2024 Recruiting - WBB

As badly as we need a backup point guard, Justice Carlton is the most important recruit in this class. In my opinion she is the best player in this class in the country. I think her and 25'Aaliyah Chavez could be so important to the future of Texas WBB. Recruiting the State has never been more important.
 
Anyone have any idea how many 2024's we can take (assuming everyone stays)?
Found DFW_Horn's last roster and answered my own question. Assuming Kyndall doesn't return (probably a safe assumption at this point), then we'll have 7 ships' available for the 2024 class. That's 1/2 the team. So yeah, this class is pretty important.
 
Found DFW_Horn's last roster and answered my own question. Assuming Kyndall doesn't return (probably a safe assumption at this point), then we'll have 7 ships' available for the 2024 class. That's 1/2 the team. So yeah, this class is pretty important.
I'm expecting/hoping 3 super senior players to still be around for their fifth season in 2024-25 -- Gaston, Holle, and Faye. Obviously, that's not set in stone.

Moore, Harmon, Muhammad, Ndjakalenga, Codio, Maul, Booker, and Boutilier would most likely still be around. That's 8 more.

So, that leaves anywhere from 4-6 ships for the class of 2024 unless we add some incoming transfer(s) for next season which stay more than one season; we really need a backup PG (quick guard).

If the 3 super seniors stay for 2024-25, plus regular seniors in Moore and Harmon, it would be the 2025 class that could have 5 'ships available.
 
Here's a recent article the 5'6" PG, Jaloni Cambridge from Nashville, Tennessee.

Ensworth guard Jaloni Cambridge taking recruitment slow, not affected by No. 1 ranking

Cambridge is the #1 overall recruit for 2024 per ESPN Hoopgurlz. She had an unofficial visit to Texas in October. Although it will be a dog fight for her signature, Cambridge is very engaged on Instagram by "liking" posts from TxWBB, Rori Harmon, Elena Lovato, Sydney Carter and Gisella Maul, amoung others. Hopefully, Texas will make her top 5 as she narrows down her list of favorites.

Here are some of my favorite excerpts from the article;

Four months after she earned the ESPN Hoop Gurlz No. 1 ranking for the 2024 class, Cambridge is averaging 27 points, 3.5 steals, 7.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for the Ensworth Lady Tigers (18-3).

Offers have arrived from all the top programs — Baylor, Connecticut, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU, among others — but Cambridge doesn’t have a list of leaders. She has visited the likes of LSU, North Carolina, Texas, Baylor, Louisville, Florida and Kentucky since the fall, and two weeks ago visited the campus of defending national champion South Carolina.

So who do recruits view as the top programs these days?

Personally, Cambridge doesn’t mind the underdogs.

“For sure,” she said. “I’m not saying I’m not rooting for people who aren’t already at the top. Anything can happen in any sport. I just like the underdogs because it shows that any team can do something. I’ll go to whoever needs me.

“I’m just taking it slow. I’m in no rush. It’s cool to be able to talk to (schools). It’s not about basketball, I’m big on relationships. Getting to know that coach outside of basketball helps me see people differently.”

Cambridge still views herself as a pass-first point guard even though her scoring is way up from last year.

Cowles believes her star guard is handling the No. 1 ranking well.

“She’s handling it beautifully,” Cowles said, “I attribute that to also her mom and dad. They are unbelievable people and have done such a beautiful job in raising her, and also raising her in this game. She loves it. There are a lot of really good players out there who get tired of it. I truly believe Jaloni Cambridge loves the game of basketball.”


This clip from a game that was played two weeks ago provides a short snapshot of Jaloni's style of play.

 
Justice Carlton was at last nights game I have a feeling she loves Texas
Her mom, Kacy Moffitt, has a story with video of the Texas pre-game show at Moody on her Instagram page. A recruit driving in 2 hours for a game on a Wednesday night during their own high school basketball season is a great sign of her interest, IMO. I believe Seven Lakes H.S. has qualified for the playoffs.
 
At the luncheon Wednesday, Vic talked about the state of recruiting in general, without being name specific (of course).

He mentioned a highly ranked point guard; a Texas priority who is returning the interest. He's hopeful she wants to play with Rori during Rori's last season to learn from her and Vic's system. So I'm assuming this has to be a 2024 recruit and most likely Jaloni.

Vic also talked about recruiting internationally. He recruited two players from Australia to MSU. One turned out to be very good and the other was not. He believes Europeans/Australians are typically "finesse" style players. That style and his defense-first approach are usually not compatible, so he's cautious.

Cambridge, Carlton, and Tac would be quite the haul.
 
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At the luncheon Wednesday, Vic talked about the state of recruiting in general, without being name specific (of course).

He mentioned a highly ranked point guard; a Texas priority who is returning the interest. He's hopeful she wants to play with Rori during Rori's last season to learn from her and Vic's system. So I'm assuming this has to be a 2024 recruit and most likely Jaloni.

Vic also talked about recruiting internationally. He recruited two players from Australia to MSU. One turned out to be very good and the other was not. He believes Europeans/Australians are typically "finesse" style players. That style and his defense-first approach are usually not compatible, so he's cautious.

Cambridge, Carlton, and Tac would be quite the haul.

Our move to the SEC should help with the recruitment of Cambridge. Her family lives in Nashville and her older sister currently plays basketball at Kentucky. Her older brothers previously played basketball at Auburn and Vanderbilt. The Cambridge family is very familiar with the SEC and since they live in Nashville, they will be in closer proximity to watch Jaloni play our new SEC rivals once we make the move to the SEC.
 
At the luncheon Wednesday, Vic talked about the state of recruiting in general, without being name specific (of course).

He mentioned a highly ranked point guard; a Texas priority who is returning the interest. He's hopeful she wants to play with Rori during Rori's last season to learn from her and Vic's system. So I'm assuming this has to be a 2024 recruit and most likely Jaloni.

Vic also talked about recruiting internationally. He recruited two players from Australia to MSU. One turned out to be very good and the other was not. He believes Europeans/Australians are typically "finesse" style players. That style and his defense-first approach are usually not compatible, so he's cautious.

Cambridge, Carlton, and Tac would be quite the haul.
Jaloni = ASGR's top rated defensive disruptor:
 
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Looks like Taliya Parker visited today. By my count, this was her second unofficial visit to Texas.


So, what do we know about Parker? You are right that it's her second unofficial visit to Texas; first was for a home game in early December (although she surprisingly didn't post anything about it on her social media that I recall).

Based on her Instagram, she had visited LSU in September, and Baylor in October. No other posts about visits until this post about her visit to Texas (for an actual game).
 
South Grand Prairie plays Denton Braswell Thursday at 6 pm in Coppell. I’ll give a scouting report on Parker afterwards. SGP is a state favorite. Denton Braswell just beat a good Flower Mound team with Boutilier and Cox. Wish Tac was still playing but SGP should still be favorite. I hate to miss Coppell vs Highland Park but at same time. Hope Parker stands out and becomes a Horn.
 
So, what do we know about Parker? You are right that it's her second unofficial visit to Texas; first was for a home game in early December (although she surprisingly didn't post anything about it on her social media that I recall).

Based on her Instagram, she had visited LSU in September, and Baylor in October. No other posts about visits until this post about her visit to Texas (for an actual game).

From a little digging, Parker's Twitter account shows that in 2021 she visited, OU, OSU, Baylor and Eastern Michigan. In 2022/23 she made a second visit to Baylor and stopped by LSU and Texas (twice). She holds offers from Baylor, OU, OSU, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, UCLA Eastern Michigan, Miami, Kentucky, A&M, and others. She retweeted two Tweets of Bella Fontleroy (Baylor) being named Big 12 Freshman of the Week (twice). (Although I'm not 100% certain, she and Bella may have a connection from playing on the same AIA basketball team.)

Although Parker is is a great offensive player, it is her defensive skills and mindset that are a great fit for Vic's style of play. Several of Parker's HUDL highlight videos have the following names which emphasize her defensive play, "5 fast break points against Putnam City", "6 steals vs Del City", "3 fast breaks against Ponca City", etc..

Here are a couple of snippets from an article from the Ohio Basketball Live blog.

Standing at 6’1, she is a great height for a dominate lead guard at the high school level and beyond. She plays the game with tremendous poise and does not get rattled when she has the ball in her hand. Parker has an elite level understanding of the game and can play multiple positions on the floor. Scoring may not be her first instinct, but she can pile up points in a hurry once she gets rolling. She has great vision and puts her teammates in position to score when she delivers passes. She is physically gifted and does not mind taking on contact at the rim. Parker is a great finisher once she gets to the paint and can put the ball in the hoop with either hand.

Defensively she can guard any position on the floor if her teams need her to. She gets a lot of her transition highlights from being able to read passing lanes and get steals that lead to fast break points. She uses her body well to box out and frequently finds herself in situations where she is the leading rebounder on her squad.

Greg Riddle at the Dallas Morning News wrote an article on South Grand Prairie at the start of basketball season. This is how the SGP coach describes Parker.

SGP has added five-star guard Taliyah Parker, a transfer from Putnam City West in Oklahoma. The 6-1 Parker is ranked as the sixth-best junior in the nation by ESPN’s HoopGurlz.

“It’s huge. She is going to help us a bunch,” South Grand Prairie coach Brion Raven said. “She is super athletic, she is very unselfish with the ball. She is a phenomenal passer. She has probably always had a tag as a scorer, but she can facilitate and distribute the ball. She is a great team player. And defensively, she is off the charts. She can guard 94 by 50. She is the real deal.”


Here are a couple of highlight videos that show why so many schools are competing for Parker's committment. (Adhel Tac is also shown in the videos. Tac is #15)



 
With TxWBB having a bye week, our coaches will be on the road recruiting. I expect the coaches will be watching some of our 2024 recruiting targets at the following playoff games;

Taliyah Parker:
Februrary 16th: South Grand Prairie vs Braswell

Justice Carlton:
February 17th: Seven Lakes vs Memorial

Jaloni Cambridge:
February 17th: Ensworth vs ?

For those interested in Texas Girls Highschool Basketball playoffs, here's a link to the brackets.

2023 UIL Texas Girls State Basketball Championships (2023 Girls BB 6A Reg. 3 & 4) - MaxPreps
 
Great game tonight in Coppell. SGP beat Denton Braswell by 12. DB has a VERY good team……Down by 3 with 3 minutes to go in third period. SGP pressed and immediately ran off 6 points and that was about the game. SGP is simply extremely talented. Quickness from guards/forwards is a 10. Extreme pressure outside pushes offense way out. Will be a tough out in the playoffs. They won’t give up many uncontested threes. As for Parker, here are some descriptors from my fair and biased mind. Parker is a 10 athletically. Long, quick and fast. Defensively is a difference maker. Passing is a 9. Unselfish. Shooting perhaps a 6 although didn’t take enough to get a good read. Offensively, Lets the game come to her rather than forcing the action. Don’t know how many points…..guessing about 12-15. Perhaps on a different team without so many good players, she would and need to do more. Early on wasn’t sure about her impact but she came on later. She’s more a glue player than charismatic star. She makes her teammates better and is a good teammate. Plays the 3 or 2 position in that order. Temperament is good with excellent body language. Just about any coach would love to have her. Would fit in Schaefer’s pressure defense really well. Would need to work on her shooting and overall offensive game. It’s anybody’s guess where she’s rated in the country for 2024 If forced to testify would say 35. I may change my mind if I get to see another game. The above and and 51 cents will get you a senior coffee at McDonald’s.
 
Great game tonight in Coppell. SGP beat Denton Braswell by 12. DB has a VERY good team……Down by 3 with 3 minutes to go in third period. SGP pressed and immediately ran off 6 points and that was about the game. SGP is simply extremely talented. Quickness from guards/forwards is a 10. Extreme pressure outside pushes offense way out. Will be a tough out in the playoffs. They won’t give up many uncontested threes. As for Parker, here are some descriptors from my fair and biased mind. Parker is a 10 athletically. Long, quick and fast. Defensively is a difference maker. Passing is a 9. Unselfish. Shooting perhaps a 6 although didn’t take enough to get a good read. Offensively, Lets the game come to her rather than forcing the action. Don’t know how many points…..guessing about 12-15. Perhaps on a different team without so many good players, she would and need to do more. Early on wasn’t sure about her impact but she came on later. She’s more a glue player than charismatic star. She makes her teammates better and is a good teammate. Plays the 3 or 2 position in that order. Temperament is good with excellent body language. Just about any coach would love to have her. Would fit in Schaefer’s pressure defense really well. Would need to work on her shooting and overall offensive game. It’s anybody’s guess where she’s rated in the country for 2024 If forced to testify would say 35. I may change my mind if I get to see another game. The above and and 51 cents will get you a senior coffee at McDonald’s.
Were any college coaches in attendance?
 

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