DePaul women’s basketball will see four new recruits next season – including two rated in espnW’s HoopGurlz 2013 Top 100 rankings – replacing graduating seniors Anna Martin and Katherine Harry.
Jessica January, Antania Hayes, Shakeya Graves and Meredith Bennett-Swanson have all signed National Letters of Intent, making them official Blue Demons for the 2013-2014 season. January and Hayes are the two players ranked by HoopGurlz.
Hayes, a 6-foot-1-inch forward from Detroit, is ranked No. 36 by the rankings network and fourth at her position. ESPN describes Hayes as “an athletic slasher who makes plays with her energy and effort on both ends.” She averaged 14 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in her final season.
January, ranked at No. 91, comes into a crowded backcourt, but her resume is impressive. At Richfield High School in Minnesota, January led her team to the State Championship as a junior. That season she averaged 26.0 points per game.
Richfield coach Scott Stadem couldn’t recommend January more and said she’ll fit right in at DePaul.
“On the court, she’s exactly what you want a ‘best player’ to be,” said Stadem. “We spend a lot of time talking to our kids about being either a Type A person or a Type B person. Type A is the hardest working with the best etiquette who wants to work really hard. When you have a person who is that and is so gifted athletically, that’s going to be a great player and that’s what (January) is.
“I think she can step in and compete for playing time right away.”
Even those who weren’t rated in the top 100 seem to have promise. Bennett-Swanson, a 6-foot-3-inch forward, was a part of Vernon Hills run to the Illinois High School Association 3A Championship game. Graves, a 5-foot-9-inch point guard, comes from Michigan Crossover and is rated an 88 by ESPN’s scouts. Graves was also ranked 46th at her position.
The recruiting class was impressive enough to be ranked highly by two exclusive recruiting sites. BlueStar Basketball ranked DePaul’s incoming class as 13th, while Collegiate Girls Basketball Report ranked the Blue Demons at 17.
The four players come after a season where the Blue Demons were ravaged by injuries. The team finished 21-12 and suffered a first round exit to Oklahoma State in the NCAA tournament.
“I am really excited about this class,” said head coach Doug Bruno in a statement. “These recruits bring a high-level of talent and competitiveness to our program. This class includes three talented and athletics guards and one very skilled post player.”