Kaela DavisGeorgia Tech has quickly, though in relatively quiet fashion, become one of the Atlantic Coast Conferences most consistent programs, registering 20-plus wins each of the past four seasons and earning six straight NCAA Tournament berths. Coach MaChelle Joseph and her staff had the nations ninth-ranked 2012 recruiting class, including four current freshman who were top 100 prospects.
On Thursday afternoon, No. 2 Kaela Davis of Buford, Ga., made her pledge to attend Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-2 guard becomes the first top 10 recruit to choose Tech since Josephs ascension to the first chair in 2003. The highest ranked incoming Yellow Jacket by HoopGurlz before Davis announcement was No. 13 Alex Montgomery in 2007. Montgomery went on to have a stellar career at Tech and was a first-round WNBA draft pick in 2011. Like Montgomery, Davis is a bigger wing player who can put the basketball in the hole from the inside or the outside.
Davis commitment means that the Tech perimeter game will include plenty of scoring options as shell play alongside Breana McDonald and Aaliyah Whiteside for three seasons and Sydney Wallace for two. All three were Super 60 prospects coming out of high school. Davis skill set complements all three of those options well and her presence will solidify a Tech roster that will return all but three players from this years roster. That returning group will include All-ACC caliber wing TyaunnaMarshall for her senior year so there wont be any issues with depth.
Georgia Tech sits in downtown Atlanta, the capital city of a state known for producing some of the nations top prospects. Landing Davis puts Tech in a unique situation with recruiting going forward. Shell arrive on campus with an opportunity to contribute to the program on day one. Much like Notre Dame has done with its success after landing Skylar Diggins in 2009, the Yellow Jackets will have a chance to recruit the regions top players using Davis as the face of the program.
The scope of landing their first top-10 player should open both doors and eyes nationwide. With No. 22 Kai James of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., still on the radar in the 2013 class, Georgia Tech has a chance to pair Davis with another top-25 caliber player in her class before moving on to the class of 2014. After a Sweet Sixteen appearance where they lost to the eventual champion Baylor last March, the Yellow Jackets are looking to take the program to new heights with Davis leading the way.
