Last spring, head coach Kelly Graves said the Oregon women’s basketball program was looking to build a “program-defining” class for 2016 — one that would set the tone for years to come.
That comment quickly set me in motion. I thought, if this was a type of class that truly would put Oregon on the map, then I wanted to keep close tabs on recruits as they verbally committed. It turned out to be eye-opening, to say the least. There’s something uniquely special about talking to a recruit soon after he or she commits; it’s a moment full of excitement and pride.
Oregon’s 2016 class is now comprised of six future Ducks — Jayde Woods, Sierra Campisano, Mallory McGwire, Morgan Yaeger, Lydia Giomi and Ruthy Hebard — all of whom verbally committed over the course of 10 months. Their commitments must have kept the mood lively among the Oregon coaching staff.
Woods was the first to commit in November 2014 and Campisano selected Oregon in January 2015.
In April, I saw a tweet from McGwire saying she was joining the class. We talked later that evening when she stepped away from a team dinner. She was especially eager after committing in-person that afternoon.
Yaeger, an Australian native, was next to announce. I realized Oregon was interested in her after Graves was tagged in a tweet mentioning Yaeger; oftentimes recruits mention Graves’s account in committing, but due to NCAA rules, he can’t respond back. Yeager committed on a Friday night, around 11:30 p.m. here in Eugene. We talked via FaceTime that night. She loved the warmth of the coaching staff and committed soon after she was offered, despite never visiting Eugene.
With four commits, Graves’s dream of a “program-defining” class was truly shaping up. He and his staff had depth in varying positions.
Giomi was next to select the Ducks. I realized she committed after a few other commits tweeted about her. She said the family environment in Eugene brought her in.
The class was expanding by the month. More recruits committed to Oregon in April, May and June.
The final piece to the puzzle was Hebard. I knew she was on the Ducks’ radar when she tweeted about visiting Eugene over the summer. She committed to the Ducks in August.
This group is personable. Each player is full of personality and fired up to get to Eugene. These are all positive things for the Ducks, who are looking to build attendance and awareness of the program. Don’t be surprised if this group prompts future recruits to consider Eugene.
Through the process, I discovered rankings for recruits are sometimes all over the map. They almost never lined up among major scouting services. That’s because of the sheer number of prospects nationally, Graves said.
“It is just a couple of people’s opinions,” Graves said. “That’s why you see a wide variation in how players are ranked and classes are ranked.”
Graves was all smiles on signing day last November. He knew his rebuilding project needed personnel. He needed to recruit players suited to his mission and goals. He set out reach a goal and in return landed what ESPN ranked as the N0. 7 class nationally.
Fans may very well look back on this class as the one that kickstarted Oregon women’s basketball success in Eugene. The Ducks coaching staff got the players it wanted. All that’s left is to develop the talent.
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
