Kentucky announces three-player basketball class, led by top recruit Treasure Hunt
The UK women’s basketball program has officially announced its three newest additions.
Treasure Hunt, Nyah Leveretter and Erin Toller all signed with the Wildcats on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period for high school seniors.
“National Signing Day is always a fun day for our staff as we get to officially welcome some exceptional young women to our program and introduce them to the Big Blue Nation,” UK head coach Matthew Mitchell said. “Treasure Hunt, Nyah Leveretter and Erin Toller are not only three talented basketball players, but three great young women who we feel confident will buy into what being a Kentucky Wildcat is all about. I know all three are going to have great senior seasons and we can’t wait to get them on campus this summer and start their careers at this amazing university.”
The Wildcats’ 2020 recruiting class is led by Hunt, a versatile 6-foot-1 forward from Chattanooga, Tenn., and one of the highest-ranked signees during Mitchell’s tenure at Kentucky.
The All Star Girls Report recruiting service ranks Hunt as the No. 10 overall player in the 2020 class. ASGR analyst Bret McCormick envisions a bright future for Hunt.
“Treasure is going to be really good,” McCormick told the Herald-Leader. “She’s very skilled, and there’s no reason why she can’t be a WNBA draft choice when she comes out of college. She has that potential.”
Hunt averaged 19.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals as a junior and helped lead her travel team to a title on the Under Armour circuit this past summer.
“We are overjoyed that Treasure has decided to make Kentucky her home the next four years and know she is going to have a special career here as a Kentucky Wildcat,” Mitchell said. “When you watch her play you can tell she is someone with a high ceiling and next-level talent, but it’s her passion for basketball that excites us as a staff. On her visit, I really enjoyed how she fit in with our players and staff from the very beginning. Her coach and mother, Keisha, has raised an exceptional player and person and we cannot wait to get her on campus and just continue that growth both on and off the court.”
Kentucky signee
Toller emerged as a national recruit early in her high school career at Sacred Heart Academy but suffered a torn ACL toward the end of her sophomore season and then suffered the same injury in her other knee last year, a few days before the start of her junior season.
McCormick said Toller — a 5-6 guard — was hovering around the top 50 of the national rankings before her first injury. He has the Louisville standout at No. 144 nationally going into this season due to the fact that she hasn’t played in a game in nearly two years.
Sacred Heart head coach Donna Moir told the Herald-Leader on Tuesday that Toller has been practicing with the team and will be ready for the Valkyries’ season opener at Anderson County on Dec. 3.
“I think she’s ready to go. She’s been practicing — full practices — and she looks pretty good,” Moir said. “Obviously, she hasn’t played a game in over 600 days, so she’s ready to go. She’s champing at the bit. … She’s a really good three-point shooter. She’s really light on her feet and can attack the basket. Really solid rebounder, for her size. She’s one of those players that can just kind of do it all and take over a game.”
Toller was averaging 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game before sustaining the injury during her sophomore season.
“There is always something special about a Kentucky-grown player deciding to play for the University of Kentucky and we are thrilled that Erin is a Kentucky Wildcat,” Mitchell said. “She is a very talented basketball player that can score inside with an attacking mindset or knock down an outside shot with confidence. What I love about Erin is the fact she relishes being a leader on the court. We know that is going to be very beneficial to our team. Erin is a quality young woman who we are glad to have wearing Blue and White.”
The second game of Toller’s season will be Dec. 7 against Simon Kenton at the Hoops for Harvest event at Dixie Heights High School. Hunt and her Hamilton Heights (Tenn.) squad will also play two games in that event.
An aggressive defender
Leveretter — a 6-2 forward from South Carolina — is ranked as the No. 119 overall player on ASGR’s list, though ESPN has her as the No. 89 prospect nationally in the 2020 class.
McCormick described Leveretter as a long forward that plays hard defensively and can score around the basket and make three-point shots. She averaged 11.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game this past season.
“When you think about how our teams have traditionally liked to play over the years, starting with being aggressive on the defensive end and using elite athleticism to get up and down the floor and score, that’s exactly how I would describe Nyah’s game,” Mitchell said. “She has all the intangibles you can’t teach like great size, an athletic build and an extremely high motor, which has us very excited about how she is going to fit in here at Kentucky. I have loved getting to know her and her family and think she is going to fully embody what it means to be a Kentucky Wildcat. We are very excited she has decided to call Kentucky home.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 1:47 PM.
