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Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer announced the signings of three of the country’s top players to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, led by Pinewood senior Hannah Jump, who committed about halfway through her junior year.
Jump is joined by Fran Belibi (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit) and Ashten Prechtel (Colorado Springs, Colo./Discovery Canyon) as part of the 2019-20 recruiting class.
Stanford’s class is again one of the nation’s strongest, collectively rated No. 3 by espnW HoopGurlz.
“These three young women are some of the best players and among the brightest minds in the country and we are thrilled to be able to welcome them to Stanford,” VanDerveer said. “They’ve worked incredibly hard to be in this position, possess the on-court skills we look for in our players and are just as impressive off the floor. They will fit in seamlessly with the culture we have here and I’m confident they will thrive on The Farm. We cannot wait to have them on campus watch them grow over their four years.”
The three are strong additions to a program which has won a pair of national championships, been to 31 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, advanced to the Final Four in seven of the past 11 seasons and the Elite Eight in 11 of the past 15, won at least 20 games for 17 straight years and claimed a combined 35 Pac-12 regular season and conference championships.
A 5-foot-11 guard, Hannah Jump is another five-star prospect rated as the No. 50 player nationally and widely considered the best shooter in the class.
“Hannah is a lights-out shooter on a championship team,” VanDerveer said. “Her proficiency from the outside will allow us to stretch the defense, spread the floor and be a big weapon added to our offense.”
She helped Pinewood pull off epic upsets of Mitty and St. Mary’s in the CIF Open Division playoffs in their run to the state final.
Jump scored 19 points and was 4-of-5 on 3-pointers in the 59-56 regional semifinal win over St. Mary’s and dropped in 24 on 6-of-11 shooting from deep in the regional final victory, a 78-67 victory over Mitty.
Jump has played in 89 career games and averaged 14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals. She’s a career 43.4 percent shooter from deep (266-of-613) and hits from the floor at 47 percent overall (470-of-1,008).
“Stanford has always been my dream school and I chose it for the outstanding opportunities it provides both academically and athletically,” Jump said. “Being so close to home will also allow my family to continue to watch me play.”
Fran Belibi, a 6-foot-1 forward, is a five-star talent and the No. 23 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100. During her three-year prep career at Regis Jesuit in Aurora, Colo., she has started 54 of 78 games played and amassed 938 points, 674 rebounds, 120 assists, 153 steals and 162 blocked shots.
Another five-star talent is the 6-foot-5 Ashten Prechtel, who is the No. 16 overall player in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100. A mobile and versatile center at both ends of the floor, Prechtel averaged 18.4 points, 14.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks for Discovery Canyon in Colorado Springs, Colo. as a junior last season. She led the Thunder to a 15-9 record and the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
Prechtel has played in 71 career games and averaged 15.1 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.9 blocks. She posted numbers of 13.8 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.8 blocks in 2016-17 and 13.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 5.0 blocks as a freshman.
By Palo Alto Online Sports/Stanford Athletics
By Palo Alto Online Sports/Stanford Athletics
By Palo Alto Online Sports/Stanford Athletics