End-of-Month Recruiting Roundup for May

The last two months of basketball have seen the emphasis on the AAU slate. As May transitions into June, that will change as camp month will see those that have spent the last couple of months on the travel circuit reconvene with their high school teams.    Once June concludes, the grassroots schedule will take center stage once again with a few of the bigger live period events still to come. And that means more news about commitments and offers are sure to follow.   As for now, let us put an emphasis on a bit of recent news regarding which colleges have some of the Palmetto State's best on their respective radars. As always, Prep Girls Hoops is hot on the recruiting trail.    The offers have continued to pour in for one of the Palmetto State's premier 2025s since our last update. With Jacobs continuing to shine on the club circuit with [program_tooltip program_id='783909' first='Palmetto' last='76ers/A'ja Wilson Elite'], more Division I offers have come her way. This past month, Mississippi State, Georgia, Clemson and George Mason have extended offers in the direction of the veteran star out of SCISA 4A Heathwood Hall. With so many accolades she has compiled at the high school level, Jacobs will head into the 2024-25 season looking to close her Highlanders career with an exclamation point – and with a good problem – plenty of offers to mull over.     It is only fitting we transition from Jacobs to one of Jacobs' teammates – not only at Heathwood Hall but also at [program_tooltip program_id='783909' first='Palmetto' last='76ers/A'ja Wilson Elite'] (not to mention previously at Cardinal Newman). Could the Windy City await Monsanto once she calls it a career with the Highlanders? She revealed recently on social media that Division I Chicago State extended an offer in her direction. The 5-foot-11 combo guard, who is also a multi-sport athlete given she has competed in track and field, softball and volleyball, averaged a double-double this past season at Heathwood Hall. She posted average numbers of 15 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, four steals and one block per game in 23 games as Heathwood Hall won another SCISA 4A championship this past season.     Jacobs and Monsanto are not the only Palmetto State prospects with Division I on their minds. Yarde has built a storied career at SCISA 3A Hilton Head Christian and it was recently revealed at a signing event on May 22 that she will be heading north to New England to embark on a collegiate career with Vermont. She will be a worthwhile addition to the Catamounts. Her laundry list of accomplishments during her time at the high school level include tallying over 1,000 career points and winning four state championships. Yarde also competed in cross country and in soccer in addition to basketball.     We transition to another prospect from the same area, but a different school. Unfortunately, because of injury, Young had to witness most of her senior season from the bench, but she still managed to be a worthwhile-enough prospect to earn a spot in the collegiate ranks. Young will remain in-state as she committed to Coker. What makes Young stand out is how she combines the rebounding attributes of a big with the ball handling capabilities of a guard. Young's final full season at 4A Hilton Head Island was 2022-23 where she averaged a double-double of 15.9 points and 13.7 rebounds plus 2.9 steals in 25 games which led the Seahawks to a playoff berth. Young has also played softball alongside her hoops accomplishments.     Speaking of top-tier prospects that will remain in state, we turn our attention to the Upstate. Rookard was a key element in what was another winning season for 5A Byrnes. At a recent signing event staged at the home of the Rebels, Byrnes would sign with Columbia College in the Midlands. Coach NaJarius Green and the Koalas women's basketball program got themselves a good in on Rookard. She competed in 23 games in her senior season at Byrnes and averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists – a huge reason why the Rebels finished this past season with a 17-9 record and a 6-2 mark in Region 2-5A.     Thompson is another Palmetto State prospect who will remain in-state for her collegiate days. It was revealed on her social media that she will head north on Interstate 77 and play her college ball at Clinton College – an HBCU located in Rock Hill. Thompson competed in 27 games in her senior season at 4A Westwood. She averaged 15.7 points, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals as the Redhawks qualified for this past season's 4A state tournament. Thompson's career as a Redhawk also included an appearance in the 4A state championship game two seasons ago against North Augusta. As Thompson moves on from her high school career, Westwood is in a transition too – from 4A to 5A.     The high school career for this talented veteran out of 2A Lake Marion also included a stint at nearby 1A Cross before sporting the black and green of the Gators. It was revealed on social media that Wright will be taking her many talents to the Hoop State – William Peace in Raleigh to be more precise. The Pacers compete as a Division III team. Wright's career also included running on the travel circuit with Lady Team Unleashed South Carolina as well as Lowcountry Premier. The 5-foot-10 small forward competed in 19 games in her final season at Lake Marion and averaged 8.3 rebounds to go along with 8.3 points and 2.3 steals a contest. Along with basketball, she also participated on the Gators varsity volleyball team.     Last, but certainly not least, is a 2025 prospect that has already made major waves in South Carolina's multi-competitive 5A girls basketball landscape. Fairwell has translated the momentum from what was a superb 2023-24 campaign with Dutch Fork into the travel realm with Southeast All-Stars. She has landed an offer from Division I UC-San Diego out of the Big West. One can understand why the Tritons would be thrilled to have Fairwell in blue and gold following her senior season in Silver Foxes green. Fairwell posted numbers of 17.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.6 steals and 3.1 assists in 23 games and her Dutch Fork team compiled a 23-4 record along with going 8-0 in Region 4-5A.

The last two months of basketball have seen the emphasis on the AAU slate. As May transitions into June, that will change as camp month will see those that have spent the last couple of months on the travel circuit reconvene with their high school teams.