2021 - Coach Ralph's first class after taking the Vanderbilt job consisted of 5 players who had previously committed to Stephanie White. Coach Ralph did an excellent job of retaining those commitments without attrition. This was a fairly highly regarded set of signees , though it hasn't really lived up to the billing. Only two players remain, but those are significant contributors. Sacha Washington is a 6'2" post who averaged in double figures as a scorer and pulled down close to 8 boards per game in 2022.. She isn't that quick but she is a fighter in the low block. She is hampered by her lack of height against top SEC posts who play at 6'4" or 6'5" and have better hops. Iyana Moore is wing and showed all star potential as a true freshman before missing last season due to a torn acl. If she returns 100% from the injury, she could light it up as a redshirt sophomore. Of the original five member class, she is the only potentially legit SEC level starter.
2022 - This was a three member Class, only two of whom remain. Reyanne Allen is a 6'1" wing who can also play small forward, She is an excellent 3 point shooter. However , she isn't particularly quick and doesn't have a great handle. The third member was point guard Jada Brown. She played a lot of minutes last season as a true freshman point guard. She isn't particularly quick and is just an average shooter and frankly seemed to regress as the season wore on. Maybe opponents learned how to scheme her weaknesses and she will develop. All in all., This class has done nothing to make me think it can propel us from the SEC cellar.
2023- This is a large class of five incoming freshman , seven total players when considering the 2 transfers. This class was not highly regarded and quite frankly I'm not sure how I feel about it. It could be a make or break class for Ralph. It does have a top 100 player in Khamil Pierre, a 6'2" wing/small forward. She is an excellent athlete and could be a contributor right away. The most intriguing member is Agata Makurat , a European player from Poland. One service had her ranked as the 15th best prospect from Europe. She often played the point at 6'2" and is an excellent passer with a very good handle. While she is listed at 6'2", I wonder whether she isn't now closer to 6'4". I've seen her next to our other tallest players listed at 6'4", and she looks just as tall as they are. She is my dark horse candidate to be the best player in the class. Madison Green is aa 5'6" point guard who was a Miss Basketball finalist in Ohio. The other two are 6'3", 6'4" post players who may turn out to be good but weren't that highly regarded.
Then there are the two transfers, both of whom were four to five star rated recruits in hight school. Jordyn Oliver transferred from Duke , where she never put up impressive numbers but was hampered by injury during much of her time there. Justine Pissot is a 6'4" wing / three point shooter who transferred from Tennessee. She was a five star out of high school but didn't contribute much for the Vols last season.
2024 - 2 commits so far . One is a three star wing who had a decent - though not top shelf - offer list. The other is a 6'3" unranked post who really looks like mid major material to me. .
Overall, in my view Shea Ralph so far hasn't been very good on the recruiting trail. If Jordyn Cambridge and Iyana Moore are completely healthy this season - and that is a huge if - and if a couple of the freshmen catch fire , this could be a turn around season . I hope that becomes reality.
2022 - This was a three member Class, only two of whom remain. Reyanne Allen is a 6'1" wing who can also play small forward, She is an excellent 3 point shooter. However , she isn't particularly quick and doesn't have a great handle. The third member was point guard Jada Brown. She played a lot of minutes last season as a true freshman point guard. She isn't particularly quick and is just an average shooter and frankly seemed to regress as the season wore on. Maybe opponents learned how to scheme her weaknesses and she will develop. All in all., This class has done nothing to make me think it can propel us from the SEC cellar.
2023- This is a large class of five incoming freshman , seven total players when considering the 2 transfers. This class was not highly regarded and quite frankly I'm not sure how I feel about it. It could be a make or break class for Ralph. It does have a top 100 player in Khamil Pierre, a 6'2" wing/small forward. She is an excellent athlete and could be a contributor right away. The most intriguing member is Agata Makurat , a European player from Poland. One service had her ranked as the 15th best prospect from Europe. She often played the point at 6'2" and is an excellent passer with a very good handle. While she is listed at 6'2", I wonder whether she isn't now closer to 6'4". I've seen her next to our other tallest players listed at 6'4", and she looks just as tall as they are. She is my dark horse candidate to be the best player in the class. Madison Green is aa 5'6" point guard who was a Miss Basketball finalist in Ohio. The other two are 6'3", 6'4" post players who may turn out to be good but weren't that highly regarded.
Then there are the two transfers, both of whom were four to five star rated recruits in hight school. Jordyn Oliver transferred from Duke , where she never put up impressive numbers but was hampered by injury during much of her time there. Justine Pissot is a 6'4" wing / three point shooter who transferred from Tennessee. She was a five star out of high school but didn't contribute much for the Vols last season.
2024 - 2 commits so far . One is a three star wing who had a decent - though not top shelf - offer list. The other is a 6'3" unranked post who really looks like mid major material to me. .
Overall, in my view Shea Ralph so far hasn't been very good on the recruiting trail. If Jordyn Cambridge and Iyana Moore are completely healthy this season - and that is a huge if - and if a couple of the freshmen catch fire , this could be a turn around season . I hope that becomes reality.
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