Jaloni Cambridge A Must Have

[janvandy66]

She should be the top priority if we are going to return to the team that we want to be. She is a must have for many reasons and she is here in Nashville. We cannot afford to lose her to anyone and that is a fact.

[MikeADore]

Yikes. You said that out loud. You’re right, of course, but I’ve sort of avoided the subject.

This is a very important recruit for coach Ralph. Not only does she have great ability, she could open the door for more elite recruits. I actually think the latter could be the most important factor. Jaloni has played for Team USA with some of the best in her age group, and she is a big star on the summer circuit. She’s the number-one player on ESPN’s Hoopgurlz and is very highly regarded by other recruiting services. If she chooses Vandy, others are likely to at least take notice.

I’ve thought the same as you, but for some reason, I just don’t feel good about it. It would make perfect sense for her to come to Vandy and play for a coach who has been so nurturing to her older sister. You could walk to her school (Ensworth) from Vanderbilt. Her sister has obviously had a wonderful experience at Vandy (minus injuries), and she will forever be a beloved figure among fans. The degree, which doesn’t seem to be top of mind for most 17 year olds, is still one of the most prestigious in the country. She could be a major factor in bringing her hometown university back to and beyond its former glory days.

All those things are true, yet…..I haven’t seen or heard anything to indicate she’s leaning toward Vandy. I know she has visited LSU at least twice along with Baylor and Tennessee. Dawn Staley is after her along with virtually every other major basketball school in the country. The lone exception could be UConn, which is loaded with so many elite guards the next few years that they might actually skip over Cambridge. Still, Jaloni can pretty much choose any school in the country.

She is her family’s fifth D1 basketball player. That’s pretty amazing. The two boys landed in Arizona this year through the transfer portal, Jordyn is at Vandy and sister Kennedy is a freshman at Kentucky. Jaloni is the last, and by far the most-decorated, of the group. How likely is she to stay home and follow in big sister’s footsteps when all the royals of college basketball are courting her? It’s hard to resist shiny things, especially when you’re young. They’re going to be coming hard for her next summer.

Truth is, for every reason I can come up with for her to come to Vandy, there are many reasons for her to sign with a basketball blue blood and bask in the glory. Big, boisterous crowds and the excitement of playing for championships is hard to deny. I remember a story last year when Jaloni said she didn’t necessarily have to play for a championship team, but she at least wanted to play for a team that had a chance to win a championship. That’s a 16-year-old perspective, but I wonder if the 18-year-old view will be so different.

The good news is that guards are a dime a dozen in women’s college basketball. Jaloni is elite, but there are many other good ones. To me, the bigger impact could be from the real or perceived failure to sign a player where you have so many connections.

Now you know why I’ve avoided talking about this. I tend to go in circles and wind up right back where I started…not knowing what to think.

[janvandy66]

Well like I said she is the top priority of anyone that we have signed in the last few years and again if we can't sign her I can't see us going to the next level in womens college basketball, because recruiting is No. 1 if you have a good coach and I think that we have one now even though the record does not show it yet.