Webb, Ruiz and more — Week In Review

Marques Webb and Brianna Ruiz are just two of the ranked players committing this week.

By: Keil Moore Follow @KeilMoore

Early this week Vanderbilt picked up one of the quality post scorers in the class of 2013 in Marqu’es Webb of Montgomery, Ala. The 6-foot power forward will give Vanderbilt a true presence along their frontcourt over her four years.

Webb is an offensively skilled post player who is also an active presence on the glass. With her decision to go to Vanderbilt, Webb joins wing Kylee Smith of Alpharetta, Ga., as members of the 2013 Vanderbilt recruiting class.

But Webb, who is ranked No. 21 in the class, was not the only highly ranked player to make her decision as No. 65 Brianna Ruiz of Roseville, Calif., committed Sunday evening to the University of Washington.

Brianna Ruiz is one of the top shooters on the West Coast. *Photo by Glenn Nelson

“I feel like it’s better for me on the West Coast, kind of,” Ruiz said. “With Washington I got the feeling I was supposed to go there. I really like the coaches and got along well with the players.”

Ruiz, a long guard who stands 5-10, brings her sharpshooting to a Huskies program that will graduation one of the conference’s best shooters this season in Kristi Kingma. She chose UW over finalists Louisville and Nebraska.

Ruiz joins prior top 100 Washington commitments – No. 26 Kelsey Plum, a 5-8 point guard from Poway, Calif., and No. 71 Chantel Osahor, a 6-2 forward from Phoenix, Ariz. The Husky recruits will effectively be joined by 2012 McDonald’s All-American Katie Collier, a redshirt freshman who will miss this season after tearing her anterior-cruciate ligament this fall.

With Vanderbilt adding Webb it is clear that the program is looking to expand on their recruiting success in 2012. A year ago the Commodores inked the No. 24 recruiting class in the country and are working on adding key recruits to the roster in 2013.

For Vanderbilt the class of 2012 was about depth, the SEC school added six prospects last year and made strides to fill out their roster. With their 2013 additions, Vanderbilt has targeted a select number of impact kids, such as Webb and Smith, who have made pledges, but also players who have picked other schools or have not yet made a decision such as Rebecca Greenwell of Owensboro, Ky., who is down to Notre Dame and Duke, Nina Davis of Memphis Tenn., who has committed to Baylor, and current target Rebekah Dahlman of Braham, Minn.

Around the Rim

No. 49 Roshunda Johnson to Oklahoma State: Two summers ago Roshunda Johnson of Little Rock, Ark., burst on the scene with her play in the first part of the July summer evaluation period. The 5-7 point guard showed that she had the tools to apply constant pressure on a defense and showed her ability to attack the rim off the bounce. This week Johnson decided to make Oklahoma State her college of choice, giving coach Jim Litell and his staff an athletic spark plug at the point guard spot. The Cowgirls previously secured a commitment from No. 66 Katelyn Loecker of McPherson, Kan., a 6-0 forward. The program signed No. 19 Brittney Martin of West Point Utah in the 2012 class, giving OSU three top 100 players in the last two recruiting classes.

No. 86 Sydnei McCaskill to Georgia: When Sydnei McCaskill of Orlando, Fla., decided to pick Georgia over Florida State and Seton Hall, Bulldogs coach Andy Landers and his staff took a step to solidify their backcourt for years to come. As a prep prospect, McCaskill is a proven winner. The 5-6 point guard has two state championships going into her senior at Dr. Phillips and has been successful on the summer circuit as well with Central Florida Elite.

Tyseanna Johnson to Iowa State: Last weekend Tyseanna Johnson of Brooklyn Park, Minn., was on her official visit to Iowa State. Upon completion of the visit, Johnson decided to give her verbal pledge to the Big 12 school. Johnson gives the Cyclones an athletic wing who is one of the better defenders in the class of 2013. Johnson, a four-star prospect, played her summer basketball with Dahlman on North Tartan, another piece that Iowa State is hoping to add to the puzzle.

Destiny Nunley to Harvard: Harvard added size and athleticism to their front line when they scored a verbal from 6-foot-1 forward Destiny Nunley of North Richland Hills, TX. Over the past couple of summers Nunley has continued to add to her offensive game. In addition to her developing skill set, Nunley has the ability to rebound the ball well for the Harvard Crimson.

Paige Cashin to South Florida: This week South Florida coach Jose Fernandez and his staff reached into Ohio and scored a verbal pledge from 6-4 center Paige Cashin of Newark, Ohio. Cashin is a skilled post player who has the ability to face the basket and knockdown a mid-range jump shot. She will give South Florida length on the defensive end and versatility on the offensive end.

Kayla Davis to Xavier: This summer class of 2013 point guard Kayla Davis of Brampton, Ontario, earned a bronze medal playing for the U17 Canadian National team. Davis, who made a verbal pledge to Xavier is a smooth point guard with a nice feel for the game.

Keri Fulp to Wake Forest: Wake Forest made a move to keep a local talent home when they secured a verbal commitment from Keri Fulp of Pinnacle, N.C. Fulp is a mobile post player with true back to the basket skillset. At 6-3, she gives Wake Forest depth across their frontline. She joins three-star point guard Ataijah Taylor of Roanoke, Va., 6-3 wing Jill Brunori of Hilton Head, S.C.

Baylee Rexing to Ole Miss: When class of 2014 point guard Baylee Rexing of Suwannee, Ga., made a verbal commitment to Ole Miss earlier this week. The 5-3 point guard was responding to an offer she earned during the fall evaluation weekend. Rexing turned heads with her play last week and, as a result, received interest from a number of schools shortly after. Ultimately, Rexing, a three-star prospect, decided that Ole Miss was the perfect fit for her.

Chris Hansen also contributed to this report.

Keil Moore is the Director of Scouting for the JumpOffPlus.com National Scouting Report – a division of Peach State Basketball, Inc. He also is a contributor and national recruiting analyst for ESPN HoopGurlz. Moore has been involved in the community since 2007 as a recruiting analyst and trainer. He can be reached at [email protected].

Chris Hansen is the managing editor for Peach State Media. In addition to serving as a contributor to the JumpOffPlus.com National Scouting Report, Hansen also covered girls’ basketball and women’s college basketball prospects nationally for ESPN.com. A graduate of the University of Washington with a communications degree, he has been involved in the women’s basketball community since 1998 as a high school and club coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He is a member of the McDonald’s All-American team selection committee. He can be reached at [email protected].