2023 Recruiting - WBB

CreakyHorn said:
Can someone refresh my memory? I thought she was recruited by the previous coach but was perhaps not such a great fit with the current. Is she being recruited by Vic?
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I believe Sammie committed to Baylor when she was in 8th grade. Her dad is a Baylor alum and her mom is an A&M alum. They were 110% Baylor when Kim was the coach. Sammie had an unofficial to Baylor after Colleen was hired so they had a chance.

Yes, Vic is recruiting Sammie. She and her parents visited Texas over the summer.
 
Some rumors/speculation that 6'5 volleyball/basketball recruit Maggie Mendelson out of Utah was visiting this weekend. Supposedly spotted at the football game.

She is being followed by Coach Calamity on Instagram.
 
Moooooo said:
Some rumors/speculation that 6'5 volleyball/basketball recruit Maggie Mendelson out of Utah was visiting this weekend. Supposedly spotted at the football game.

She is being followed by Coach Calamity on Instagram.
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Surprised to hear she was on campus. Much discussion on the volleyball discussion board about her. However, the crowd-think is that any school she pledges to would have to counter her as a WBB scholarship player, not a volleyball one. And then, the both coaches at that school would have to be okay with sharing this player across the whole year (wear and tear concerns). Some schools like Wisconsin and Nebraska want her badly. It's said it's down to Nebraska & Texas, and then they tossed in a "Oh and there's Stanford". Stanford makes sense because they're good at both sports. (like Texas)
 
racerx5908 said:
Surprised to hear she was on campus. Much discussion on the volleyball discussion board about her. However, the crowd-think is that any school she pledges to would have to counter her as a WBB scholarship player, not a volleyball one. And then, the both coaches at that school would have to be okay with sharing this player across the whole year (wear and tear concerns). Some schools like Wisconsin and Nebraska want her badly. It's said it's down to Nebraska & Texas, and then they tossed in a "Oh and there's Stanford". Stanford makes sense because they're good at both sports. (like Texas)
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Mendelson is a legitimate talent at both sports. Maggie has been selected to represent the Team USA squads in both basketball and volleyball. ESPN Hoopgurlz 2023 rankings, has her listed as the #20 overall player in the nation and the #5 Post in the nation.

Here are a few snippets from an August 2021 article posted in KSM.com

Fremont's Maggie Mendelson gets opportunity to represent Team USA junior national teams

USA Basketball held team trials for 34 of the top players across the country for its U16 team in June where Mendelson received one of the 12 roster spots. USA Volleyball held its trials for 24 girls in July and recently announced the final roster for their U18 team. Mendelson, again, was extended the invitation to join the 12-member team.

"Anybody that's going to be that good at anything, especially when you have to be sharing between the two sports in basketball and volleyball, you've got to be really good at sacrificing and being really disciplined with your time," Fremont girls basketball coach Lisa Dalebout said. "Her work ethic is elite. Her ability to sacrifice and do what she's got to do to take care of her body and use time efficiently is pretty unique."

Her sophomore year for volleyball was pretty similar: another region title, another semifinal appearance and another first team recipient. In total, she had 417 kills, a .318 hitting percentage, 132 digs and 37 blocks. Basketball was a different story.

After teammate and Oregon State commit Timea Gardiner went out with an injury, Mendelson stepped up and became a crucial piece in Fremont's state title run. On the season, Mendelson averaged 14.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.9 blocks, leading her team to a perfect 26-0 record. The team after their dominant season-long performance received an invite to the GEICO National Tournament.

In the comments in the article, someone posted the following:

My daughter played with her in Jr. High and those teams were so dominant most games were over by half time and Maggie wouldn't even play the second half, in basketball anyway. Half time scores were 40 point games or more. She is tall and is very skilled. Some tall kids are not very skilled but Maggie is a good all around player on both offense and defense.

I hope if Coach Elliott and Coach Vic are both interested in her, they can work something out with her playing both sports. Scholarships are a prized possession so having to share a player with another sport isn't ideal for either coach. It also takes a toll on the body of the player, especially at the college level.

It will be interesting to watch. Hopefully, we'll get verification if she was on campus for an unofficial visit.
 
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racerx5908 said:
And then, the both coaches at that school would have to be okay with sharing this player across the whole year (wear and tear concerns). Stanford makes sense because they're good at both sports. (like Texas)
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Except that according to Stanford fans, Tara Vandeveer doesn't want to share her hoops players with volleyball. That surprises me because she did share many years ago (Kristin Folkl, for one example); but, it's been a long time.

Texas did it when Karen Aston was around for Sarah Hattis. And, Aston even helped put Khat Bell on hoops scholarship in order for volleyball to make room for a January transfer.
 
While the scholarship roster is fluid, I don't know if Texas would have a scholarship for Mendelson if she only wanted to play volleyball since Elliott already has verbal commitments from five 2023 recruits.

In hoops, I think post players are at a premium. So, if Mendelson is as good as her ranking, I can't see Vic turning her down (as she provides 5 more fouls a game to rebound and defend, at a minimum). While Vic does have a commitment from 2023 Abbie Boutilier, and obviously pursuing Breya Cunningham, adding someone like Mendelson really helps the frontcourt as it doesn't seem we're adding much in the post for 2022 (other than Amina, who looks pretty slender, IMO).

I think (like my opinion matters) a good compromise would be for Vic to have Mendelson for her entire freshman season as hoops probably needs her more to help in the post (as volleyball will be loaded at middle blocker). Give her the summer and fall to focus specifically on hoops. After the initial season comes to a conclusion, she may have learned more about herself and if she wants to play both sports her second year, or focus only on one.
 
This is the scholarship count for volleyball, which is limited to 12. The * represents guesses as to walk-ons. Next year the number of players on supposed scholarship is 13, which means that it is assumed that one or more players will transfer at the end of this year.
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It's all a guess in volleyball about walk-ons. But if you don't know volleyball recruiting, recently Texas VB kinda got a "grand slam" in recruiting with some big name commits in 2022 and 2023.

Miller might be a walk-on. But unsure.
 
LutherIsMyDog said:
Mendelson is a legitimate talent at both sports. Maggie has been selected to represent the Team USA squads in both basketball and volleyball. ESPN Hoopgurlz 2023 rankings, has her listed as the #20 overall player in the nation and the #5 Post in the nation.

Here are a few snippets from an August 2021 article posted in KSM.com

Fremont's Maggie Mendelson gets opportunity to represent Team USA junior national teams

USA Basketball held team trials for 34 of the top players across the country for its U16 team in June where Mendelson received one of the 12 roster spots. USA Volleyball held its trials for 24 girls in July and recently announced the final roster for their U18 team. Mendelson, again, was extended the invitation to join the 12-member team.

"Anybody that's going to be that good at anything, especially when you have to be sharing between the two sports in basketball and volleyball, you've got to be really good at sacrificing and being really disciplined with your time," Fremont girls basketball coach Lisa Dalebout said. "Her work ethic is elite. Her ability to sacrifice and do what she's got to do to take care of her body and use time efficiently is pretty unique."

Her sophomore year for volleyball was pretty similar: another region title, another semifinal appearance and another first team recipient. In total, she had 417 kills, a .318 hitting percentage, 132 digs and 37 blocks. Basketball was a different story.

After teammate and Oregon State commit Timea Gardiner went out with an injury, Mendelson stepped up and became a crucial piece in Fremont's state title run. On the season, Mendelson averaged 14.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.9 blocks, leading her team to a perfect 26-0 record. The team after their dominant season-long performance received an invite to the GEICO National Tournament.

In the comments in the article, someone posted the following:

My daughter played with her in Jr. High and those teams were so dominant most games were over by half time and Maggie wouldn't even play the second half, in basketball anyway. Half time scores were 40 point games or more. She is tall and is very skilled. Some tall kids are not very skilled but Maggie is a good all around player on both offense and defense.

I hope if Coach Elliott and Coach Vic are both interested in her, they can work something out with her playing both sports. Scholarships are a prized possession so having to share a player with another sport isn't ideal for either coach. It also takes a toll on the body of the player, especially at the college level.

It will be interesting to watch. Hopefully, we'll get verification if she was on campus for an unofficial visit.
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I was at the game and can confirm she was there. A few other volleyball commits were at the game and she seemed to be with both basketball and volleyball girls. She even began to follow a 5 star recruit who was on his visit so I assume they were all hanging together.
 
Jacob Johnson said:
I was at the game and can confirm she was there. A few other volleyball commits were at the game and she seemed to be with both basketball and volleyball girls. She even began to follow a 5 star recruit who was on his visit so I assume they were all hanging together.
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Don't be shy. Give us some names. :D
 
Moooooo said:
Spare no identities.
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Well it wasn't too much I was kind of in a rush.

Women's basketball: Amina Muhammad, Jordana Codio, Maggie Mendelson, and I believe Sammie Wagner( I couldn't make out her face from where I was.

Men's basketball: 5 star Dillon Mitchell

Volleyball: Ella Swindle is the one I saw. I really didn't see much volleyball players.

There were a few others but I'm not really good with faces unless I really follow that recruit.
(on social media, I promise I'm not a stalker).
 
While I'm not surprised that Sammi Wagner was visiting unofficially, I am surprised she'd come this weekend with it being Homecoming at Baylor and her Dad being a former football player at Baylor; perhaps the family took separate trips this weekend.
 
Moooooo said:
Some rumors/speculation that 6'5 volleyball/basketball recruit Maggie Mendelson out of Utah was visiting this weekend. Supposedly spotted at the football game.

She is being followed by Coach Calamity on Instagram.
Click to expand...

FWIW, Mendelson follows Coach Vic and Coach Elliott on IG. Probably not a big deal but it definitely doesn’t hurt either.
 
DFW_Horn said:
Coach McEntire checking out Hoover HS - #11 overall, PG Reniya Kelly.

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I don’t recall if this has been mentioned, but we extended an offer Reniya Kelly. We have two offers out to 2023 point guards; Reniya Kelly (#11on ESPN HoopGurlz) and Hannah Hildago (#18 on ESPN Hoopgurlz).
 
CreakyHorn said:
Which coach is recruiting her? Vic or Jerrit?
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Both and she has stated she wants to play volleyball and basketball but I know many of the top schools recruiting her have stated that she needs to pick 1 sport. Texas has not so if she comes to Texas it will be very difficult to manage the work of our volleyball and women’s basketball teams.
 
DFW_Horn said:
Anyone have a DMN subscription?;)
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I'll cut and paste from the article:

DESOTO — DeSoto won the first girls basketball state title in school history last season, winning the state final in a rout against a Cypress Creek team that had two McDonald’s All-Americans and was ranked No. 7 in the nation.

This season’s DeSoto team might be even better. Even though DeSoto lost Houston signee Kendall Brown, The Dallas Morning News’ All-Area Player of the Year.

That’s because guards Ja’Mia Harris and Michayla Gatewood return from torn ACLs. Both players are committed to Kansas State, and they are two of the seven DeSoto players who are committed to Division I schools.

“We’ll get to all play together for the first time really in three years,” coach Andrea Robinson said. “I’m hoping that we’ll get to see the greatness that we’ve been waiting to see. Hopefully we’ll be better.”

Gatewood, a tenacious defender, missed six months recovering from her ACL injury, and that was after she had been sidelined for eight months prior to that because of a stress fracture. Never once did she think about giving up basketball.

“That never crossed my mind,” she said. “I feel great. I feel like we’re going to have a great season. We’re still hungry.”

Harris was DeSoto’s leading scorer until she got hurt midway through last season. It took eight months of rehab, but she’s back on the court and is looking to regain her form from her sophomore season, when she averaged a team-best 15 points per game and was her district’s offensive MVP.

“I feel great,” Harris said. “I’m just looking to come back better than I was before I got hurt.”

DeSoto can hurt opponents in so many different ways, but it has arguably the best frontcourt in the state with 6-4 LSU pledge Sa’Myah Smith, 6-5 Kentucky pledge Tionna Herron and 6-4 Texas pledge Amina Muhammad. That trio combined to average 35 points and 28 rebounds last season, and Smith averaged 13 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and three assists.

“That much size is really unusual,” Robinson said. “Having three bigs is going to be fun. They just have to stay healthy.”

DeSoto is the only school in the state that has more than one player ranked among the top 100 recruits in the nation in the Class of 2022 by ESPN’s HoopGurlz. DeSoto has three such players, with Smith (No. 57), Muhammad (No. 62) and Herron (No. 68), and that is why it will be the favorite to win state again.

That and the fact that it can bring Division I recruits off the bench. Jiya Perry and Ayanna Thompson didn’t start for DeSoto last season, but Perry is committed to SMU and Thompson is committed to Mississippi. Perry, Smith and Gatewood played AAU basketball together this summer, so they already have great chemistry for a DeSoto program that is 60-5 over the last two seasons, including 28-2 last season.

DeSoto’s district is tough enough, with 11-time state champion Duncanville and 2021 regional semifinalist Cedar Hill. But DeSoto will test itself against the best in the nation outside of district play, traveling to Washington, D.C. for the Capitol Invitational and She Got Game event, competing in the ESPN Showcase in Minnesota and playing Florida’s Montverde Academy in the Thanksgiving Hoopfest.

DeSoto will be the biggest game on the schedule for most of its opponents. DeSoto is ready for the challenge.

“Anybody who plays against us, it’s like their state championship game,” Smith said.

“Getting back [to state], everybody says it’s so hard,” Harris added. “We have to work to get back there. We can’t relax. We have to still be hungry.”

Players to watch
Abbie Boutilier, Flower Mound: The junior post player came off the bench last season and averaged only 4 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks, but she is committed to Texas. Boutilier — who stands 6-9 — is expected to have a breakout season. She is ranked by ASGR Basketball as the 36th-best player in the nation in the Class of 2023.

Savannah Catalon, Mansfield Legacy: The 5-7 junior guard was the District 8-5A MVP and an all-state selection after averaging 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals for a 27-2 team that reached the 5A Region I semifinals. Catalon surpassed 1,000 career points while she was a sophomore.

Breanna Davis, Red Oak: The 5-6 all-state point guard, who is committed to North Texas, was the District 14-5A MVP last season. Davis ranked third in the Dallas area in scoring (22.4 points per game) and No. 1 in assists (7.3 per game) while averaging 6.2 rebounds for a 28-6 team that reached the Class 5A Region II semifinals. Red Oak added a key transfer — senior point guard Dejarae Thomas, who was on Pinkston’s state semifinalist team last season.

Kylie Marshall, Mansfield Lake Ridge: The 5-11 junior guard is a four-star recruit and is rated the second-best player in Texas and the 30th-best player in the nation in the Class of 2023 by ESPN’s HoopGurlz.

Alisa Williams, Denton Braswell: The 6-2 senior guard/forward is committed to LSU after flipping her commitment from TCU in May. She averaged 18.5 points and 7 rebounds for a Braswell team that was the No. 3 seed from District 5-6A.

Teams to watch
Argyle: After reaching the state tournament seven years in a row from 2014 through 2020 — and winning five state titles in that span — Argyle lost in the third round of the playoffs last season. Caroline Lyles has offers from multiple Division I schools, and Madi Lumsden and Ashlin Crabtree have Division II offers. Lumsden, a 5-8 junior guard, averaged 13 points and 4 assists last season, and Crabtree, a 5-10 junior guard, averaged 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Lyles, a 6-0 senior guard, is a move-in from Arkansas. She is one of four transfers that Argyle added, along with 6-1 junior forward Savannah Bennett and 5-8 junior guard Maya Bland from California and 5-11 sophomore forward Mallory Millington from Indiana.

Bishop Lynch: UT-San Antonio pledge Madison Cockrell was a first-team all-state selection after averaging 12.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.7 steals as Bishop Lynch won the TAPPS 6A state title. It was the program’s 30th state championship. Coach Andy Zihlman led Bishop Lynch to a 27-4 record last season and has a career record of 1,071-342 — all at Bishop Lynch. Louisiana Tech pledge Ayen Angoi, a 6-0 senior forward/post player, averaged 7 points and 6 rebounds.

Duncanville: The 11-time state champion won the Class 6A state title in 2020 and then reached the Class 6A Region II final last season. Junior guard Tristen Taylor was a first-team all-area selection last season after averaging 14.4 points, 3.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 4.0 steals for a 28-3 team. Three-star recruit Kiersten Johnson, a 6-3 senior, is committed to Oklahoma and is rated by ESPN’s HoopGurlz as the 24th-best forward in the nation in the Class of 2022. All-state guard Victoria Flores, who averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals last season, transferred from Class 4A state semifinalist Pinkston to Duncanville.

Frisco Liberty: Liberty has reached the state tournament three years in a row, finishing as the runner-up in 2019 and 2021 and winning the 5A state title in 2020. Senior point guard/shooting guard Jazzy Owens-Barnett, committed to Rice, came back from a ruptured Achilles tendon and averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists for a 22-9 team to earn all-state honors. She was the MVP of the 2020 title game, when Liberty won the first basketball state championship in Frisco ISD history. Liberty returns five of its top seven players from last season’s team, a group that includes Kamen Wong, Ashley Anderson, Journee Chambers and Jezelle Jolie Moreno. Liberty has three to four “legit point guards,” and it will have size coming off the bench. “We’ve got two 5-10 kids and a 6-2 kid, which for us is gigantic,” coach Ross Reedy said. “We’ve never had that kind of size.”

Plano East: After reaching a regional final for the first time since 1993, Plano East returns a pair of Division I recruits — 5-10 all-state forward Donavia Hall (committed to SMU) and 5-9 point guard Kayla Cooper (committed to Oklahoma). They combined to average 22 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals last season for a 21-4 team. There is a new head coach, as Jessica Linson left to become the coach at South Oak Cliff and was replaced by Derrick Richardson. Plano East lost four players who transferred in the offseason — guard Tiana Amos (South Oak Cliff), small forward Tania Amos (South Oak Cliff), power forward Taylor Haggan (Plano John Paul II) and guard Nevaeh Zavala (Royse City).
 
I’m still shocked Abbie came off the bench. Granted she has drastically got better this past summer but she is still 6’9. Even though she wasn’t much of a scoring threat last season she still was a big defensive presence. Can’t wait to see her breakout this season.
 
Not 'gonna be the most popular opinion, but Abbie was a head-scratcher for me. It will make more sense if Vic is confident of Mendelson in '22 or Cunningham in '23. We should know about Mendelson in a few days.
 
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