Top 3 2021 Women’s Basketball Recruits
National signing week has come to an end, and the top 3 2021 women’s basketball recruits are stars in the making. Prospects like Azzi Fudd, Raven Johnson, and Saniya Rivers are just a few of the outstanding ladies who have signed to some of the best women’s basketball programs in the nation.
The No. 1 recruit in the nation, Azzi Fudd, committed to the University of Connecticut last week. The 2019 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year and two-time USA Basketball gold medalist will be starting at UConn in fall 2021.
Fudd is not your average recruit; she announced her commitment on ESPN’s livestream via Instagram on Nov. 11, the day of her 18th birthday. What makes Fudd so extraordinary is that she was the first ever sophomore to receive Gatorade’s Player of the Year award. That year she averaged 26.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
In April 2019, Fudd tore both her ACL and MCL. It took about seven months of recovery before she was able to get back on the court. She returned the following January for her junior season with the St. John’s Cadets. She played a total of 19 games and averaged 19.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Fudd will be the fourth No. 1 prospect for UConn in the past five years. She has high hopes ahead for her time with the program.
Welcome to UConn, Azzi! pic.twitter.com/b7eydopP9C
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) November 11, 2020
No. 2 recruit Raven Johnson will be headed to South Carolina to be a part of the Lady Gamecocks. The 5’11” point guard is an Atlanta native and currently attends Westlake High School. She was honored as 2020’s Miss Georgia Basketball and the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Georgia 7A Player of the Year her last two seasons.
In her junior season, she averaged 15.9 points, 4.3 steals, and 3.9 assists per game. She was named the GACA 7A South Player of the Year in 2020. Johnson is No. 1 in her position and considered to be a leader on the court.
“Raven is the ultimate point guard,” USC head coach Dawn Staley said. “She’s a two-way player in her presence on both sides of the floor as the lead guard, understanding where everybody needs to be and unafraid and unapologetic about telling people where they need to be. We couldn’t ask for a better point guard, and she’s really just scratching the surface. Her work ethic sets her apart from everyone else. When I watched her play, she made her mark on defense. She takes no prisoners and is unafraid to take on a challenge.” (Source: Gamecocks Online)
Johnson will be joined by the third overall recruit, Saniya Rivers. This 6’0” guard comes from Wilmington, North Carolina, and attends Eugene Ashley High School. She was the North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020 and went to AP All-State this year. Just last week she was named to the watch list for the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy for High School Girls Player of the Year.
Rivers’ accolades are quite impressive and widely versatile, according to Staley.
“I’ve seen her play so many positions, so her versatility is the thing that jumps off the page,” Staley said. “She has a jump shot, she can get to the basket, she can shoot Stephen Curry 3s, she has tremendous court vision and is very unselfish, almost to a fault. It doesn’t stop there. Her ability to defend, to compete – she wants to win her battle on both sides of the ball, and we love that about her.”
Congratulations to the Class of 2021 and these three signees. High school basketball season is just around the corner. What an exciting season it will be to see these leading ladies begin their college careers.
Written by: Kyra Vandiver
