Standing tall at Michigan State

As senior Alyssa DeHaan is set to break the NCAA blocked shots record this season, coach Suzie Merchant signed her likely successor, 6-foot-7 Madison Williams, and two other top in-state recruits.

Chiney Ogwumike picks Stanford

It’s not a surprise that the nation’s top-rated prospect will join her sister next fall at Stanford, but the 6-foot-2 Chiney Ogwumike of Houston made the Cardinal, UConn and Notre Dame wait until the second day of the early signing period.

Can Horn change Alabama’s fortunes?

The signing of one of the nation’s top prep players by the SEC’s weakest program could open the door for the Crimson Tide to get back into the hunt.

A recruiting coup for Coop, through the back door

What happens when a young player really, really wants to play at a certain school, but hears a constant message from parents, coaches and others who really, really think she should go elsewhere? She occasionally makes a decision that she later regrets. Cassie Harberts, the No. 11 HoopGurlz senior (and No. 22 for Blue Star) [...]

Richa Jackson picks Duke

The No. 6 senior on HoopGurlz’ list, and Blue Star’s No. 12 prospect, tells Duke she’s headed to Durham. Richa Jackson, a 6-foot-1 winger from Midwest City, Okla., disappointed not only the homestate Sooners, but Gail Goestenkors, Duke’s former coach, who’s not having the same recruiting success at Texas — at least not yet. She [...]

All eyes on the Ogwumike sisters

At Stanford, they’re watching sophomore forward Nneka Ogwumike reach above the rim. Says Tara VanDerveer: “I’ve never seen anyone in a Stanford uniform do that. I told her she might get a goal-tending call.” And Tara’s one of three college coaches keeping tabs on the current travels on Nneka’s baby sister Chiney, the nation’s No. [...]

Auriemma launches into AAU hoops

He’s just won yet another national championship with yet another perfect season. He’s just been named the U.S. Olympic coach. He’s got most everybody coming back at UConn, and is laying the recruiting groundwork for another long period of dominance. Geno Auriemma really doesn’t need to pick a fight with the AAU youth basketball system, [...]

A mind is a hard thing to make up

Combo guard Tayler Hill of Minneapolis — the highest rated unsigned senior in the country — decided on Ohio State in an unusually drawn out saga for a player at her level. Her brother plays for Ohio State, but she said she agonized over her decision because she also was smitten with Minnesota and Texas.

South Carolina’s big recruiting coup

My friend Deb Antonelli, ace commentator for Fox Sports Net and ESPN, is just too shy about assessing the impact of Kelsey Bone’s decision to play at South Carolina: “Has there been an eclipse of the sun? Did we just have an earthquake? It’s gigantic. It’s monumental. Did the earth plates shift? I’m telling you, [...]

Bone chooses South Carolina

Quite a coup for Dawn Staley as Kelsey Bone, the 6-foot-4 prospect from Houston and rated the top senior in the country, announced that she will sign a letter-of-intent with South Carolina. The other finalists were Texas and Texas A & M. Bone made the announcement during the McDonald’s High School All-American game tonight at [...]