TX | Texas |
12- Jatarie White | 6-3 | C | Providence Day | Charlotte, NC | South Carolina |
13- Sierra Calhoun | 6-1 | SG | Christ the King | Brooklyn, NY | Duke |
14- Kia Nurse | 6-0 | PG | St. Thomas More | Hamilton, Ontario | Connecticut |
15- Shakayla Thomas | 5-11 | WF | Sylacauga | Sylacauga, AL | Florida State |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
16- Myisha Hines-Allen | 6-2 | WF | Montclair | Montclair, NJ | Louisville |
17- Monique Billings | 6-3 | C | Santiago | Corona, CA | UCLA |
18- Brooke McCarty | 5-5 | PG | Clear Springs | League City, TX | Texas |
19- Katelynn Flaherty | 5-7 | PG | Manasquan | Point Pleasant, NJ | Michigan |
20- Khaalia Hillman | 6-4 | C | Whitney Young | Chicago, IL | Texas A&M |
21- Katherine Westbeld | 6-1 | PF | Fairmont | Kettering, OH | Notre Dame |
22- Mariya Moore | 6-0 | WF | Salesian | Pleasant Hill, CA | Louisville |
23- Jasmine Lumpkin | 6-0 | WF | Joliet Catholic | Bollingbrook, IL | Michigan St. |
24- Taylor Rooks | 6-0 | WF | Gil St. Bernard | Bridgewater, NJ | Stanford |
25- Jamie Nared | 6-0 | WF | Westview | Portland, OR | Tennessee |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
26- Mikayla Venson | 5-7 | PG | Yorktown | Arlington, VA | Virginia |
27- Azura Stevens | 6-4 | PF | Cary | Raleigh, NC | Duke |
28- Chatrice White | 6-3 | PF | Shelby | Shelby, NE | Illinois |
29- Gabrielle Ortiz | 5-6 | PG | Prairie School | Racine, WI | Oklahoma |
30- Mikayla Cowling | 5-11 | WF | St. Mary’s Berkeley | Benecia, CA | California |
31- Lynee Belton | 6-3 | PF | The Bullis School | Clinton, MD | Duke |
32- Zaire O’Neil | 6-0 | PF | Malcolm Schabazz | Newark, NJ | Ga. Tech |
33- Allyah Huland-El | 6-1 | WF | Randolph | Randolph, NJ | Virginia |
34- Nasheema Oliver | 6-3 | C | Crisp County | Cordele, GA | Georgia |
35- Alexis Jennings | 6-2 | PF | Sparkman | Pelham, AL | Kentucky |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
36- Mackenzie Engram | 6-2 | PF | Hillgrove | Powder Springs, GA | Georgia |
37- McKenzie Calvert | 5-9 | PG | Steele | Schertz, TX | USC |
38- Paris Kea | 5-8 | PG | Page | Greensboro, NC | Vanderbilt |
39- Sydney Brackemyre | 6-1 | WF | Clinton Massie | Harveysburg, OH | Louisville |
40- Victoria Vivians | 6-1 | WF | Scott Central | Forest, MS | Miss. State |
41- Ariana Freeman | 5-11 | SG | Paul VI | Manassas, VA | Louisville |
42- Christa Reed | 5-11 | SG | Bay | Bay St. Louis, MS | Vanderbilt |
43- Kelli Hayes | 6-1 | SG | Archbishop Mitty | San Jose, CA | UCLA |
44- Alyssa Rice | 6-3 | C | Reynoldsburg | Reynoldsburg, OH | Kentucky |
45- Aja Ellison | 6-3 | C | Life Center Acad. | Vorhees, NJ | Maryland |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
46- Alexa Middleton | 5-9 | PG | Riverdale | Murfreesboro, TN | Tennessee |
47- Brittany McPhee | 6-0 | SG | Mt. Ranier | Normandy Park, WA | Stanford |
48- Bianca Cuevas | 5-6 | PG | Nazareth Reg. | Bronx, NY | South Carolina |
49- Dekeiya Cohen | 6-1 | WF | West Ashley | Charleston, SC | Baylor |
50- Mychal Johnson | 5-8 | PG | St. Joseph | Proctorville, OH | Notre Dame |
51- Kaydra Duckett | 5-10 | SG | Dreher | Columbia, SC | South Carolina |
52- Jamie Cherry | 5-5 | PG | West Craven | West Cove City, NC | North Carolina |
53- Kristen Simon | 6-2 | PF | Winward | Gardena, CA | USC |
54- Rachel Bell | 5-10 | PG | Creekwood | Dickson, TN | Vanderbilt |
55- Kristen Confroy | 5-9 | SG | Solon | Solon, OH | Maryland |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
56- K. Cardon-Goudreau | 6-3 | WF | IMG Academy | Bradenton, FL | Vanderbilt |
57- Carlie Wagner | 5-9 | PG | NRHEG | New Richland, MN | Minnesota |
58- Kiara Leslie | 5-11 | WF | Holly Springs | Holly Springs, NC | Maryland |
59- Imani Tilford | 5-7 | PG | Woodlands | White Plains, NY | Ga. Tech |
60- Alexis Gussert | 6-0 | WF | Forest Park | Crystal Falls, MI | Michigan St. |
61- Kenisha Bell | 6-1 | PF | Kennedy | Bloomington, MN | Marquette |
62- Brielle Blaire | 6-1 | PF | Salisbury | Salisbury, NC | Va. Tech |
63- Asia Doss | 5-6 | PG | Country Day | Detroit, MI | Ohio State |
64- Makayla Waterman | 6-2 | PF | Kettering Fairmount | Centerville, OH | Ohio State |
65- Kortney Dunbar | 6-2 | PF | Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL | Tennessee |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
66- Arica Carter | 5-9 | SG | Long Beach Poly | Los Angeles, CA | Louisville |
67- Amber Campbell | 5-8 | PG | Northwood Acad. | Charleston, SC | Wake Forest |
68- Kelli Kingma | 5-9 | PG | Jackson | Mill Creek, WA | Washington |
69- Terriell Bradley | 5-9 | PG | Mansfield Timberview | Grand Prairie, TX | Kansas |
70- Lauren Moses | 6-1 | PF | Rancossi Valley | Mt. Holly, NJ | Virginia |
71- Michelle Nwokedi | 6-2 | PF | St. Agnes | Missouri City, TX | Penn |
72- Jasmine Carter | 5-8 | SG | Mill Creek | Dacula, GA | Georgia |
73- Kristina King | 6-3 | PF | Thomasville Prep | Thomasville, NC | West Virginia |
74- Alexa Hart | 6-3 | C | Africentric | Columbus, OH | Ohio State |
75- Imani Littleton | 6-3 | PF | Bishop’s School | Lemon Grove, CA | St. John’s |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
76- Yacine Diop | 5-9 | SG | Seton LaSalle | Pittsburgh, PA | Pittsburgh |
77- Stasha Carey | 6-3 | PF | Midpark | Brookpark, OH | Pittsburgh |
78- Erica Moore | 6-1 | PF | Mt. Vernon | Fishers, IN | Purdue |
79- Nicole Floyd | 6-2 | PF | Stonewall Jackson | Manasas, VA | Wake Forest |
80- Ivy Brown | 6-2 | WF | LaRue County | Hodgenville, KY | Western Ky. |
81- Erin Mathias | 6-3 | PF | Fox Chapel | Pittsburgh, PA | Duke |
82- AA Cardon-Goudreau | 6-3 | WF | IMG Academy | Bradenton, FL | Vanderbilt |
83- Hannah Johnson | 6-1 | WF | Bishop Alemany | Stevenson Ranch, CA | Washington |
84- Natalie Romeo | 5-9 | PG | Carondelet | Martinez, CA | Nebraska |
85- Emoni Jackson | 6-1 | PF | Long Beach Poly | Pasadena, CA | Michigan |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
86- Shrita Parker | 5-7 | PG | Ocean Lakes | Virginia Beach, VA | Rutgers |
87- Erykah Davenport | 6-3 | C | Tucker | Decatur, GA | Miami FL |
88- Ayanna Edwards | 6-4 | C | Sacramento | Sacramento, CA | Arizona St |
89- Cayla McMorris | 6-0 | WF | Park Center | Minneapolis, MN | Wisconsin |
90- Mikayla Reese | 5-8 | PG | Sand Creek | Colorado Springs, CO | SMU |
91- Tamesha Alexander | 5-6 | PG | Shipley | Philadelphia, PA | St. John’s |
92- Micayla Buckner | 6-3 | C | Naaman Forest | Garland, TX | Baylor |
93- Keyanna Harris | 5-11 | WF | Dwyer | Riveria Beach, FL | Miami |
94- Chyanne Butler | 5-5 | PG | Junipero Serra | Corona, CA | USC |
95- Chania Ray | 5-8 | SG | Riverdale Baptist | Alexandria, VA | Fla. State |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
96- Ashunae Durant | 5-11 | WF | Bloomfield Tech | Newark, NJ | Hofstra |
97- Taryn Griffey | 5-6 | PG | Dr. Phillips | Orlando, FL | Arizona |
98- Jillian Dunston | 6-1 | SG | Holy Cross | Silver Spring, MD | Michigan |
99- Asia Robeson | 6-4 | PF | Central | Kalamazoo, MI | Auburn |
100- La’karis Salter | 6-0 | PF | FAMU | Tallahassee, FL | Miss. State |
101- Laura Ferreira | 5-11 | G | Portugal | Portugal | South Florida |
102- Taylor Gordon | 5-11 | WF | Mceachern | Powder Springs, GA | Wake Forest |
103- Amy Okonkwo | 6-1 | PF | Etiwanda | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | USC |
104- Morgan Green | 5-8 | PG | Pacific Collegiate | Rocklin, CA | Northwestern |
105- Aisha Edwards | 5-8 | SG | Coral Sp. Charter | Boca Raton, FL | Miami (FL) |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
106- Brea Stratton | 5-11 | SG | Leadership | Albany, NY | Providence |
107- Kaylee Johnson | 6-2 | PF | Natrona County | Casper, WY | Stanford |
108- Abrianna Porter | 6-2 | PF | Rock Bridge | Columbia, MO | Missouri |
109- Marte Grays | 6-3 | PF | M.L. King | Detroit, MI | DePaul |
110- Marquia Turner | 5-7 | PG | McKinley | North Canton, OH | Xavier |
111- Tyra Buss | 5-7 | PG | Mt. Carmel | Mt. Carmel, IL | Indiana |
112- Isis Young | 5-7 | PG | Trenton Catholic | Berlin, NJ | Florida |
113- Alexandra Louin | 6-0 | SG | Mt. St. Joseph’s | Doylestown, PA | Villanova |
114- Auteaonna Gilmore | 5-6 | PG | Capitol Christian | Ft. Washington, MD | Old Dominion |
115- Kaylee Page | 6-2 | PF | Wamego | Alma, KS | Nebraska |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
116- DeAshia Jones | 6-0 | PF | Malcolm Shabazz | Newark, NJ | Undecided |
117- Maria Backman | 6-2 | SG | Cardinal Spellman | Bronx, NY | Michigan |
118- Emily Durr | 6-0 | WF | Notre Dame | Barneveld, NY | Iowa State |
119- Anastacia Owens | 5-7 | PG | Lawrence North | Indianapolis, IN | Cincinnati |
120- Haley Lorenzen | 6-2 | C | Iowa City | Iowa City, IA | Florida |
121- Tyara Warren-Cox | 5-8 | SG | Plano West | Melissa, TX | West Virginia |
122- Dorothy Adomako | 6-0 | WF | Cosby | Moseley, VA | Georgetown |
123- Naje Gibson | 6-0 | PF | Seton LaSalle | McKees Rock, PA | Pittsburgh |
124- Justine Hall | 5-10 | SG | Regis Jesuit | Aurora, CO | Purdue |
125- Makayla Johnson | 6-4 | C | Dreher | Columbia, SC | Clemson |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
126- Briana Horrocks | 6-4 | C | Buford | Buford, GA | Purdue |
127- Jill Barta | 6-3 | F | Fairfield | Fairfield, MT | Gonzaga |
128- Doniyah Cliney | 5-8 | SG | Malcolm Shabazz | Newark, NJ | South Carolina |
129- Danielle Minott | 5-9 | SG | Country Day | Miami, FL | Syracuse |
130- Vionise Pierre-Louis | 6-4 | C | Grandview Prep | Lake Worth, FL | Oklahoma |
131- Charise Holloway | 5-9 | SG | St. Mary’s | Tracy, CA | Arizona |
132- Whitney Jennings | 5-5 | PG | Logansport | Logansport, IN | Iowa |
133- Tonoia Wade | 6-2 | SG | Kennedy | St. Paul, MN | St. John’s |
134- JaLea Bennett | 5-10 | SG | Timberview | Grand Prairie, TX | Arizona |
135- Bria Johnson | 5-9 | SG | Episcopal | Baton Rouge, LA | Auburn |
THE NEXT TEN | |||||
136- Brooke Copeland | 6-2 | WF | Bradley Cent. | Cleveland, TN | Florida |
137- Dominique Simpson | 5-9 | SG | Jones | Orlando, FL | West Virginia |
138- Haley Clark | 5-9 | PG | Edgewater | Orlando, FL | Georgia |
139- Atallah McKinney | 5-6 | PG | Home School | College Station, TX | UTEP |
140- Toree Thompson | 5-8 | SG | Broken Arrow | Broken Arrow, OK | Washington |
141- Khadedra Croker | 6-3 | C | Kings Fork | Suffolk, VA | Va. Tech |
142- Shantelle Valentine | 6-3 | PF | St. Roch | Ontario, Canada | Marquette |
143- Jenna Deemer | 5-7 | PG | Ursuline Acad. | New Orleans, LA | LSU |
144- Chloe Jackson | 5-8 | SG | Riverdale Baptist | Waldorf, MD | NC State |
145- Dani Akigbogun | 6-0 | PF | Regis Jesuit | Aurora, CO | Texas |
THE NEXT FIVE | |||||
146- Amarah Coleman | 5-9 | PG | Homewood Flossmoor | Bolingbrook, IL | Illinois |
147- Rolanda Hayes | 5-6 | PG | Viera | Melbourne, FL | Fla. Atlantic |
148- Jenna Burdette | 5-8 | PG | Eastern | Coolville, OH | Dayton |
149- Erin Garner | 6-4 | PF | Trenton Catholic | Philadelphia, PA | Ga. Tech |
150- Khalia Prather | 6-2 | PF | North Point | Waldorf, MD | Miami FL |