STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford’s Setsuko Ishiyama Director of Women’s Basketball Tara VanDerveer announced the signings of four prep standouts to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday in Mikaela Brewer (Barrie, Ontario/Innisdale Secondary School), DiJonai Carrington (San Diego, Calif./Horizon Christian Academy), Nadia Fingall (Navarre, Fla./Choctawhatchee) and Anna Wilson (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue). The quartet will join the Cardinal ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.
Stanford’s four-member recruiting haul, ranked among the best in the nation, are impressive additions to a program which has been to 28 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for eight straight years and won at least 20 games for 14 straight seasons. The No. 16 Cardinal opens its regular season on Friday night at UC Davis (7:30 p.m.).
Collectively, the Cardinal’s class is rated No. 8 by espnW HoopGurlz and No. 6 by Prospects Nation.
“I rank this class No. 1,” VanDerveer said. “We are absolutely thrilled to have these four coming in. They are fantastic young people and obviously great players and great students.”
Mikaela Brewer • Barrie, Ontario • Innisdale Secondary School
Brewer, a skilled perimeter prospect, is a veteran of Canada Basketball and most recently represented her country at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women in the Czech Republic. The 5-foot-10 Brewer helped Team Canada to a sixth-place finish, averaging 20.1 minutes, 8.0 points and 1.6 rebounds per outing.
She shot 63 percent from behind the arc (10-of-16) and had her best game in a 46-45 win over Japan on July 5, scoring 17 on 6-of-9 shooting. Brewer was a perfect 5-of-5 deep and her 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining lifted Canada to victory. The Barrie, Ontario native was also selected to the Canadian National Team earlier this summer for the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women in Chekhov, Russia, but was unable to compete due to injury.
Provincially, Brewer was a first team all-star at the 2014 U17 Canada Basketball National Championships, averaging 11.8 points in 22.5 minutes to help Ontario finish fourth. She was also first team all-star at the tournament in 2013 as a member of the Ontario U15 squad. Her team claimed gold and Brewer was selected player of the game in the championship, scoring a game-high 17. Overall, she put up 9.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 20.8 minutes per contest.
For her club squad, Brewer is captain of the Barrie Royals in the U19 Junior Elite League (JUEL) of Ontario, the premier provincial league in Canada. In 2015, she was fifth in the league in scoring (14.5) and was a JUEL All-Star. Also a strong supporter of basketball in the greater Barrie area, Brewer lends her time with coaching and skill development to many regional camps and programs.
“I chose Stanford for so many reasons,” Brewer said of her decision to come to The Farm. “I loved it when I first stepped on campus. The paths I will be able to pursue academically and athletically are unmatched and I’m excited to take the next steps to achieve my goals.
“I’ve been to campus a few times and just felt that I would fit in and love being there every day. I really respected the team chemistry and the strong support from world-class coaches, both of which are essential to being successful and enjoying your university experience.”
After signing her first international prospect last November in Australian forward Alanna Smith, Brewer represents VanDerveer’s second recruit from outside the United States.
DiJonai Carrington • San Diego, Calif. • Horizon Christian Academy
A versatile perimeter performer, Carrington is a five-star talent rated as the 34th best player in the country according to espnW HoopGurlz and 16th by Prospects Nation. She averaged 27.4 points, 21.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.3 steals to lead Horizon Christian to the CIF-San Diego Section Division I Championship last season.
In the title game against Mount Miguel, Carrington scored 35 points and grabbed 24 rebounds. Horizon was up just two with 4:35 to play when the dynamo closed out the game by scoring 10 points and corralling eight rebounds down the stretch to lead her team to the 66-59 win. She was named to the 2014-15 MaxPreps California Division V First Team as well as the MaxPreps California All-State Girls Second Team.
“The opportunities that will come from having a degree from Stanford along with the unique style of play and athleticism I can add made this the best place for me,” Carrington explained. “The knowledge of the coaching staff is incomparable and the bond I’ve created with them is amazing.
“I have the utmost confidence that the goals I have set for myself academically, athletically and socially will be accomplished at Stanford.”
A photo posted by ∂ιʝσиαι ¢αяяιиgтσи✞ (@dijonai__) on Nov 10, 2015 at 8:57pm PST
In 72 career high school games, the 6-foot Carrington has put up averages of 23.1 points, 16.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 4.1 steals and 1.9 blocks. She was the Cal-Hi Sports Freshman of the Year in 2013 when Horizon won the CIF-San Diego Section Division V Championship.
Nadia FIngall • Navarre, Fla. • Choctawhatchee High School
Fingall is a certifiable blue-chip prospect ranked 26th in the nation by espnW HoopGurlz and the seventh-best forward. The five-star post also checks in at No. 23 overall and No. 4 at her position according to Prospects Nation.
She averaged 22.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and three blocks as a junior last season at Choctawhatchee High School in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Over the past two seasons, the 6-foot-3 Fingall has led the Indians to a 54-6 record and been a Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) First Team All-State selection in both 2014 and 2015.
“Stanford is an innovative campus and its academic and athletic prowess speaks for itself,” Fingall said of her decision. “Coach VanDerveer and her staff have created a culture that has cultivated multiple championships and WNBA players in addition to educated and hard-working young women. It will be an honor to follow in their footsteps.”
Anna Wilson • Bellevue, Wash. • Bellevue High School
Wilson, a 5-foot-8 guard from Bellevue, Washington, will give Stanford another dynamic player in the backcourt and is rated as the 58th overall player in the class of 2016 by espnW Hoopgurlz and 34th by Prospects Nation. She was a Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) First Team Division I All-State pick in 2015 after leading Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia with averages of 20.6 points, 4.5 assists and 5.7 steals per game.
Also an All-USA TODAY Virginia Second Team honoree in 2015, Wilson propelled Collegiate to the state quarterfinals this past season. As a sophomore she averaged 13.1 points, 4.9 assists and 4.4 steals to lead the Cougars to the Virginia Independent Schools state semifinals.
“I chose Stanford because it has an expectation of excellence,” Wilson said. “I have full confidence in Coach VanDerveer’s system and am excited to be a part of a program that prides itself on winning championships. I know that each opportunity will present new challenges and I love that aspect of Stanford.”
An incredible journey the past couple of years: won a gold medal, admitted to Stanford, & will be signing to Stanford this week. #AO1
— Anna Wilson (@iamannawilson3) November 11, 2015
Wilson was also a member of the gold-medal winning United States squad at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women.