Once again, Adia Barnes is in the thick of the battle for a top recruit.
On Friday night, Justice Carlton, a five-star prospect who is rated the No. 4 overall recruit by ESPNโs Hoop Gurlz for the class of 2024, narrowed down her top five schools, and Arizona is one of them. The others are UConn, South Carolina, Texas and LSU โ all bluebloods in womenโs college basketball.
If Carlton were to select Arizona, it would mark the third consecutive year that Barnes has brought in the highest recruit in program history. Carlton would follow freshman Montaya Dew (No. 8) and sophomore Maya Nnaji (No. 9).
It would also put Barnes on her way to bringing in another top-10 recruiting class.
Carlton is listed as a 6-2 forward out of Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. She averaged 22.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 2.0 blocks for the Spartans. She stood out at the Nike Girls EYBL first event in April, competing with her AAU team, CyFair Elite, putting up 16.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. She also shot 52.6% while averaging 27.2 minutes. She led her team to a championship last July, averaging 20.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game.
Last October, Shane Laflin of Hoop Gurlz listed Carlton as an ascending junior and said: โHer game stands out from the high post and face-up areas on the court. Her fantastic touch and hands allow her to make pull-up jumpers and finish with either finesse or with power. ... Her defensive instincts and footwork lead to getting tips and her hands on loose balls and passes.โ
Carltonโs mom, Kacy (formerly Kacy Moffitt) played at Baylor and as a professional in the WNBA and overseas and is now the assistant varsity coach at Seven Lakes. Her younger sister, Kadi, is a freshman on the team.
Carlton was also named as one of 12 in this yearโs Jr. NBA Court of Leaders, where she is being mentored by NBA and WNBA staff and players. She was selected for the honor by demonstrating leadership during top competitions.
Arizona also hosted Devin Coppinger for an unofficial visit this week. She is listed as a four-star at No. 51 in the class of 2024 by Hoop Gurlz. Coppinger is a 5-11 guard out of Nooksack Valley High School in Everson, Washington.
Coppinger led her team to its first state championship, averaging 22.1 points, 3.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game. In the title game, which avenged a one-point loss the year before to the same team, Lynden Christian, Coppinger scored 20 points, grabbed six rebounds and picked four steals.
In Coppingerโs first session at EBYL playing for Tree of Hope, she shot 57% from the field and 46% from 3-point range in 24 minutes of play. She is one of the EBYL leaders in steals. She is also one of only nine players in the league who contribute at least one point per possession, according to Synergy Sports.
