After a great call with @CoachMeganDuffy, I'm extremely blessed and thankful to have received an offer from Virginia Tech! @HokiesWBB @BillTorg @TeamCurry @SheIsCoachAsh pic.twitter.com/2Jxw4Qjdwz— Kate Sears (@Kate_sears12) April 12, 2024
Kate Sears
PG, 5'9 140 lbs
Team Curry
Class of 26
She was one of 11 finalists for North Carolina Player of the Year as a sophomore
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Kamryn Kitchen
Combo Guard
4* 91 Ranking on ESPN
5'9 130 lbs
Charlotte NC
Team Curry
Class of 25
NCSA Profile
Last season
Points/Game 14.5
Free Throw 78%
Field Goal 51%
Rebounds/Game 4
Assists/Game 5
Last domino - Clara Silva to UK
Good for her. I wish her an injury free, but ultimately disappointing career playing for Kenny.
Ugh.
Lauren Hurst
5* 6'2, Small Forward
Class of 25
Cleveland, TN
ESPN Profile
Also was Tennessee Gatorade Volleyball POY
Could be going toe to toe with Kenny on this one, will be a big win for CMD if she can bring her in.
Selling point over Kenny will be playing time, especially after Kenny took a portal commitment from Teonni Key from UNC and got Clara Silva to sign. Kentucky front court now very crowded
I would also think UT would be the favorites even though they have been down lately.
Her brother is on UT men's team so a good chance.
That's gotta mean she's gonna put up wicked block numbers, right? I see a triple double in her future, points/rebounds/blocks.
Seems like she'd be a huge pickup. Her pic makes her look more like 7 feet tall haha
Rose and Samyha posted on instagram that VT is home... We had been unofficially hearing that they are staying but it is amazing for them to officially state it!
We've got a good core that is staying.
C - Rose Micheaux
W - Carys Baker
W - Matilda Ekh
G - Samyha Suffren
P - Carleigh Wenzel
Bench:
F - Myah Hazelton
P - Mackenzie Nelson
G - Leila Wells
W - Kayl Petersen
C - Ramiya White
G- Lani White
Updated to include Wells, Petersen, L. White, R. White
I had thought that Suffren was in the portal. Did she remove herself when the new coach was announced?
Great core.
I read she removed herself from the portal.
and has been posting lots of pro-VT things
I'm hoping Nelson at starting PG, with Carleigh on the wing and suffren coming off the bench. Hoping we get another combo guard and a wing in the portal.
So now there's a solid 11 players.
Bigs: Myah Hazelton (6-5), Ramiya White (6-5), Micheaux (6-2), Baker (6-2), Tilly Ekh (6-2)
Guards: Carleigh Wenzel (6-0), Kayl Petersen (6-0), Lani White (5-11), Leila Wells (5-9), Mackenzie Nelson (5-8), Samyha Suffren (5-8)
According to Tilly's interview on the SoS podcast, she's actually 6'2". When she moved to the U.S., they asked about her height and she didn't know the imperial system, so she said about 6' and that apparently has stuck throughout her collegiate career.
So we have 5 players 6-2 or taller.
Add White, the 6'5" Center that we just picked up.
Suffren and Baker have posted on IG they are staying at VT
The lack of attrition with the current roster is a huge win for CMD
Anyone have any insight into why certain players left to go with Brooks and those who stayed? Any sauces?
Nyla Brooks
Class of 25
5 🌟 97 Rated ESPN
6'1 Wing
Alexandria, VA Bishop Ireton HS
2024 State Champion VISAA D1
HUDL Profile
ESPN Profile
She plays with former Hokies commit Kennedy Henry at Nike EYBL. Would be good for this staff to get them both in together for a visit. She had been a Tennessee commit until they fired their coach.
This would be huge.
Getting both would be legendary.
Right in the footprint, would be a cornerstone get! 'Va Tech University" gonna need to be straightened out, but also, call me what you like as long as you call me.
Dang, I went to BI for a single year and they sucked at basketball back then. They had JUST started to recruit kids to play in an effort to compete with all the other Catholic schools in the WCAC (which had been doing it for decades).
According to WBBBlog, there have been 1280 portal entrants from 338 teams.
407 are grad transfers, while 256 have already transferred once from a D1 school to another D1 school.
313 transfers have found a new home, with 290 staying in Div 1, 12 dropping to Div 2, 4 dropping to Div 3, and 7 going NAIA.
9 have withdrawn from the portal.
11 Div 2 players are now at the Div 1 level and 1 USCAA player is at the Div 1 level.
Is that 1280 in D1, or all levels? 338 teams out 351, so i'd guess all D1? 1 in 4 getting picked up are not great odds, but I guess you need to put you name in to get offers, and hearing about the big numbers, everybody wants something.
Addi Mack
Class of 25
Guard, 5'8
Minnehaha Academy, Minnesota
Scored over 3000 points in 124 HS games (24 ppg avg)
2023 East Metro Player of the Year in Minneapolis
Dang, that girl can shoot! But not afraid to take it to the hoop either. Interesting that she's right-handed, but appears to prefer driving to the left.
Is she ranked anywhere?
No, ESPN only has ranked the Top 60 in class of 25. 247 and On3 have not gotten into ranking womens side yet.
Bryn Martin
Class of 25
6'1 Combo Guard
Springboro Ohio
Not ranked in ESPN Top 60
HUDL Profile
Springboro is at least 2.5 hrs to WV. I wonder if she moved recently. Seems far to drive for club sports when Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Indianapolis are all within 1.5 hrs.
Olivia Hamlin @lucky_livs
Class of 25
Combo Guard
St. George Utah.
Averaged 27.5ppg this season
Not ranked in ESPN Top 60
HUDL Profile
St George Utah is a bit outside of what we would consider our recruiting area. That is an absolutely beautiful part of the country though, I will say that.
Our coaches got to see her at a Nike EYBL tournament.
I would love to get a 25' tall player out of the Class of '25. She (Olivia Hamlin) doesn't look that tall in the BTN tweet photos, even tho they say she is 25'.
25` tall?
Talk about a rim protector!
Libby Fandel
Class of 25
6' Shooting Guard
2024 All Metro Player of the Year from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Not ranked in ESPN Top 60
HUDL Profile
Ekh confirms return
Ekhcellent
Not bad. Golf clap!
VTwbb posts pictures of all 6 returners at practice
That's 3 on 3 with the half-court
Good start! I was seeing it more of a confirmation that the remaining players who haven't explicitly stated their return are back
It gives us 8, with 5 returners from last year, 1 r-Fr, 1 transfer, and 1 true Frosh
I see Micheaux returning to her Minnesota self, though with greater impact. She should be averaging double figures and around 7 boards per game.
Hazelton will provide her some respite, but I would not expect more than 10 minutes per game from Hazelton.
Wenzel takes over the PG spot. Suffren or Nelson will start at 2. Ekh will be the 3 and Baker will be a stretch 4.
The two bench guards will provide breathers for the 4 starting guards.
Ciara Byars
Class of 25
6'2, Center
4 🌟 95 Rated ESPN
ESPN Profile
HUDL Profile
Olivia Vukoso
6'4 Forward/Center
Class of 26
Whitestone, NY
5 🌟 98 Rated
#2 player in Class of 26
From Croatia and plays on their FIBA squads for U18
ESPN Profile
HUDL Profile
A 5* WBB player?
Duffy and her staff showing they aren't afraid to get in on any top player they see as a fit. Pretty good energy.
Nyla Brooks is also a 5* Duffy has offered, from Virginia too.
That's an unfortunate nickname. I feel like the American kids are bullying her for calling her that.
Oscar Robertson should be the last Big "O" basketball player
I thought that was Wilt Chamberlain.
The numbers wouldn't work out for him to be "The Big O".
Assuming he started having sex at age 15 until the age of 55 when his book came out, that would equate to 1.4 women a day, every day, for 40 years straight. Since that is most likely improbable, that per day number only grows, which I would assume means he was running through them so fast they had no chance to O.
He was most likely "The Big D" (for disappointment)
Take a ride on the bone roller coaster!
Atlee Vanesko
3 🌟 Class of 26
5'10 PG
Ocean City, NJ
ESPN Profile
HUDL Profile
Kameron Herring
Class of 25
Shooting Guard, 6'
Woodward Academy, College Park, GA
HUDL Profile
15.2ppg, 6.2rpg, 2.1apg, 1.2bpg as a Junior
Ranked 79th Nationally in points per 32 minutes played.
For those hoping that Karlen would follow Duffy she just committed to being fourth 🎻 at Notre Dame behind Westbeld, Hidalgo and Miles.
Add Liatu King to Notre Dame as well. They have to be the odds on favorites to win the national championship next year now with a starting five of Hidalgo and Miles with Forwards Westbeld, Karlen and King. If they go three guards two Forwards they add Citron to starting five and one of the Forwards becomes 6th woman. All six of these players averaged 14+ ppg in their last season (Miles sat this last season due to injury)
Their freshmen class has three 5 🌟 guards and the top ranked center as well to supply the reserves.
King averaged a double-double last season with 18.7 points, 1.8 steals, 1.5 blocks and 10.3 rebounds at Pitt. King also shot 52% from the field.
Karlen at Marquette averaged 17.7ppg, 7.9 rpg and 1.2 bpg last season.
Only real question is can they make it work together to get everyone shots.
Hildalgo isn't transferring to LSU or USCe? I'm surprised.
Who knows what kind of bag ND offered her. But I agree, I am pretty sure, LSU, USCe, and probably Iowa all offered her bags under the table.
All of which exceeded our little sac.
In uncomfortable places.
Given the assembled talent and the purported lack of eligibility rules, did they hold a press conference to discuss whether they would win two, three, four, seven NCAA titles?
Destiny "Ky'she" Lunan
Class of 25
#29 in Class per 247
4 🌟 PG 5'9
Valley Vista, AZ
2x State Champion
ESPN Profile
Julia Scott
Class of 26
Forward 6'3
Albertus Magnus, Bardonia NY
HUDL Profile
External Eval
Bardonia? That sounds like a hockey town.
Hokies make Top 6
Kamryn Kitchen
Class of 25
PG, 5'9
Hokies offered back in April
Recruiting Profile
With a name like Kitchen, I hope we see her cook some opponents soon.
so many puns. Hey Kam! What's cookin?
And yet, I shudder to think at what some people might come up with regarding ladies and kitchens.
Some may say that a woman belongs in the kitchen, but, at Virginia Tech, we believe that Kitchen belongs in the women...'s final four.
As long as she carves up the defense, I don't care.
what a great NIL connection. Kitchen, brought to you by Smithfield Bacon
Kitchen is not complete without a brand new set of spurtles!
Hokies just got a commitment from her Team Curry Backcourt partner Kate Sears so should be in the mix here.
I hope we're throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, at getting her signature!
She's going to be part of the blue crew, Kitchen department.
Thought you meant Kentucky at first and just about told you to GTFO! But it's all good, carry on!
LOL I was not even thinking about that. Just found that GIF and thought I could continue with some Sears and Kitchen puns.
He wasn't the only one who worried to start.
via GIPHY
She also announced she has reclassified from Class of 25 to Class of 24.
So if she chooses VT on Weds, she can enroll now?
Most likely would be able to enroll in summer classes yes
Looking at the roster on HS, how is Nelson listed as a So when she didn't play last year?
Emily McDonald
Class of 26
CG, 5'11
St Mary's NY (led them to a Class A State Title)
Link to a highlight
HUDL Profile
Fope Ayo
Class of 26
C, 6'4
Austin Prep, Lawrence MA
HUDL Profile
Amani Jenkins
Class of 25
Center, 6'2
Originally committed to Coach Duffy at Marquette
Jenkins averaged 19.7 points, 11.9 rebounds per game, 2.6 blocks, 1.3 assists and 2.2 steals as a sophomore.
HUDL Profile
Are we just hearing more recruits mentioning they got an offer from us or is Duffy really doing work
Likely somewhere in the middle. Duffy and her assistants seem to have been hitting the major AAU tournaments so get a chance to see a very concentrated talent pool for those events. Duffy has a much more experienced staff though then Brooks did so that likely means more connections to get in for offers.
The other side of it is with how the profile of women's basketball has picked up you are seeing greater focus by the players to use their social media to build their brand and communicate offers more like the men's side.
Ava Miles
Class of 26
SG, 6'
Staley HS, Missouri
#3 player in Missouri by PrepGirlsHoops
HUDL Profile
Autumn Fleary
Class of 26
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 PG, 5'7
McDonogh HS, Pomfret, MD
19.6 points per game. Shot 53.3% from floor and 38.2% 3pt% as a Sophomore
HUDL Profile
ESPN Profile
A player named Autumn? Hope we see those shots Fall.
Hokies offered back in April and she had a good unofficial visit so should be in the mix here.
5-10 PG from Watauga HS, NC
Also recruited by CMD at Marquette
I move that we call women's bball CMD and Conquer.
Fighting Gobbler reporting 5-star Nyla Brooks will be visiting soon, having decommitted from Tennessee following their coaching change.
Arianna Robinson
Class of 28 (yes we are offering middle schoolers)
Wing, 5'9
Not many scouting reports but the fact she has any presence on the bigger sites says alot for an 8th grader. Her dad is a Hokie.
HUDL Profile
Edit: nvm
Leelee Bell
Class of 26
Forward, 6'3
Minot HS, Minot ND
Avg 26.1 ppg and 11.1 rpg as a sophomore
2023-24 North Dakota Gatorade POY
HUDL Profile
Lot of tall recruits. I think we are going to be playing big girl ball.
Gonna be fun playing "position-less" basketball with 6-2 and up across the board.
Speaking of Kate Sears, I also want her teammate.
Norfolk Christian's 6-9 C Abuna Ruop
Holy crap. 6-9 would be a big forward for a buzz Williams tech team
Hokies are recruiting her Team Curry AAU teammate Kamryn Kitchen as well and are in her final six teams.
Kitchen posted a video of her working out with Sears about an hour ago.
is it happening?
Watching live on IG
She chose UVA
So she picked a safety school.
Yeah I don't get it. She moved up a year to go to a school loaded at both guard spots. She will likely be 6th in their guard rotation this Fall.
She was offered more money
So she's the sous chef...
GOT HER
I will link this so as not to offend people, but...
Khalia Hartwell
Class of 27
C/PF, 6'5
Westside HS, Anderson SC
Team Curry 17U AAU. She is the third member of this team the Hokies are recruiting/have committed.
HUDL Profile
ESPN Profile
The fact she already has an ESPN Profile says they expect she is a Top 30 in class recruit.
Team Curry Stats
Nyajuacni Riak
Class of 28
Combo Guard, 6'2
Madison, WI
HUDL Profile
I just gonna go out on a limb and say it's pronounced "kevin".
This makes five Team Curry 17U offers from the staff.
Gabby Minus
Class of 26
Forward, 6'1
Hebron Christian Academy
HUDL Profile
Team Curry Stats
Training Video
Are there any negatives about minus we should know about?
She becomes imaginary when squared up rooting for the basketball.
Bravo, sir. I award you 🧦🧦🧦🧦.
Nevaeh Roberson
Class of 27
Guard, 6'2
Georgetown Day HS, Washington DC
Team Takeover 16U
#3 player in MD in Class of 27 per PrepGirlsHoops
HUDL Profile
I assume she'll be majoring in Physics.
Edit: Upon further reflection, the Physics Department is headquartered in Robeson Hall, not Roberson Hall. I'll take my downvote and slink away now.
It's like she just came "back" from heaveN.
oh man. I can't believe I didn't see that. wow.
Funny story, my wife is a preK-3 teacher. We met when I was stationed in Norfolk about 12 years ago and I remember her complaining about this "new" popular name that she had been noticing that was Heaven spelled backwards. These kids were 4-5 years old back then, so you're seeing that wave start to show with 17-18 year old kids now.
If anybody asks, it's pronounced Kevin!
Jayla Forbes
Class of 27
PF/C, 6'7
Thompson HS, Alabaster AL
Essence 16U AAU
HUDL Profile
ESPN Profile
Whoa! 6'7" as a HS freshman!
yes, pls
Zya Small
Class of 27
Forward/Center, 6'2
Scranton, PA
Exodus Hoops
HUDL Profile
Can we please land a big named Small?
Qandace Samuels
Class of 27
Guard, 6'
Bishop McNamara
Team Takeover
ESPN Profile
HUDL Profile
Amari Byles
Class of 26
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Wing/Forward, 6'2
95 Rating on ESPN/#15 Class of 26
Desoto HS, Desoto TX
SA Finest 17U
HUDL Profile
ESPN Profile
Bella Ragone
Class of 26
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Combo Guard, 6'2
96 Rating ESPN HoopzGurlz
Mill Creek HS, Hoschton GA
ATL Bucks BC
ESPN Profile
HUDL Profile
Yes, please! Love me some ATL2VT pipeline!
Just pointing out that there are now 3 5 star recruits on this thread
And enough offers to field a football team. I realize they span several years, but it seems like they cannot all be committable, and that the new coaches have a different recruiting philosophy.
Ivanna Wilson Manyacka
Class of 27
Forward, 6'1
Bullis School
WVThunder 17U UAA
ESPN Profile
USA U17 Basketball
Adaline Sheplee
Class of 26
Wing/Forward, 6'3
Rice Lake HS
Wisconsin Flight Elite EYBL 17u
17.8 points per game. She shot 43% overall and 40% from distance in making 40 3-point shots. At the free throw line she made 71% of her shots. Also added six rebounds, two assists and 1.6 steals per game. She blocked 54 shots this season.
HUDL Profile
Coach Duffy is fearless in her offers and I LOVE it
She's definitely working her ass off on the recruiting trail!
If a quarter of her offers are accepted we have a whole new team.
If a quarter of her offers are accepted, we'd have the highest rated roster ever
Babcock hired JMU's womens hoops coach- because of course he did- and the guy couldn't win in the ACC for several years, and then the gamble played off in a huge way. Let's see if Whit rolls snake eyes again. The ACC is a meat grinder in womens hoops and VT is no secret anymore. She has her work cut out.
He hired away Marquette's men's coach and that worked pretty well to pull the program out of the James Johnson debacle. So, should we say he hired Marquette's women's hoops coach- because of course he did?
Why don't we pour a nice bourbon and talk about the Kenny Brooks hire at the time- JMU to the ACC- and the years he went 4-12 in the ACC? Like I said, the marquette women's hoops coach may work out famously again for him. I hope so. I was speaking more to the track record of VT trying to get coaches on the cheap.
Marquette feels like less of a bargain bin than JMU?
No- and again, I am speaking generally and based on some insight I have into how whit bargains with olympic, non football coaches.
Doesn't he kind of have to? We're not flush with cash to just throw around at sports that don't bring in more revenue than they cost to operate. It's the position we're in as a program, is it not?
Better to buy low and sell high anyway
Correct. VT sports is like a couple of my adult nieces- never have any money.
Not specific recruiting news, but a nice interview of Megan Duffy on Kelly Gramlichs podcast that talks about her first few months on campus and thoughts on what we can expect from the team moving forward.
Duffy starts at 6:30
The more I see of Coach Duffy, the more I love this hire. I genuinely want to see her succeed. Not just for the sake of Tech basketball, but for her as a person.
Hokies make Final 6 for
Zhen Craft
Class of 25
Wing/Forward 6'2
Bishop McNamara
Team Takeover
HUDL Profile
Looks like 4 🌟 Zhen Craft and 5 🌟 Divine Bourrage have both set official visits for September 21st. Hokies also made Bourrages Final 6 over the weekend.
Payton Dunbar
Class of 25
Combo Guard, 5'11
Jefferson Christian Academy
NRV Storm
Official Visit is set for June 26th
This is the second recruit Hokies were a finalist for that the UVA coaching staff convinced to reclassify to Class of 24 and commit.
Harrissoum Coulibaly
Class of 25
Guard, 5'10
S3 Academy
France
#VTU
Sydney Savoury
Class of 27
Guard, 5'11
Belleville HS, Belleville MI
Bluestar 30 in Classof 27
HUDL Profile
Darn, so this board did exist.
I couldn't find it using the search bar.
Joe, feel free to delete my other post regarding WBB recruiting.
Hokies offer 2027 6-6 C Harper Dunn
HUDL Profile
Coach Duffy also offered Dunn's club teammate Destiny Manyawu.
Destiny Manyawu
Class of 27
Forward, 6'1
Staley HS
Mokan Girls BBC
HUDL Profile
Naomi Benson
Class of 25
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Forward, 6'3
Streetsboro HS
Sport City Angles EYBL
ESPN Rating 91
Blue Star 30 Rated
HUDL Profile
I tell you what.
I enjoy the more openness of the coaches from Fuente's secrecy and,
Our coaches seem to be killing it on the trail.
Aaliah Spaight
Class of 26
Guard, 5'9
Bishop Gorman HS
Whynot Premier 17U
Nevada 2023-24 Gatorade Player of the Year
HUDL Profile
Instagram Highlight Reel
Lauren Jacobs
Class of 25
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Point Guard, 5'9
Heathwood Hall
Aja Wilson Elite 17U
#89 in Class of 25 ESPN Hoopgurlz
ESPN Profile
HUDL Profile
Sydney Douglas
Class of 28
Forward, 6'6
Etiwanda HS
Cal Stars 17U
She is going to be a freshman in HS this year.
YouTube Highlights
ESPN Article
Let's hope she's as much a tactical genius as Bean is as well.
Jada Maples
Class of 2026
Guard, 5'9
Earle High School
Mavs Elite 16u
HUDL Profile
Brooklynn Haywood
Class of 26
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Guard, 5'9
Union High School
Cal Stars 17U
#23 in Class/94 rated ESPN
HUDL Profile
Ciara Byars
Class of 25
Forward, 6'2
George Rogers Clark HS
Kentucky Premier
HUDL Profile
ESPN Profile
Vienna Murray
Class of 26
Guard, 6'1
East Ridge HS
Minnesota Fury UAA
Prep Girls Hoopz 2026 AAU Breakout Player of the Year
HUDL Profile
YouTube Video
Sophomore Highlight Video
Little help to embed?:
Lauren Hurst Visit
Her On3 profile:
Lauren Hurst On3
6'3" player.
Also Tennessee state volleyball player of the year.