Beavers Sign Pair of Five Star Recruits
November 14, 2018 | Women's Basketball
Kennedy Brown and Taylor Jones are set to join Beaver Nation
CORVALLIS – The No. 8 ranked Oregon State women's basketball team has welcomed a pair of outstanding student-athletes to Beaver Nation, head coach Scott Rueck announced Wednesday. Kennedy Brown and Taylor Jones have both signed National Letters of Intent, and will join the Beavers as freshmen in the 2019-20 season.
Oregon State's signing class is rated No. 16 in the nation by ESPN. Both of the Beavers' signees are five-star recruits and are on the Naismith Trophy's High School Girls Watch List, which highlights the top-50 players in the nation.
Kennedy Brown
Forward
6-foot-6
Derby, Kansas
Derby Senior High School – Coach Jodie Karsak
PBR Team Lex – Coach Shane Laflin
Kennedy Brown (Derby, Kansas) joins Oregon State as the No. 19 rated player in the nation by ESPN. The five-star recruit is a two-time All-Kansas honoree, and was the state's 6A Player of the Year last year. Brown was a Max Preps fourth-team All-American, and led Derby High School to its first 6A state title in program history.
According to ESPN, Brown is: "Agile post prospect with versatility; superb hands, catches and finishes plays in traffic; efficient back-to-basket game; superior size in the front court, shot blocker; mobile in transition; offensive arsenal stretches the defense to the arc."
Brown put up 16 double-doubles and a pair of triple-doubles in her junior season, after finishing her sophomore year with 14 double-doubles. Off the floor, she has proven to be a standout in both the classroom and the community. A National Honor Society member for three years, Brown has a 4.3 weighted grade point average, and has volunteered with local basketball clinics, the Prairie Fire Marathon and the Great Day of Service in Derby.
"Oregon State has a family atmosphere unlike any other school I visited," Brown said. "I connected really well with the coaches from the beginning of my recruitment and I know they have a vision for me. I also feel like I really fit it with their style of play and the type of players they recruit."
Taylor Jones
Forward
6-foot-3
Forney, Texas
Dallas Christian High School – Coach Warren Southers
Urban Heroes/PBR Team Lex – Coaches Marquis Alexander and Shane Laflin
Taylor Jones (Forney, Texas) comes to the Beavers as Prospects Nation's No. 15 rated player in the nation. She is a five-star recruit that has led Dallas Christian High School to a pair of state titles during her high school career. Jones was First-Team All-Texas in her sophomore season and made the all-state second team in her freshman campaign.
According to ESPN, Jones is: "Agile finesse-5 combines soft touch in faceup attack complemented by interior game that yields results; nimble footwork, shot blocker in lane, disrupts and alters shots, cleans the glass and initiates the fast break; offers emerging offensive arsenal, utilizes either hand in key; among the elite front court prospects in the class of 2019."
Jones has attended the USA Basketball U17 Basketball Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., and has made the Adidas All-America Team twice. She was the district MVP in her sophomore year and has made the all-district first team twice. Off the floor, Jones has worked with numerous community service ventures, including feeding the homeless and helping tornado victims.
"I chose Oregon State because it felt like home," Jones said. "I love everything about OSU and I can't wait to be in Corvallis."
Oregon State faces Arkansas-Pine Bluff Wednesday at 11 a.m. in its annual Beavers Beyond the Classroom game. For more information on that game, click here.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Oregon State's signing class is rated No. 16 in the nation by ESPN. Both of the Beavers' signees are five-star recruits and are on the Naismith Trophy's High School Girls Watch List, which highlights the top-50 players in the nation.
Kennedy Brown
Forward
6-foot-6
Derby, Kansas
Derby Senior High School – Coach Jodie Karsak
PBR Team Lex – Coach Shane Laflin
Kennedy Brown (Derby, Kansas) joins Oregon State as the No. 19 rated player in the nation by ESPN. The five-star recruit is a two-time All-Kansas honoree, and was the state's 6A Player of the Year last year. Brown was a Max Preps fourth-team All-American, and led Derby High School to its first 6A state title in program history.
According to ESPN, Brown is: "Agile post prospect with versatility; superb hands, catches and finishes plays in traffic; efficient back-to-basket game; superior size in the front court, shot blocker; mobile in transition; offensive arsenal stretches the defense to the arc."
Brown put up 16 double-doubles and a pair of triple-doubles in her junior season, after finishing her sophomore year with 14 double-doubles. Off the floor, she has proven to be a standout in both the classroom and the community. A National Honor Society member for three years, Brown has a 4.3 weighted grade point average, and has volunteered with local basketball clinics, the Prairie Fire Marathon and the Great Day of Service in Derby.
"Oregon State has a family atmosphere unlike any other school I visited," Brown said. "I connected really well with the coaches from the beginning of my recruitment and I know they have a vision for me. I also feel like I really fit it with their style of play and the type of players they recruit."
Taylor Jones
Forward
6-foot-3
Forney, Texas
Dallas Christian High School – Coach Warren Southers
Urban Heroes/PBR Team Lex – Coaches Marquis Alexander and Shane Laflin
Taylor Jones (Forney, Texas) comes to the Beavers as Prospects Nation's No. 15 rated player in the nation. She is a five-star recruit that has led Dallas Christian High School to a pair of state titles during her high school career. Jones was First-Team All-Texas in her sophomore season and made the all-state second team in her freshman campaign.
According to ESPN, Jones is: "Agile finesse-5 combines soft touch in faceup attack complemented by interior game that yields results; nimble footwork, shot blocker in lane, disrupts and alters shots, cleans the glass and initiates the fast break; offers emerging offensive arsenal, utilizes either hand in key; among the elite front court prospects in the class of 2019."
Jones has attended the USA Basketball U17 Basketball Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., and has made the Adidas All-America Team twice. She was the district MVP in her sophomore year and has made the all-district first team twice. Off the floor, Jones has worked with numerous community service ventures, including feeding the homeless and helping tornado victims.
"I chose Oregon State because it felt like home," Jones said. "I love everything about OSU and I can't wait to be in Corvallis."
Oregon State faces Arkansas-Pine Bluff Wednesday at 11 a.m. in its annual Beavers Beyond the Classroom game. For more information on that game, click here.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
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