Jayla Hemingway gives Mississippi State an impact wing in 2019Recruiting Round-up; Jones, Correa and more
As we mentioned in our rankings release on Monday, the turn of the calendar from May to June signals the end of a busy Spring on the national recruiting trail and the beginning of an even more hectic July. This installment of our Spring cleaning project will take a look at a five-star prospect headed to Oregon State, late 2018's boosting recruiting classes, and multiple four-star 2019’s who have made decisions in recent weeks.
Jones Picks the Beavers
Taylor Jones is the No. 1 ranked post player in the class of 2019 and currently the No. 9 rated prospect in the ELITE 100. This weekend she made a verbal pledge to Oregon State coach Scott Rueck and his staff. Jones picked the PAC-12 school over a list that included Baylor, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Mississippi State, Stanford, Tennessee, and Texas.
For Oregon State, Jones is a 6-foot-3 post who will be able to play as a power forward as well center. She is a skilled back to the back post player who has improved as a face-up offensive player and will need to continue to work in this area as she can be a tough match-up if her skill set will allow her to be effective playing in a variety of areas on the floor.
Jones is the first member of the 2019 class to make a verbal pledge to Oregon State. Look for the Beavers to aggressively pursue an impact wing as they continue to build a 2019 recruiting class.
Leilani Correa to West Virginia
Last week, four-star wing Leilani Correa pulled the plug on her recruiting and made a verbal pledge to West Virginia. As the No. 10 ranked wing in the class, Correra’s decision to make the Big 12 school her home gives West Virginia a nice boost to their 2019 recruiting class. Correra is a pure scorer who tends to let the game come to her and play within the flow of the game. She can score at all three levels and could be more aggressive on the offensive side of the ball.
Mississippi State’s 19 Class off to Great Start
The lack of depth at the wing position continues to be an ongoing storyline in the 2019 class, and with Mississippi State adding four-star wing Jayla Hemmingway to their 2019 group, the pool of wings to be had continues to get thinner. For Mississippi State, Hemmingway is a dynamic scorer who can be an effective perimeter scoring threat while still bringing the defensive mindset that has allowed the SEC program to be successful in the last few seasons.
Joining Hemingway in Mississippi State’s 2019 class is combo guard Kennedy Tucker and wing JaMaya Young. Both Tucker and Young project as four-star prospects and natural fits for the SEC program. Tucker is a dynamic athlete who has shown the ability to be a streaky scorer during her prep career while Young is a slashing wing who can make an impact on both sides of the ball.
Missouri, Ohio State Close Late in 2018
Both Missouri and Ohio State finished their 2018 recruiting classes with a late kick that should prove to be beneficial to each program. Look for both programs to make a jump in the final recruiting class rankings when they are released later this week.
Missouri made progress late after adding Akira Levy and Brittany Garner to their 2018 recruiting class. After Levy decommitted from Western Kentucky after the coaching change, the 5-foot-8 combo guard was highly sought after from programs around throughout the southeast. Ultimately it was the SEC program that managed to land Levy, a proven playmaker who will hunt her shot while still playing in the flow of things. Her addition to Missouri will give the SEC program another weapon as they look to take some of the load off of their national player of the year candidate, Sophie Cunningham.
As a traditional post who has shown flashes of production and potential during her prep career, Garner could be a key late addition to Missouri. There could be an early adjustment period moving to a conference as physical as the SEC, but when you looked at the recruiting board, Garner was the best post available at the time Missouri was able to land her.
Ohio State made an international splash landing Spanish post Aixa Wone from Spanish powerhouse Segle XXI. Wone is an athletic post who will play both the four and the five during her time in the Big Ten. Her game reminds some of former Duke forward Oderah Chidom, and if she can manage a similar level of production, Wone’s addition could prove to be an essential piece for the Buckeyes.
