Marquette Signs Eight to National Letters of Intent

MILWAUKEE- Marquette University women's basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger is pleased to announce her 2023 recruiting class with the signing of eight to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday. Sharna Ayres will arrive on campus for the Spring 2019 semester, while Claire Kaifes, Jordan King, Nirel Lougbo, Destiny Strother, Camryn Taylor, Taylor Valladay and Shemera Williams will join the Golden Eagles in summer of 2019.

"We are thrilled to welcome eight new members to our basketball family," Kieger said. "We could not be more excited to bring these talented and mature young women to Marquette. They are aware they have big shoes to fill with our senior class departing and they welcome the challenge and opportunity. Our staff and team have worked tirelessly over the past few years to make this talented class a reality."

Ayres is from Melbourne, Australia and was a member if the U18 Victorian Metro State Team and invited to the Australian Developmental Camp. She joined the U19 Australian Team Camp and is a two-time All-Australian State School Team selection playing for Box Hill High School. A 5'11 guard, in 2017 Ayres was named the State School Victoria Female Basketballer of the Year and played for the Diamond Valley Eagles state championship team.

"Sharna is a natural scorer with unlimited range. She can score in a variety of ways and isn't shy to let it fly from deep," noted Kieger. "She has good size at the guard spot and has a confidence on offense that we will need immediately. She has a great feel for the game and makes her teammates better with her vision and ability to stretch the floor."

A 5'11 guard from Shawnee, Kansas, Kaifes was named first team 5A All-State and earned 5A All-Kansas honorable mention honors in the 2017-18 season. Blue Star has her listed as a #177 prospect after earning second team All-Eastern Kansas team accolades in her junior season and honorable mention all-state as a sophomore. In addition to being a four-year letterwinner, Kaifes is also a four year academic letterwinner at Mill Valley High School.

"Claire is the most vocal guard I have ever seen at her age," Kieger said. "She is an extension of the coach on the floor and has a very high basketball IQ. Her passion for the game is refreshing to watch and makes everyone around her better. She has great size for a guard and has a knack for rebounding the ball. She has deep range and vision to create for her teammates and it will be a joy to watch her grow over the next four years."

King joins the Golden Eagles from Rockton, Illinois bringing multiple athletic and academic accolades. At Hononegah High School she was an IBCA First Team All-State for Cass 3A/4A and earned AP Second Team All-State honors. In 2017-18 King was selected to the NIC-10 First Team All-Conference and was conference MVP as well as the NIC-10 Outstanding Scholar-Athlete. The 5'11 guard is a four-star prospect according to Prospects Nation and is ranked #111 from Blue Star. King is back-to-back Beloit Daily News All-Area Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

"Jordan will be college ready when she steps foot on campus. She has a very high basketball IQ with a second to none work ethic," Kieger said. "She is a triple threat as she can shoot, drive, and set her teammates up. She is also a relentless rebounder from the perimeter. Her best basketball is ahead of her and I know she will come in and make an immediate impact. We believe she is one of the most underrated players in this class and we look forward to her proving that over the next four years."

A native of North Andover, Massachusetts, Lougbo is a 5'10 guard ranked #128 from Girls' Basketball Report, four-star recruit according to Prospects Nation and ranked #149 by Blue Star. She is a three-time NEPSAC Class A First Team selection and was MVP at Tabor Academy High School. Boston Globe named Lougbo an All-Scholastic player in 2017, while she earned Blue Star First Team accolades from 2016-18. Also a strong academic student, Lougbo has been a French and math scholar at Tabor from 2015-18.

"Nirel is a match up nightmare," Kieger commented. "She is an athletic guard that can play multiple positions and has great size. Her defensive presence will be felt the moment she sets foot on the court. She has the ability to beat you off the dribble or stop and pop from midrange. Her style of play will fit perfectly in our system and I know she will have an amazing career here. We look forward to her expanding her game here at Marquette."

Strother hails from Flint, Michigan and Carmen-Ainsworth High School where she is a three-time all-conference honoree and earned three consecutive all-state honors, including a first team selection as a junior. The 5'9 guard was selected to the Flint Journal All-Area Dream team and is a two-time MVP. Strother is a four-star recruit from Prospects Nation and ranked #205 by Blue Star and as a junior was named both team MVP and MVP of the Saginaw Valley League.

"Destiny is a knock down lefty shooter," said Kieger. "Having her on the court will make everyone better as defenses will have to respect her range. She is a strong competitor who loves to work! It will be a natural transition for Destiny to play in our up-tempo system. Destiny is a great culture player who understands the tradition of Marquette and she is excited to help build the future. She is a great teammate and will help enhance chemistry among a big class.

Taylor is a 6'2 forward from Richwoods High School in Peoria, Illinois and led her team to a Class 3A State Championship as a junior. She earned back-to-back First Team All-Big 12 accolades and is a two-time Big 12 Conference Scholar-Athlete. Taylor reach 1,000 career points as a junior and was selected to the first team AP All-State and first team IBCA All-State. She owns a number of rankings, including #42 by the Girls' Basketball Report, #150 overall from Prospects Nation and #28 at her position as well as ranked #159 by Blue Star.

"Camryn is a relentless competitor and her energy and passion is contagious," said Kieger. "She will bring a strong physical presence on the inside but has the athleticism to stretch the floor and play on the perimeter. She rebounds extremely well and has potential to alter shots on the inside. Her game is tailor made for our system and we can't wait to see how she develops over the next four years."

Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, Valladay is a top-250 recruit and was a Southland Athletic Conference all-conference player for Rich South High School. The 5'7 guard guided her team to consecutive state tournaments and earned Southtown All-Area special mention accolades and IBCA All-State special mention honors. Valladay was also a member of the track team and was an Illinois State Champion in the 4x200.

"Taylor is a natural born leader who is always striving to make her teammates better," Kieger stated. "She is a quick lead guard who pushes tempo, defends the ball 90 feet, and sets the tone for her team. She will never settle for anything less than 100 percent and we know she will continue to propel our team into the future."

A Milwaukee native, Williams is ranked #54 by ESPN, #53 from Girls' Basketball Report, #61 according to Prospects Nation and ranked #27 and #41, by ASGR and Blue Star, respectively. She is the 2018 Wisconsin Player of the Year and 2017 WBCA Division 5 Player of the Year. At the Milwaukee Academy of Science, the 5'8 guard set a record for most points scored in a state game with 40 and most points scored in a state tournament with 73. Williams is a three-time first team all-state honoree and earned AP All-State second team accolades in 2017.

"When the leading scorer in the nation is in your back yard, it is a blessing to keep her home," said Kieger. "We are ecstatic that she has chosen to stay home and represent her family and the Milwaukee community. Shemera is a very gifted athlete who can score from anywhere on the floor; however, the most underrated part of her game is her play making ability. She has great court vision and we are excited to see how her game flourishes at the college level. She has unlimited potential and we are thrilled the Milwaukee fans will get to see her play for another four years, this time in blue and GOLD."

This class marks Kieger's fifth recruiting class and will have four years of eligibility.

"We know the character, work ethic, and leadership of this class will continue to raise the Marq for our program," said Kieger. "Big things wait for our 2023 class."

Marquette Signs Eight to National Letters of Intent

Related Videos