National signing day is less than a month away, and 20 espnW 100 players have yet to verbally commit.
Two schools, Oregon and UCLA, have four top-100 prospects. Six teams have three recruits ranked in the top 100, while 11 schools have two top-100 commits.
Two of the top three prospects, point guard Kiki Rice (No. 2) and forward Janiah Barker (No. 3), have yet to make their pledge. Rice is considering Stanford, Arizona, UConn, Duke and UCLA, while Barker is choosing among Ole Miss, Georgia and South Carolina. Top-ranked Lauren Betts, a 6-foot-7 post player, committed to Stanford.
There are seven other prospects in the top 30 who have yet to commit, and their decisions could dramatically impact the class rankings:
No. 12 Ashlyn Watkins: North Carolina, South Carolina
No. 15 Ruby Whitehorn: Clemson, Ohio State, Kentucky, Michigan State
No. 17 Darianna Littlepage-Buggs: Baylor, Texas A&M, Alabama, Florida
No. 18 Talaysia Cooper: Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida State, Georgia
No. 20 Indya Nivar: NC State, North Carolina, Stanford
No. 26 Flau'Jae Johnson: Texas, LSU, Miami, Georgia, Ole Miss
No. 27 Paulina Paris: Penn State, North Carolina, Indiana, USC
Individual talents and the larger classes can impact the weight of recruiting classes. But impact on the programs and also how well the pieces project to fit together in the program can also influence the rankings.
Here are the early leaders for top recruiting classes in the country.
1. Oregon Ducks
Highest-ranked commit: PG Chance Gray (No. 7)
Kelly Graves and the Oregon women's basketball program are no stranger to a highly rated recruiting class. Currently, they have four commits in the 2022 class, and they went to Ohio and Arizona to get it done. Gray is a dynamic and quick guard with serious 3-ball range. Also from Ohio is No. 13 Grace VanSlooten, a forward with perimeter skill and a knack for crashing the glass. Jennah Isai out of Arizona is an all-around utility player who can fill any holes on the floor. Kennedy Basham, also out of Arizona, is a finesse big who can shoot the 3 and has developing back-to-basket game.
2. UCLA Bruins
Highest-ranked commit: F Gabriela Jaquez (No. 19)
Also with four commits thus far in the 2022 class, UCLA has seen a flurry of commits in multiple classes since the spring. Jaquez is a major stock-riser from the summer with her edgy competitiveness and all-around skill. No. 21 Paris Clark comes from New York and is one of the best rebounding guards in the country. No. 22 Londynn Jones, from California, is dynamic with the ball and can create her own shot at any time. No. 48 Christeen Iwuala is a strong rebounder off the glass from Texas and improved her ability to finish around the rim during a monster summer.
3. Oregon State Beavers
Highest-ranked commit: F Timea Gardiner (No. 6)
Oregon State's 2021 recruiting class included three top-100 players, and Scott Rueck has followed that up with two top-10 commits and four total so far in the 2022 class. Gardiner is the highly regarded forward out of Utah with USA Basketball experience. No. 10 Raegan Beers overcame an ACL injury that saw her miss her junior year, but she is back and displaying her versatility again. Beers is one of the best passers in the class and she can bang on the block and shoot the 3. Four-star recruits Adlee Blacklock (Texas) and Lily Hansford (Wisconsin) are 3-point specialists that will fit in well with Oregon State's style of play.
4. UConn Huskies
Highest-ranked commit: W Ayanna Patterson (No. 4)
Following a 2021 class that saw Geno Auriemma land top-10 players Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme, UConn has landed two more top-10 talents. Patterson is arguably the best athlete in the class and has shown that with multiple two-handed dunks. She rebounded extremely well for the U18 USA 3x3 team that won gold over the summer. Isuneh Brady out of California is a lefty power forward with a soft touch outside and strength inside.
5. Stanford Cardinal
Highest-ranked commit: P Lauren Betts (No. 1)
Stanford has had some of the best post players in women's college hoops history in Jayne Appel, Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, and Kayla Pedersen. They have landed the Class of 2022's best post player and No. 1 overall player in Betts, and coach Tara Vanderveer has shown she knows how to utilize her bigs. Coming off a national championship, the Stanford roster is absolutely loaded. Also known for their cerebral point guard play, No. 70 Talana Lepolo is a natural fit as she runs the show on the floor.
6. Arizona Wildcats
Highest-ranked commit: F Maya Nnaji (No. 9)
Coach Adia Barnes is coming off of her first Women's Final Four run as a head coach. These successes can generally carry over into recruiting. Arizona has landed two elite prospects in the 2022 class in Nnaji and No. 31 Kailyn Gilbert. Nnaji is a multi-faceted forward who can play with her back to the basket as well as face up away from the paint. Gilbert is as naturally gifted scorer as there is in the country, and she creates off the dribble with the best of them. No. 84 Lemyah Hylton is a lengthy energy giver who slashes to the rim extremely well and gets in the passing lanes defensively. Hylton can supplement minutes at point guard, if needed.
7. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Highest-ranked commit: PG Mara Braun (No. 28)
This is Lindsay Whalen's fourth season at the helm, and this recruiting class is her best yet with three top-100 prospects. Braun is a heady guard with leadership qualities who can really stroke the outside shots. No. 38 Amaya Battle is a three-level scorer who attacks the rim hard, finishes with contact very well and can knock down the 3 at a high percentage. She rebounds very well from the guard position. No. 54 Mallory Heyer is a skilled forward who has expanded from the paint and beyond. She is good on the glass, is a face-up threat and has become a good passer and facilitator.
8. Duke Blue Devils
Highest-ranked commit: G Ashlon Jackson (No. 16)
Coach Kara Lawson has had her hands full taking over a program during COVID-19 and handling USA Basketball 3x3 responsibilities, as well as getting on the road to build the Duke program through recruiting. Jackson is a sharpshooting point guard that oozes positive leadership vibes and is a proven winner in high school and club ball. No. 32 Shay Bollin is a forward who can fill a lot of holes on the floor. She is a floor spacer in terms of her ability to shoot and she can facilitate for teammates and create off the bounce.
9. Louisville Cardinals
Highest-ranked commit: F Nyla Harris (No. 34)
It is no secret that Louisville hits the recruiting trails hard. Jeff Walz is as active recruiter as a head coach as there is in the country. The Cardinals' two-person 2021 signing class morphed into three when forward Alexia Mobley reclassified and came to campus a year early. In 2022 they have four commitments thus far. Harris is a powerful forward out of Lake Highland Prep in Florida. No. 37 Zyanna Walker is a dynamic scoring big guard from Kansas who missed the last season due to injury. No. 56 Imani Lester is a F/P with soft touch who can stretch the floor to the top of the key. Jalyn Brown is a lengthy wing with serious slashing ability.
10. Washington Huskies
Highest-ranked commit: G Hannah Stines (No. 39)
After taking Rice to the women's NCAA tournament and to new heights, Tina Langley took over at Washington. She has already made a splash on the recruiting trail by landing three recruits in the Top 100. Stines is a guard who can shoot from deep, sees the floor extremely well and has a creative handle. No. 52 Elle Ladine is a fundamentally sound guard who is very comparable to Stines, her club teammate. She can play both on and off the ball offensively. No. 78 Teagan Brown is a springy guard with a nice pull-up jumper who also defends the perimeter very well. These three players bring a very hot commodity: the ability to shoot the basketball. The impact these players will have quickly at Washington sets them up in the top 10.
Next up: Texas, Texas A&M, Iowa, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Miami