SC Recruiting Notebook for 6/23

With June coming to a close, this means that high school camp month is wrapping up and talents will soon sport their travel uniforms for the stretch run of the 2025 grassroots campaign.    June did include a live period which occurred during the middle of the month. South Carolina's live period event took place in the middle of the month at Riverview Park in North Augusta with a multitude of teams and collegiate coaches and scouts on hand.    As Prep Girls Hoops is always active on the recruiting trail, we update aficionados across our state on every aspect of high school girls basketball. That includes which colleges are offering which names. Without further ado, here is our latest recruiting update.     Rush's SCISA 4A First Baptist team recently took part in the team camp at Presbyterian. It was a successful outing for Rush and her Hurricanes as she landed an offer from the Blue Hose and its head coach Tiffany Sardin. Rush was one of three from First Baptist that landed a collegiate offer following the Presby camp. She also took part in camps at NC State and West Georgia during the month. Rush played in 32 games in Hurricanes purple while averaging 12.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest en route to runner-up season in SCISA 4A. The talent First Baptist is returning for its 2025-26 version should make the Hurricanes a contender for SCISA 4A's big prize.      Pouyat was a worthwhile addition to SCISA 4A First Baptist last season after transferring from Cathedral Academy. She recently landed an offer with Division III LaGrange in Georgia. One can see why the Panthers have her on their radar when watching Pouyat play. Pouyat has played at the varsity level since she was a seventh grader. She averaged 8.9 points and 1.9 steals for First Baptist this past season. Her travel career has included a stint with [program_tooltip program_id='713840' first='Charleston' last='Raptors'] – formerly TMP – and previously with Coastal Select. Pouyat has already experienced her fair share of state success and would love to experience championship euphoria one more time before heading into the collegiate ranks.      Presbyterian coach Tiffany Sardin must have been impressed with First Baptist's bigs at the Blue Hose recent team camp. Not only was Rush offered by Sardin, but the same applied to Braddick. Gardner-Webb, Hampton, Elon, East Carolina and West Georgia have also extended offers Braddick's way. She is a major reason as to why the Hurricanes present one of the most fearsome frontcourts in the entire state – either in the private or public school realm. Braddick, whose career included a stint with 1A St. John's, is listed at 6-foot-6 and that height advantage particularly shows itself on the defensive end of the floor where she is a consistent threat to reject opposing shot attempts.      One is doing something correct when offers continue to pour in prior to starting a freshman season. That remains to be the case for Evans whose Rebels recently took part in Wofford's team camp. A hop, skip and a jump from Wofford is Furman and Evans' resume now includes an in-state offer from coach Pierre Curtis and the Paladins. This is in addition to Division I offers she already had from Auburn, Cincinnati and George Mason. After putting together a 2024-25 where she averaged 14 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per contest, something tells us her name will appear in plenty of recruiting updates in the future.      By virtue of its 4A state win over Westside last season, North Augusta re-established itself as the team to beat among 4A schools. Along with offering Evans, the Yellow Jackets' star junior also is on the radar of Furman. Walker also landed an offer from UNC-Wilmington. If one had a chance to watch her performance at the SC Live Camp at Riverview Park, she displayed signs that she could be more difficult to contain than ever. A versatile player that can give a team minutes as either a one, two, three or a wing, she has now been part of two North Augusta state championship teams and Al Young's Yellow Jackets will certainly be part of that conversation once again in 2025-26.      Camden is also part of that 4A championship contenders' chat and coach Lewis Mungo's bunch made a big splash during the offseason by landing one of the premier bigs to the Bulldogs. Division I North Carolina Central University recently extended an offer in Alexander's direction. Alexander has already claimed state hardware from her time at 2A Andrew Jackson and her career also included a stint with Legion Collegiate. Last season with the Lancers, Alexander saw playing time on 32 occasions while averaging a double-double of 16.8 points and 10.8 rebounds plus 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks to lead Legion Collegiate to a 22-13 record.      One could probably read this article and color it with plenty of Furman Paladins purple. As evidenced by offers to Evans, Walker and Lucas, coach Pierre Curtis has certainly stepped up his in-state recruitment efforts. Earlier in the month, the rising sophomore guard from 4A South Pointe also landed an offer from North Carolina A&T. A multi-sport athlete who also thrives in the track and field realm, Lucas posted career numbers last season – 20.9 points, 4.7 steals and 4.1 assists per contest. Lucas was a key piece in leading the Stallions to the 4A Upper State Final last season and her South Pointe assembling is sure to give the rest of the state problems in 2025-26.      The offers continue to file in for the 5A Riverside star guard and [program_tooltip program_id='715412' first='SC' last='Eagles'] UA Rise 17U product. One of Haroski's most recent offers came from an in-state school in Erskine College in addition to offers she also landed this month from Lycoming College in Pennsylvania and from Sewanee College. Because of injury, Haroski did not play in as many games as she did in 2023-24 when she won the 4A championship with the Warriors, but the work she has done over the travel schedule is an indication that she is more than ready to finish her high school career with an exclamation point.     Speaking of [program_tooltip program_id='715412' first='SC' last='Eagles'] UA Rise 17U notables, the offers are beginning to be extended in her direction as well. A centerpiece of the solid team that is 5A Division 1 Lexington, Anderson landed three offers from in-state schools as Converse, Newberry and Claflin have the Wildcats' veteran big all on their respective radars. Anderson displayed plenty of improvement in 2024-25 and it led to improved fortunes for Lexington. The team concluded its 2024-25 campaign with a record of 18-6 and she nearly averaged a double-double with 13.7 points and 9.9 rebounds in 22 contests. A senior campaign where Anderson posts similar or even better numbers will equal more wins for coach Molly Goodrich and her Wildcats.      Earl's 5A T.L. Hanna team recently took part in a team camp at Coastal Carolina. Prior to said camp, Earl landed an offer from Division II UNC-Pembroke as well as one from Newberry College. Being a rising junior, Earl has a bit more time, obviously to make a collegiate decision than a rising senior. She stands at 5-foot-10 and thrives as a left-hander. A frontcourt force who can deliver strong finishes at the rim, Earl is versatile and can throw defenses off guard with her 3-point shooting accuracy. Earl plays with AEBL Girlz during the spring and summer months of AAU and is coming off a 2024-25 season where she averaged 16 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 steals a game for her Yellow Jackets.     Speaking of six-foot prospects, the Bruins of 3A Orangeburg-Wilkinson have one of their own in Rumph – and she is on the radar of the program at Denmark Tech. Rumph is a product of the Orangeburg Xpress AAU program and is sure to be a focal point of a 2025-26 Bruins team that will feature a robust veteran presence. The amount of playing time she has received has increased with experience and she does what coaches look for out of fours and fives – high-percentage field goals, interior defense and rebounding capabilities. Rumph's Bruins concluded the 2024-25 season with a record of 15-7.     We mentioned Joseph in an earlier article about veteran bigs who seem poised to take that next big step. The coaching staff at Claflin must be confident as well as evident by the offer they recently extended to the talented frontcourt force at 4A Darlington. Joseph is playing her final AAU season with [program_tooltip program_id='783909' first='Palmetto' last='76ers/A'ja Wilson Elite'] and is coming off a season with the Falcons where she led them to a 16-10 record. What makes Joseph an intriguing prospect is not only her standing at 6-foot-1, but her ability to make plays on both offense and defense. Joseph is difficult to guard and difficult to score against.       The 2025-26 season will be one of adjustment at 5A Ridge View. Former coach Terrence Gibson has departed to take the job at 4A Brookland-Cayce and former coach at 4A Lower Richland Aaron Lucas assumes the reins with the Blazers. Johnson is more than ready to live up to those expectations and then some. Similar to Joseph, Johnson also landed an offer to bring her talents to Claflin. Prospects with her height but can also operate in the frontcourt can be very intriguing to many a collegiate coach. Last season, she took to the court in 24 games with a Blazers team that finished last season with a record of 20-9.      It was recently announced that Morgan Stroman will be at the helm at 4A Lower Richland, the replacement for Aaron Lucas who took the job at 5A Ridge View. Sumter will have one season under Stroman before she heads to the collegiate ranks. She recently landed an offer from Allen University. Sumter is a multi-sport athlete who also thrives in the track and field realm. She played a major role in ensuring the Diamond Hornets' transition from 3A to 4A was nearly seamless. Lower Richland concluded last season with a 25-2 record and the 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.9 steals she averaged helped greatly in those efforts.      Williams has had herself a busy offseason that now includes receiving an offer from Denmark Tech ala Rumph. Williams previously played at 5A Sumter but is now taking her talents to a 1A North team that is on the rise. She also joined a new AAU team as she has worn the uniform of FBC Next Up SC Lady Wolves throughout grassroots play. Williams particularly gets plenty of glowing praise for her rebounding capabilities. When one stands at a stature of near six feet as is the case with Williams, a team will out-rebound many an opponent. Williams joins a Eagles team that concluded the 2024-25 campaign with a record of 18-9.     North Myrtle Beach was reclassified from 4A to 5A (with the rest of its Horry County brethren) beginning with last season. Vereen ensured that the Chiefs made a smooth transition to the higher classification as her team finished with a record of 22-3 in 2024-25 en route to a 5A Division 2 Lower State final bid. Vereen's efforts as a 5-foot-11 point guard were recently rewarded with an offer courtesy of Division I East Carolina. A product of the SC Future travel program based in the Midlands, Vereen played in all 25 games last season for North Myrtle Beach. She averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 steals and 4.2 assists.     Sweet was part of a 3A Powdersville group that had a banner season in 2024-25. She helped the Patriots to a 20-8 record and recently landed an offer from Division III Guilford. She is entering her senior season at Powdersville and has ran with SC Lady Sixers during grassroots play. In the 27 games she played, Sweet averaged 13.3 points and 3.4 assists for her Patriots. At 5-foot-7, she thrives in the backcourt primarily as a shooting guard but can also play point. An accurate 3-point shot, getting out in transition and collecting steals on defense are other positive attributes of her well-developed skillset.

With June coming to a close, this means that high school camp month is wrapping up and talents will soon sport their travel uniforms for the stretch run of the 2025 grassroots campaign.