Four KU Signees Earn McDonald’s All-America Nominations
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Earlier this season, Kansas women’s basketball signed four future Jayhawks to National Letters of Intents, a recruiting class that has been ranked 19th-best in the nation. On Thursday, the recruiting class added to its list of accomplishments as all four members were honored as McDonald’s All-America candidates.
Jayde Christopher, Tyler Johnson, Kylee Kopatich and Aisia Robertson were named as nominees to play in the 2015 All-America game. The game is slated for April 1 at Chicago’s United Center. The top 24 seniors from around the country will make up two teams that will square off on the hardwood. The final teams will be announced during the McDonald’s All-America Games Selection show on ESPNU on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 5 p.m., CT.
Both Johnson and Kopatich were selected as finalists from Kansas, while Christopher and Robertson were chosen from their home states of Washington and California, respectively. All four signees are members of ProspectNation’s 150 ELITE.
At the helm of the class is Christopher, who according to ProspectNation ranks 59th overall and is a four-star guard ranking 14th for her position. The point guard helped Cleveland High School to back-to-back 3A state titles in 2013 and 2014. ESPN’s Hoopgurlz lists the Federal Way, Washington native as 67th overall and 22nd for her position.
Following Christopher is Robertson, who is ranked by Hoopgurlz as 84th overall and 25th for her position. ProspectNation lists the Richmond, California native 18th at the guard position, while putting her at 85th overall. She helped Bishop O’Dowd High School to a California Division III state title and an open division state title. She also guided the Dragons to three East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) championships, two North Coast Section (NCS) championships and two Nor Cal titles.
A local product, Johnson is listed at 17th for her position according to Hoopgurlz, while ProspectNation put her at 22nd and 123rd overall. The only forward among the 2014 signing class, she is a three-star recruit from Leavenworth, Kansas. She helped the Pioneers to a Kansas 5A state title last season, while averaging 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
Another Kansas native, Kopatich, is ranked 96th overall and 14th for her position by Hoopgurlz. ProspectNation selected Kopatich 32nd for her position and 149th overall. In 2014, she was selected as the Sunflower League Player of the Year and was a nominee for Gatorade Player of the Year. The guard was also named first-team all-state at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season.
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