Hoop Gurlz.com Ranks Cardinals Recruiting Class No. 10
November 30, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2007
Posted Thu, 11/29/2007 - By Chris Hansen
National Director of Scouting
Story courtesy of HoopGurlz.com
Jeff Walz's first recruiting class at Louisville includes five nationally ranked players, led by Monique Reid and Tierra Stephen.
It is safe to say Jeff Walz's first signing class as the head coach at Louisville is a success. The class includes five players, three of which are ranked in the HoopGurlz Hundred, and all five are ranked in the top 100 by one of the national recruiting services. The outstanding class is impressive considering that the coaching staff didn't even have a full year to get going on it as well as the talent at multiple positions.
The highest ranked player in the class is Monique Reid (No. 41 by HoopGurlz), a Kentucky native who as a junior led the state in both scoring and rebounding. Scoring nearly 29 points per game and grabbing more than 16 rebounds a game is incredible in its own right, but add to that 5.7 assists, three steals and three blocks while shooting nearly 54 percent from the field and incredible seems inadequate. The 6-foot-1 first team all-state selection is a wing player at the college level and bringing a player with her size and the tools to contribute in so many ways is pretty exciting headliner for a first recruiting class.
Walz and Company also signed a top-notch point guard, Tiera Stephen, in their 2008 class. Stephen is a super fast player who shows great control and poise even at blazing speeds. The No. 68 ranked player in the class attacks defenders and makes things happen offensively and defensively she is quick and determined to pressure the ball handler and create turnovers. She stood out as a key performer for her club team, Cincinnati's Finest this summer and did so against some pretty talented opposition.
Gwen Rucker, a 6-2 forward from Henry Clay High School in Lexington, is another standout from the state of Kentucky and keeping her, Reed and Janae Howard in-state shows the staff is making ties to the local kids right off the bat. Rucker, the No. 90 ranked player in the class, is a physical player who should make an impact on the defensive end and even more so on the glass right away as she learns to use her size and athleticism at the next level offensively.
Howard may be the most underrated of the in-state trio given her size and her ability to shoot the ball as well. She should contribute offensively right out of the gate. The 6-2 forward was selected to the all-state second team as a junior averaging 17.8 points per game for Owensboro High School.
Louisville also snuck into Tennessee and signed Mary Jackson, a powerful 5-10 guard from Memphis's Oakhaven High School. Jackson was the District 16-AA MVP as a junior where she averaged a double-double with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Yes, a double-double from the guard position.
All five players have versatility in their games that should allow Coach Walz to develop a distinct style of play. Walz took over the program on March 27, 2007, just four days after Tom Collen resigned and took the job at Arkansas. Walz spent five years at Maryland as the Associate Head Coach under Brenda Frese at Maryland. There, he helped bring in several nationally ranked recruiting classes and was part of their magical 2006 National Championship season.
This class is special because it shows the program is making strides to keep up with the beasts in the Big East. Having at Top 15 class is nearly a requirement to be competitive in a conference with Connecticut and Rutgers. It's not the SEC but if Louisville can continue to build on their 2007 NCAA tournament performance and have Walz continue to bring in top recruiting classes the conference will have more than one or two legitimate tournament contenders
Chris Hansen is the National Director of Scouting for Women's Basketball at HoopGurlz.com. He leads the panel that evaluates and ranks girl's basketball prospects nationally for HoopGurlz. Chris has been involved in the women's basketball community since 1998 as a coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He can be reached at chris@hoopgurlz.com.
