BREAKING: Vanderbilt lands No. 10 player from Class of 2024 in Mikayla Blakes

Mikayla Blakes announced she will be heading to Nashville, Tenn. to play at Vanderbilt after she graduates from Rutgers Prep in N.J.

Barrie Barto

Shea Ralph coaches in Vanderbilt’s matchup against LA Tech, as photographed on Dec. 3, 2023. (Hustler Multimedia/Barrie Barto)

By Andrew Wilf, Sports Editor

Jan 22, 2024

5-Star recruit Mikayla Blakes committed to Vanderbilt on Monday afternoon. Blakes — the No. 10 recruit from the Class of 2024 — picked Vanderbilt over No. 5 UCLA, No. 8 Stanford, No. 16 Indiana, Tennessee, Rutgers and Wisconsin. Blakes is the younger sister of Duke guard Jaylen Blakes.

The Commodores currently sit at 17-3 and are fourth in the SEC standings. Blakes will look to join a Vanderbilt women’s basketball program that has gone through a culture shift under head coach Shea Ralph.

5⭐️ Mikayla Blakes (no. 10 espnW 💯) has committed to Vanderbilt! #AnchorDown @mikaylablakes | @VandyWBB pic.twitter.com/l5nzViYYaS
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) January 22, 2024

Blakes is a senior at Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset, N.J. Blakes has dominated the high school basketball circuit this season, tallying 19.6 points per game, 1.5 steals per game and a 47.1% shooting percentage from the field across 17 total games played. Before the 2023-24, Blakes had already tallied 1,370 points and 247 points through three seasons at Rutgers Prep. On Saturday, the point guard notched 33 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in Rutgers Prep’s 89-62 win over Montclair Immaculate.

Blakes is headed to Vandy‼️

🏀 Congratulations to Rutgers Prep senior Mikayla Blakes (@mikaylablakes) on committing to Vanderbilt University to continue her basketball career. ICYMI here is some of the 5 star guard’s 33 point, 8 rebound, 7 assist performance vs. No. 4 Montclair… pic.twitter.com/3GyVPMnnz1
— Jersey Sports Zone (@JSZ_Sports) January 22, 2024

Blakes will likely fill in the shoes of sixth-year point guard Jordyn Cambridge next season. Cambridge has been a consummate professional since coming to West End and leads Vanderbilt with 14.2 points per game. Blakes will look to help Ralph and the Commodores next season win their first SEC Tournament since 2009.

About the Contributors

Andrew Wilf, Former Sports Editor

Andrew Wilf (’24) is Sports Editor for The Vanderbilt Hustler. He is from Livingston, N.J., and is majoring in history and minoring in business. He joined the sports staff his freshman year, previously serving as a Staff Writer, Assistant Sports Editor and Deputy Sports Editor. Beyond writing for The Hustler, he is also the host of Anchor Analysis, Commodore Clash and Live From West End. In his free time, Andrew enjoys watching the NFL and playing golf. He can be reached at [email protected].

Barrie Barto, Editor-in-Chief

Barrie Barto ('25) is majoring in medicine, health & society and communication of science & technology with a neuroscience minor in the College of Arts and Science. She previously served as Photography Director. When she’s not hiking in Percy Warner, you can find Barrie cheering on the St. Louis Blues or tracking down the best gluten-free food in Nashville. She can be reached at [email protected].

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