NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt women’s basketball head coach Shea Ralph announced the signing of Mikayla Blakes, a five-star point guard from the Garden State, on Wednesday.
The Somerset, New Jersey, native is the second member of Vanderbilt’s 2024 signing class, as she joins forward Trinity Wilson, who inked her National Letter of Intent with the Commodores back in November.
“Mikayla Blakes is the definition of elite, both on the basketball court and in the classroom,” said Vanderbilt women’s basketball head coach Shea Ralph. “From her mindset to her skill set, her academic drive to her ambition as a young woman, she will elevate our program in every single way.”
Blakes is a 2024 McDonald’s All-American and participated in the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game, where she scored 13 points and hit a pair of 3-pointers for the East team. Additionally, she was the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Games Knockout Champion. Blakes is the third McDonald’s All-American that has signed with Vanderbilt during Ralph’s tenure, as she joins Jordyn Oliver (2019) and Justine Pissott (2022). She is the highest-ranked prospect to sign with Vanderbilt under Ralph, as she is No. 8 in the most recent HoopGurlz/espnW rankings. Blakes was the 2024 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year and named a Jordan Brand Classic All-American. Blakes represented Team USA at the second annual Nike Brand Hoops Summit.
“Mikayla is one of the most highly decorated high school student-athletes to come through our program,” said Ralph. “She has earned numerous accolades for her achievements as a basketball player, but it is the rare intangible qualities she possesses that have always been the most impressive to me. Her competitiveness and confidence, her relentless work ethic, her passion & drive to be great, and her ability to stay laser-focused on what’s important make her a perfect fit for Vanderbilt and for our program.”
The 6-0 point guard joins the Dores after an outstanding high school career at Rutgers Prep, which was ranked as the third-best team in New Jersey this past season according to MaxPreps. She led the Argonauts to a 24-5 record during her senior season and averaged 20.4 points, 3.6 steals, and 3.2 assists per game. Blakes led Rutgers Prep to three-straight New Jersey Non-Public B State Championship games, winning the state title as a sophomore. Over the summer, Blakes played for the Philly Rise on the under-17 Nike EYBL circuit, the same program that Pissott played for as a prep player. In 17 games, Blakes averaged 19.6 points, shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from 3-point range. Blakes compiled 25 steals and only committed eight turnovers throughout the summer.
She is a 4.0 student at Rutgers Prep and aspires to attend medical school. Blakes chose Vanderbilt over Indiana, UCLA, Stanford, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Rutgers. She is the daughter of Monroe and Nikkia Blakes, while her brother Jaylen played basketball at Duke.
“Mikayla has invested in herself and in us and has fully trusted our vision for what this program can achieve,” said Ralph. “I am thrilled for us both that she has chosen to call Vanderbilt ‘home,’ and I am truly excited to welcome her and her amazing family to our Vanderbilt community.”
Vanderbilt is coming off a 2023-24 season that saw the Commodores go 23-10 overall, which marked the program’s first 20-win campaign since 2012-13. Vandy also earned its first at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament since 2014 and picked up a 72-68 win over Columbia in the First Four.
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