Kentucky WBB finishes up busy month of June recruiting

On3 imageby:Zack Geoghegan•07/01/21•

ZGeogheganKSR

(via Twitter: @AWorlds_ | UK Athletics)

Kyra Elzy and her staff were working hard during the first recruiting live period in well over a year.

June was the first time since the pandemic began last spring that schools were able to meet in person with high school recruits and host them for visits. Kentucky Women’s Basketball got off to an early start, extending multiple offers and bringing droves of prospects onto campus the couple of weeks into the month of June. The staff hasn’t let up since then either. If anything, they’ve upped their game even more. 

From what I could find on social media, Kentucky WBB brought at least a dozen high school hoopers ranging from the class of 2022 all the way to the class of 2026 to check out the campus vibes. A few of them are nationally ranked, as well. Current class of 2022 commit, 6-foot-4 Tionna Herron, also made the trip to Lexington to meet the staff and tour the university.

Let’s dive into all the names you need to keep an eye on moving forward, starting with the incoming class.

Class of 2022

Acacia Hayes: 5-foot-7 point guard – Murfreesboro, TN (4-star)

Kentucky has been after Acacia Hayes for a while now. Her offer came back in September of 2020 and a few months later the ‘Cats were listed in her top 8. Hayes made her visit to Kentucky a couple of weekends ago, running into John Calipari and Nick Richards along the way. Her other visit of the month to Vanderbilt.

Ruby Whitehorn: 6-foot guard – Detroit, MI (5-star)

Easily the most important prospect in this article, Ruby Whitehorn would be a major get for the Wildcats if the staff were to pull it off. Whitehorn is a tall guard with a top 20 national ranking. She averaged 21 points this past season after putting up just 8.6 as a sophomore in high school. Whitehorn is quickly rising to fame as one of the best high school hoopers available, already holding 20-plus offers. She saw Kentucky earlier this month along with Tennessee, Louisville, and Clemson.

Saniah Tyler: 5-foot-6 point guard – Florissant, MO (4-star)

Much like Acacia Hayes, Saniah Tyler picked up her offer from UK back in September and took a visit this month to see the campus. She also holds offers from Tennessee and Michigan. According to ESPN, Tyler is ranked as the 24th best point guard in her class.

Tionna Herron: 6-foot-4 post – DeSoto, TX (4-star) COMMITTED

Joining Shelby Valley’s Cassidy Rowe as the two commits from the class of 2022, Tionna Herron made her official visit to Kentucky last weekend. The 6-foot-4 post player chose the ‘Cats back in Dec. 2020 and has been locked in ever since. Herron is high school teammates with a couple of DeSoto players that Kentucky is also recruiting heavily, such as Sa’Myah Smith and Ayanna Thompson, a pair of nationally-ranked prospects.

Herron will bring some much-needed size to the Kentucky frontcourt moving forward.

Class of 2023

Jordan Wood: 6-foot-2 forward – Waukegan, IL (4-star)

It doesn’t appear that she took a visit to Kentucky, but Jordan Wood did pick up a scholarship that she announced to her social media on June 11. She’s also received an offer from Boston College and has taken visits to several campuses this month, including Wisconsin, Purdue, DePaul, Ohio State, and Michigan State.

Haven Ford: 5-foot-5 combo guard – Morehead, KY (unranked)

One of the three in-state prospects in this post, Haven Ford took a visit to see Kentucky on June 14. She’s been to campus a couple of times before, attending Big Blue Madness in 2019 and taking another visit back when Matthew Mitchell was still the head coach. According to her Twitter page, Ford holds offers from Presbyterian College, Murray State, Toledo, Eastern Kentucky, Northern Kentucky, Morehead State, and Marshall. She was sixth in the state in scoring this past season, pouring in 23.5 points per game for Rowan County High School while being named an All-State First Team honoree. She is arguably the top player from Kentucky in the class of 2023.

Kymora Johnson: 5-foot-7 guard – Charlottesville, VA (4-star)

Kymora Johnson has been hauling in offers and taking unofficial visits left and right the last few months. She started with offers from Pittsburgh, Stony Brook, Seton Hall, Northeastern, Wake Forest, and George Mason during the month of May before taking visits to Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, and Ohio State in June. Johnson also holds offers from Vanderbilt, Dayton, Florida Atlantic, Xavier, VCU, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, and several others. She’s a popular recruit heading into her junior season.

Emma Risch: 6-foot-1 guard – Melbourne, FL (4-star)

The four-star ranking for Emma Risch might prove to be an undersell in the near future. She’s been incredibly busy this month, taking visits to Kentucky, Louisville, Tennessee, N.C. State, and South Carolina. Her offer from Kentucky came all the way back in August of 2020, but the ‘Cats were hardly the first to get in on the action. She already held offers from several SEC programs, including the powerhouse that is South Carolina, prior to picking up one from Kentucky. Risch could be a tough land, but she’s a prospect that is piquing the interest of a bunch of good schools.

Class of 2024

Trinity Rowe: 5-foot-4 point guard – Pikeville, KY (unranked)

The second of three in-state products in this post, Trinity Rowe took her first-ever unofficial in June and she spent it at Kentucky. About a week later, she picked up an offer from Xavier and previously received one from Eastern Kentucky.

Ramiya White: 6-foot-5 post – Louisville, KY (unranked)

The final in-state prospect we’ll discuss is Ramiya White, who took an unofficial visit to Kentucky on June 20, the same day she picked up her first scholarship offer, which came from Pittsburgh. Playing for Mercy High School up in Louisville, White has impressive size already despite being a rising high school sophomore. With an emphasis on bringing in taller post players, White is a player to take note of, especially coming from the Bluegrass State.

Jordyn Poole: 5-foot-6 point guard – Fort Wayne, IN (unranked)

It was more of a camp visit for Jordyn Poole, but she came to visit Kentucky on June 18 and got to meet with the staff in the process before being handed an offer. Poole’s month of June has been quite busy, as well, with trips to Marquette, Ohio State, Ball State, and Michigan while also receiving an offer from Xavier.

Class of 2026

Kamrah Banks: 5-foot-8 point guard – Indianapolis, IN (unranked)

The class of 2026 is rising eighth-graders, so there isn’t much known about them right now, but we do know that sisters Kamrah and Kenadi Banks are being recruited by Kentucky’s staff. The Banks girls were in Lexington two weeks ago for a visit while Kamrah went to see Ohio State not long after that, picking up an OSU offer a couple of days before visiting the Buckeyes. She also holds an offer from Purdue and went to visit Louisville recently.

Kenadi Banks: 5-foot-5 point guard – Indianapolis, IN (unranked)

As for Kenadi Banks, she accompanied her sister on the trip to Louisville as well as the one to Kentucky.

Ariyana Cradle: 5-foot-6 point guard – Ohio (unranked)

We talked about Ariyana Cradle in the first update earlier this month, as she picked up an offer from Kentucky on June 3. But just a couple of weeks later, she’s already made her way up to campus. The ‘Cats were her third offer, as the first two came from Oklahoma and Pittsburgh back in May. Kentucky was quick to get Cradle on campus following the offer, indicating the staff might be going after her hard in the early stages of her recruitment.

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2024-04-19