Mikaylah Williams, No. 1 basketball recruit, picks her college home

Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Mikaylah Williams, the top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2023, committed to Kim Mulkey's LSU basketball program in an announcement on Friday morning.

Rawr! Mikaylah Williams is headed to play basketball for the Tigers at LSU.
Rawr! Mikaylah Williams is headed to play basketball for the Tigers at LSU.  © Collage: STREETER LECKA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP & Instagram/mkwill12_

Rawr! Kim Mulkey will not take no for an answer.

On Friday, the Hall of Fame coach once again proved that she is transforming Louisiana State University's women's basketball program back to relevancy as Mikaylah Williams, the No. 1-ranked high school player in the country, committed to the Tigers.

It’s been clear that Williams, a 6-foot-1 guard from Bossier City, Louisiana, wanted to stay close to home as she chose LSU over Ole Miss, Baylor, Duke, and Texas A&M.

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"In order to take my game to the next level and to continue to learn and grow as a young woman, there's only one place where I've wanted to be. Home," Williams said in her commitment tweet. "I've decided I'll be attending the Louisiana State University."

Williams won gold with Team USA in the 2021 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup, where she was named MVP. The star athlete most recently earned a spot on the FIBA U17 World Cup US team, whom she will compete with July 9-17 in Hungary.

Williams was named the Gatorade Louisiana Girls Basketball Player of the Year in March after averaging 22.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.2 steals as a junior at Parkway High.

In just her first season with the LSU Tigers, coach Mulkey quickly made impact on the program with a 26-6 record in 2021-22, after 21 years coaching at Baylor.

Williams' commitment marks the second top-100 recruit from the 2023 class for the Tigers after Janae Kent, a 4-star prospect and No. 46 overall player, committed to the program in March.

Cover photo: Collage: STREETER LECKA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP & Instagram/mkwill12_

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