On June 2, I wrote a recruiting guide for Duke women's basketball this
year, a list that included every player who was known to have Duke on
their initial list. In many cases, just because a player listed Duke
didn't mean that Duke reciprocated that interest. That was especially
true for the point guards who had Duke on their list; with Vicky Krapohl,
Caitlin Howe, and Lindsey Harding on the roster, this isn't a position
Duke will be going after this year.
Duke can afford to be very selective this year. They are only losing
two players after getting a spectacular five-woman class that filled a lot
of needs. At most, Duke will take two players, with one not being out of
the question. When Coach G returns from China this week, she will
immediately take some in-home visits with 2 wings and a post player.
Before we speculate as to their identities, let's review those players
Duke is definitely NOT involved with Thanks go to Sibyl Marshall for
her always-crucial list. If a player has committed, their school-to-be will
appear in parentheses:
Na'keisha Anthony
Katie Antony (Vanderbilt)
Sara Brown (Colorado State)
Camille Brox
Meg Bulger (West Virginia)
Lauren Ervin
Jennifer Hall (Vanderbilt)
Janese Hardrick (South Carolina)
Chloe Kerr
Noelle Quinn
Dominique Redding
Kelsey Rogiers-Nelson
Adrienne Ross
Dorian Williams
Of this list, the players that Duke really wanted were Bulger and Quinn.
Duke really wants to get a slashing guard to replace Sheana Mosch, and
either would have fit the bill.
This leaves the following players on Duke's list: center Alison Bales
(Dayton), center/forward Jessica Davenport (Columbus), forward Brittany
Hunter (Columbus), and center Tiffany Jackson (Duncanville, TX). In
addition, Duke has added a player to their list: Dayton guard Brandie
Hoskins. More on her in a moment. Coach G noted that she'd be doing 4
visits in 3 days, with one of the visits scheduled with a top junior. The
two wings in the above list are Hoskins and Hunter, which means that the
post could be Jackson, Davenport, or Bales. Note the close proximity of
most these players--Ohio is having quite a year in girl's high school
basketball. All five players are quite highly regarded and would fight
for immediate playing time. Hunter and Jackson are both considered to be
top 5 players.
Here are some notes on Brandie Hoskins:
Brandie Hoskins 5-10 Dayton, OH (Chaminade-Julien)
Position: Wing
Accolades: Student Sports Junior All-America
Nike Camp (2001, 2002)
HM Street & Smith's All-America
USA Youth Development Team
AAU 16U MVP (2002)
Div II All-State 1st Team (2002)
OGBM Dream Team (2002)
AP District Player of the Year
Ranking: #18 Blue Star, #32 ASGR
Stats: 20 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, 2.5 spg
Other Schools Involved: Dayton, Florida State, Michigan State, Notre Dame,
Ohio State, Wright State
Links: