Five-Star Rennia Davis Signs

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- With two versatile guards and a center already in the fold for the 2017 signing class, Tennessee completed a stellar recruiting class on Sunday evening when five-star wing player Rennia Davis announced her decision to become a Lady Vol.

A 6-foot-2, highly-skilled standout from Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Fla., Davis (first name is pronounced reh-NYE-uh) is ranked No. 9 overall by Prospectsnation.com and No. 12 by espnW HoopGurlz. She is the No. 3 wing and a five-star recruit by the latter recruiting service.

"First of all, Rennia Davis is just a tremendous basketball player who can do a little bit of everything," fifth-year UT head coach Holly Warlick said. "She is a great, great scorer, and she's an aggressive rebounder. She's long and lanky and can really play on the defensive end. She's just a solid player and somebody we really needed to complete our recruiting class.

"She had 43 points the other night. The night before that she had 38. I think she's still not tapped the potential of how good she's going to be."

Davis joins 6-0 guard Evina Westbrook of Salem, Ore./South Salem H.S. (No. 1 by All-Star Girls Report/No. 2 by Prospectsnation.com and espnW HoopGurlz), 6-4 post player Kasi Kushkituah of Austell, Ga./St. Francis H.S. (No. 9 by All-Star Girls Report/No. 11 by Prospectsnation.com/No. 55 by espnW HoopGurlz) and 5-7 point guard Anastasia Hayes of Murfreesboro, Tenn./Riverdale H.S. (No. 6 by Prospectsnation.com/No. 9 by espnW HoopGurlz).

"We took care of a lot of needs with this class," Warlick said. "We needed a solid player and anchor inside, and we got that in Kasi. We needed two really strong leaders in Annie and Evina. Annie's going to be a utility player for us, and Evina's going to be a great leader for us. Rennia is an athlete who can score via long-range threes and can drive.

"They complement each other, and it's a much-needed class for us. I'm really excited about them. They all have great families, and the families are excited these young ladies are coming to the University of Tennessee. I feel really, really good about the entire situation."

The MVP of 2016 DICK'S Sporting Goods High School Nationals tourney at New York's Madison Square Garden, Davis was an FABC All-State First Team selection in 2014, 2015 and 2016, earning Class 5A Player of the Year distinction a year ago.

Davis averaged 20.3 ppg. and 10.4 rpg. as a junior, leading Ribault to a 30-1 record and a state title. She recorded double-doubles in 29 of those 31 games. She averaged 12.0 points as a freshman and helped RHS win a state crown that season as well.

Davis already has had a spectacular showing during the 2016-17 season, tallying 38 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and nine steals in one game and scoring 43 points in another.

A dedicated student, Davis has a 3.8 GPA and will leave high school with a college associate's degree as part of a special academic offering at her school.

Davis is the fifth player from the Sunshine State to join the Lady Vol program. She follows in the footsteps of Pam Marr (Winter Park, 1982-86), Bridgette Gordon (DeLand,1985-89), Michelle Snow (Pensacola, 1998-2002) and Dominique Redding (Clearwater, 2003-07).

On Nov. 14, Hayes, the first player in the 2017 class to commit to Warlick on Sept. 25, made it official by becoming this year's third signee with the Lady Volunteers. She averaged 20.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game as a junior and is ranked as a consensus top-10 player nationally.

Prospectsnation.com has Hayes at No. 6 overall and No. 2 among point guards in the class. Meanwhile, espnW HoopGurlz ranks her No. 9 overall and No. 5 among point guards coming out of high school in 2017.

"We are thrilled to sign such a tremendous player from the state of Tennessee," Warlick said. "She is a great representative of what a Lady Vol is. She works hard, she doesn't take possessions off. She's extremely talented but very humble.

"She really focuses on her team, and I believe she is a do-it-all kind of player. If you want something done, she gets it done. She's going to be a great leader for us, and she is just a winner. She's won at every level, and I expect that she will continue to win because of her knowledge and how hard she works."

At Tennessee, Hayes will reconnect with two other notable players from the mid-state, including former Riverdale standout Alexa Middleton as well as Meme Jackson of Blackman High School in Murfreesboro.

A TSWA Class AAA All-State selection in 2015 and 2016, Hayes led Riverdale to the 2016 state title. She produced 19.4 ppg. and 4.2 apg. as a sophomore at Riverdale and fired in 18.0 ppg. as a freshman at Hendersonville High before making the move to RHS.

On Nov. 10, on the eve of Tennessee's 2016-17 season-opener, the Lady Vols received some tremendous news on the recruiting front, as Evina Westbrook, ranked as the nation's No. 1 or 2 high school player, announced that she had signed with the legendary program.

Westbrook, a dynamic 6-foot guard from Salem, Ore., received loud cheers as she revealed her decision in front of teammates, coaches, school officials, friends and family at South Salem High School. The 2016 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year's paperwork was received and verified by UT compliance officials on Nov. 11, making it official.

Westbrook became the fifth player from the state of Oregon to sign with Tennessee, following in the footsteps of Laurie Milligan (G, Tigard, Ore., 1994-98) and current UT players in senior guard Jordan Reynolds (Portland, Ore.), redshirt junior center Mercedes Russell (Springfield, Ore.) and junior forward Jaime Nared (Portland, Ore.). Some have dubbed Tennessee's recruiting pipeline from the Pacific Northwest the Oregon Trail.

Ranked No. 1 by All-Star Girls Report and No. 2 by espnW HoopGurlz and Prospectsnation.com, Westbrook becomes the fourth top-three ranked recruit to ink with the Lady Vol program during the Holly Warlick era. She joins Russell (No. 1 in 2013), Diamond DeShields (No. 2 or 3 in 2013/transferred to UT from UNC) and Te'a Cooper (No. 1 in 2015 by DISpects.com and No. 3 by Prospectsnation.com) in that club.

"Outside of Evina being a great basketball player, she's a great kid and has a great family that is very sport-minded," Warlick said. "Everyone in our program was invested, all the coaches and players, and we are elated to have her join our family. We all watched together at dinner last night, and we went crazy when she opened her jacket and showed (by revealing that she was wearing a Tennessee T-shirt) where she was signing.

"She's a game changer and leader with a complete all-around skill set. She has great court awareness and vision and is an incredible passer. Passing is such a lost art, so I really admire that aspect of her game. I also love her will to win and her willingness to spend extra time in the gym constantly working to improve. She will be a tremendous addition to our program."

Westbrook, who was named to the 2016-17 American Family Insurance All-USA girls basketball preseason team, has started 86 of 87 career games for South Salem. Her career totals include 1,465 points, 452 rebounds, 433 assists, 401 steals and 162 blocked shots.

As a junior, she started 28 of 29 games and helped lead South Salem to a 28-1 record and second consecutive Class 6A state championship. She averaged 22.6 points, 6.2 rebounds 6.7 assists, 5.5 steals and 2.5 blocks per game.

On Nov. 9, the first day of the fall signing period, Kushkituah became the first player in Tennessee's 2017 class. She hails from Austell, Ga., and has helped St. Francis to back-to-back state titles while earning Class A All-State First Team accolades both seasons. She joins a UT roster that already features four players from the Peach State.

Considered an elite post in the 2017 class, Kushkituah is ranked No. 9 by All-Star Girls Report and No. 11 by Prospectsnation.com. While she is considered the No. 6 post player in the country and a four-star recruit in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100, that organization has her slotted at No. 55 overall.

"We had an area on our team we really needed to bolster, and we felt that Kasi was the best post in this class," Warlick said. "We are absolutely thrilled to have her joining our program. Excited would be an understatement.

"She comes from a great program and has had a fantastic coach. She possesses a tremendous work ethic and is going to provide more stability in the post for us. Kasi's obviously a terrific player already, but we believe she's only scratched the surface on how great she can be."

According to MaxPreps, Kushkituah (pronounced Kush-KITTA-wa), who plays on a team that featured three other teammates signing with Division I teams today, averaged 10.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game as a junior while shooting 53 percent from the field. She averaged 11.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks while shooting 64 percent as a sophomore, and 11.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks as a freshman.

RENNIA DAVIS // 6-2 // W // JACKSONVILLE, FL // RIBAULT H.S.

Ranked No. 9 overall by ProspectsNation.com.
Ranked No. 12 in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 rankings.
She is the No. 3 wing and a five-star recruit by the recruiting service.
Was MVP of 2016 DICK'S Sporting Goods High School Nationals tourney at New York's Madison Square Garden.
FABC All-State First Team in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Named 2016 Class 5A Player of the Year.
Chosen as 2016 Florida Times-Union All-First Coast Player of the Year.
Had a great start to the 2016-17 season, tallying 38 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and nine steals in one game and scoring 43 points in another.
Averaged 20.3 ppg., 10.4 rpg. as a junior, leading Ribault High School to a 30-1 record and a state title.
Davis had double-doubles in 29 of those 31 games in 2015-16.
She averaged 12.0 points as a freshman and helped RHS win a state crown that season as well.
Davis has a 3.8 GPA and will leave high school with a college associate's degree as part of a special academic offering at her school.

ANASTASIA HAYES // 5-7 // PG // MURFREESBORO, TENN. // RIVERDALE H.S.

Ranked No. 6 overall by ProspectsNation.com.
That service has her ranked as the No. 2 point guard in the nation.
Ranked No. 9 in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 rankings.
She is rated the No. 5 point guard and a five-star recruit by the recruiting service.
Attends Riverdale High School, where current Lady Vol Alexa Middleton played.
Plays for the Tennessee Flight AAU team.
Led Riverdale to the 2016 Class AAA Tennessee state championship.
Hayes averaged 20.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists as a junior.
Her numbers were 19.4 points and 4.2 assists as a sophomore.
Played at Hendersonville High School as a freshman, posting 18.0 ppg.
TSWA Class AAA All-State (2015, 2016).
As a junior, she also competed for the track team at RHS, finishing third in the state in the 400 meters and fifth in the 200m dash.

EVINA WESTBROOK // 6-0 // G // SALEM, OR // SOUTH SALEM H.S.

Rated No. 1 in the Class of 2017 by the All-Star Girls Report.
Ranked No. 2 in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 rankings.
No. 1 guard and a five-star prospect, according to espnW.
Rated No. 2 by Prospectsnation.com.
Named to the 2016-17 American Family Insurance All-USA girls basketball preseason team.
Named a 2016 Naismith Trophy All-America Honorable Mention selection.
Included in the 2016 Naismith Underclassman Watch List in 2016.
Chosen as 2016 Gatorade Oregon State Player of the Year.
Westbrook has started 86 of 87 career games for South Salem High with career totals of 1,465 points, 452 rebounds, 433 assists, 401 steals and 162 blocked shots.
As a junior, she started 28 of 29 games and helped lead South Salem to a 28-1 record and second consecutive Class 6A state championship. She averaged 22.6 points, 6.2 rebounds 6.7 assists, 5.5 steals and 2.5 blocks per game.
As a sophomore in 2014-15, started in all 29 games and averaged 15.8 ppg., 5.1 rpg., 4.4 apg., 4.2 spg. and 1.6 bpg. to help her team to a 27-2 record and a 6A state title.
Participated in 2016 USA U18 National Team Trials and 2014 USA U17 World Championship Team Trials.

KASI KUSHKITUAH // 6-4 // P // AUSTELL, GA // ST. FRANCIS H.S. (ALPHARETTA, GA)

Ranked No. 9 overall by All-Star Girls Report.
Ranked No. 11 overall by Prospectsnation.com.
Ranked No. 55 in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 rankings
She is the No. 6 post and a four-star prospect, according to espnW.
Led St. Francis High School to consecutive Class A Georgia state championships the past two seasons.
Named to the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Class A All-State First Team (2015, 2016).
Plays for FBC AAU team.
Averaged 10.6 ppg., 8.2 rpg. and 1.5 bpg. as a junior while shooting 53 percent from the field.
Tallied 11.5 ppg., 8.6 rpg. and 2.2 bpg. as a sophomore while shooting 64 percent.
Produced 11. 8 ppg., 5.6 rpg. and 2.0 blocks as a freshman.