LSU, UNC, Stanford lead the early class rankings
Credit to Author: Shane Laflin| Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2024 15:11:47 EST
We are a week away from the early signing period for class of 2025.
Eighty-eight of the ESPN 100 prospects have already committed to 50 different programs thus far. Six conferences are represented: the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, Big East and Ivy League.
We are still awaiting the announcements from a handful of the top 20.
No. 1 Aaliyah Chavez is considering Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, UCLA and South Carolina.
No. 4 Agot Makeer is looking at UConn, South Carolina, Michigan State and Kentucky.
No. 14 Deniya Prawl is down to Baylor, Notre Dame and Tennessee.
No. 15 Kaelyn Carroll is considering a list that includes South Carolina, North Carolina and Kentucky.
High-impact Australian Lara Somfai (No. 16) will decide among Duke, Stanford and UConn.
As of today, LSU, Miami and Alabama each have four ESPN 100 commitments. Eight other programs already have three top-100 commitments. Thirteen have two top-100 commits.
While we expect the final 12 commitments of this group to move the needle when they do announce, who are the early Top 10 Recruiting Classes?
No. 6 F Grace Knox
No. 12 PG Divine Bourrage
No. 13 G ZaKiyah Johnson
No. 30 G Isabella Hines
Kim Mulkey has landed three of the best perimeter players plus one of the most productive forwards in the country thus far from the 2025 class. They will complement each other and provide a punch from all angles, with some versatility inside sprinkled in.
Knox competes intensely on the defensive end and attacks the glass with a high energy. She has advanced rim-attacking skills with the ball and can shoot, with a range that goes out beyond the 3.
Bourrage is dynamic off the bounce and can create her own shot well as well as get to the rim. She has proven to be an effective facilitator in the transition game.
Johnson is a 6-foot guard who is strong and also aggressive to the rim. She can slash for the pull-up but also post up and score. Defensively, she brings a physical presence to the perimeter, causing chaos in passing lanes.
Hines hunts shots well in the early offense or in the half court coming off of screens. She is a threat from 3 and has a nice pull-up jumper.
No. 20 W Nyla Brooks
No. 23 W Taliyah Henderson
No. 76 G Taisa Queiroz
Coach Courtney Banghart has landed some serious athleticism in this class. This group will allow UNC to increase the ball pressure on the defensive end, play a multitude of schemes and attack the paint aggressively. They should pair nicely with the Tar Heels’ interior players and point guard (Ciera Toomey, Blanca Thomas and Lanie Grant, respectively) when they arrive on campus next fall.
Brooks is a slashing wing with a serious pull-up jumper. She is lengthy and impactful on the defensive end.
Henderson, from Tucson, Arizona, is a versatile forward who saw her perimeter game blossom this summer before sustaining a knee injury.
Queiroz excels in transition and bullies her way to the rim.
No. 9 PG Hailee Swain
No. 31 F Alexandra Eschmeyer
No. 84 F Nora Ezike
W Carly Amborn (unranked)
Kate Paye has solidified four commitments already since taking over the program from Tara VanDerveer. This is a well-balanced class with two perimeter players and two for the inside, all of whom bring something different to the table.
Swain has two years of USA Basketball experience under her belt already. She’s one of the premier defenders in the country and has a fantastic game off the bounce.
Eschmeyer is one of the premier centers in a class that lacks bigs. She is long and mobile with the ability to stretch the floor from the 3.
Ezike is active defensively and on the glass. She has some serious upside.
The unranked Amborn is a four-star wing with length who shoots it well — a tradition at Stanford.
No. 27 PG Kelis Fisher
No. 73 P Gandy Malou-Mamel
W Blanca Quiñonez (Ecuador)
UConn’s class thus far is long and athletic; all three are known for their defensive prowess. The perimeter players excel in transition, and the potential return in post play has a high upside.
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Geno Auriemma tapped into the international market for UConn’s top commitment thus far in Quiñonez, who would safely be a top-25 player in America. She is an athletic slasher who is disruptive defensively, and skilled enough to knock down perimeter shots. She has gained FIBA international experience all over the world and currently resides in Italy.
Fisher excels in the transition game and has terrific defensive impact with ball pressure and getting in passing lanes.
Malou-Mamel is long and mobile with good hands and feel for the game from the post position. She has a dedicated energy for the offensive glass and patrols the paint defensively.
No. 36 G Camille Williams
No. 54 G Danielle Osho
No. 79 F Natalie Wetzel
No. 93 G Meredith Tippner
Four-star W Emmanuella “Somo” Okolo (unranked)
What a splash first-year head coach Tricia Cullop has made on the recruiting trail. Miami has added elements of a very foundational class that should serve the program well into the future.
Williams can score from three levels. She has shown steady mature improvement throughout high school, which led to a breakthrough summer.
Osho is a physical small forward who brings energy defensively and is a quality passer and 3-point shooter.
Wetzel was one of the major stock-risers of the country. A 6-3 forward with versatile game, she is consistent, from the post to beyond the 3-point line.
Tippner can aggressively play on or off the ball. She excels in transition facilitation and the pull-up jumper.
The four-star Okolo, out of Texas, is one of the more athletic forwards in the class. Still raw skill-wise, she brings an element of physicality and upside that will be developed into something far more beneficial than her current rating as a player.
No. 10 G Jordan Speiser
No. 46 G Aniya Foy
Unranked PG Gina Garcia Safont (Spain)
K-State’s commits will all bring something different to the table. They fit each other, and the program style of play, very well.
Jeff Mittie landed the best shooter in the country in Speiser, who was on an absolute heater all summer. She added the ability to take contact on drives to her offensive attack and it balanced out her game.
Foy should complement Speiser very well. Foy’s a slashing elite athlete who shows promise in her shooting. She is explosive to the rim and disruptive defensively and on the glass.
Garcia Safot, a 5-9 Spanish point guard, is a traditionally fundamental game manager and distributor, averaging high assist numbers in her FIBA experience throughout the years.
No. 25 PG Destiny Jackson
No. 40 F Cearah Parchment
No. 61 F Manuella Alves-Fernandez
Unranked G Erica Finney (Australia)
Coach Shauna Green likes to play a space-and-pace style; three of these commits fit the mold while the fourth, a formidable F/P, will help in the paint. This class fills an important need at the point guard position and adds depth to a versatile forward group.
Jackson really pushes the ball well. She brings heavy ball pressure defensively and is creative off the bounce to the rim.
Parchment is a finesse stretch-4 forward who brings a nice glue quality to the floor. She made a strong commitment to the glass this summer and raised her stock.
Alves-Fernandez is broad and strong with a soft touch. She has a nice old-school game and is effective with her back to the basket because of her footwork and ability to finish in the paint. She is physical defensively and active on the glass.
A 6-foot Australian guard, Finney is an elite shooter both off the dribble and in catch-and-shoot situations. She has nice footwork and change of pace to the rim and is a gritty competitor.
No. 38 G Jaylah Lampley
No. 39 F Madison Francis
No. 95 F Nataliyah Gray
Coach Sam Purcell has some serious length and athleticism and energy coming to Starkville in 2025. Perfect for the SEC style of play. They’ll allow Purcell to play bigger lineups and increase the pace of play with defensive intensity next season.
Lampley is a “three and D” specialist as a 6-1 forward/wing. She is very versatile defensively and spaces the floor for the spot-up 3, complemented by a slashing ability.
Francis has as much upside at the forward position as any player in the country. She brings a physical element to the game with her ability to run the floor and her activity level on the glass. She can be one of the best defensive players in the country in the future.
Gray’s stock rose during the summer as she expanded her game from the paint to beyond the 3-point line. A consistent competitive motor sets her apart.
No. 21 F Brynn McGaughy
No. 68 G Brynleigh Martin
No. 71 W Nina Cain
Each of these players brings something different to Tina Langley’s program but will mesh well together. They join a program with seasoned guard play.
McGaughy can play the physical and finesse game. At 6-2, she can play off the bounce or bang in the post.
Martin is a 6-foot sharpshooter, a solid decision-maker and a facilitator who can make plays off the bounce creating for teammates.
Cain attacks the glass and brings a real blue-collar approach to the floor. She excels on the offensive glass and is starting to shoot the 3 better.
No. 51 F Lourdes Da Silva Costa
No. 55 PG Ace Austin
No. 94 G Tianna Chambers
No. 97 F Joy Egbuna
Coach Kristi Curry has a very impactful class that adds talent to the Tide’s roster, inside and out.
Da Silva Costa has a nice touch out to the top of the key. She is a good passer and screener and understands the game very well. Physical on the glass with scoring ability in and around the paint and post areas, Lourdes has the kind of IQ and glue effect to make others better around her.
Austin is an in-state proven winner. She is a floor general who is an exceptional passer and plays with a contagious high motor.
Chambers is a multisport athlete who missed the summer with an injury but should be back to the court soon. She has a strong build as a guard, and her game includes quality floor vision and facilitation, with an ability to get to her spots to knock down jumpers.
Egbuna, who comes from Texas, had a stock-rising summer as her motor really improved to go along with a huge upside.
Also considered: Michigan Wolverines, Iowa Hawkeyes, Creighton Bluejays