Yahoo Sports South Carolina women’s basketball: Class of 2025 recruiting update
In the last two weeks, South Carolina women’s basketball has made the top schools of three top-10 recruits in ESPN’s Class of 2025 rankings: No. 5 Divine Bourrage, No. 6 Agot Makeer and No. 7 ZaKiyah Johnson.
USC had the No. 3 2024 recruiting class in ESPN’s final rankings and no doubt is looking to land another talented group for 2025. Here’s a little bit about Bourrage, Makeer and Johnson as they decide on a future home:
No. 5 Divine Bourrage (G)
Top six schools (announced Friday): South Carolina, LSU, Arizona, Baylor, Illinois, Virginia Tech
South Carolina coaches Dawn Staley and Jolette Law went to Des Moines, Iowa, between two SEC road games in February to watch Bourrage play in the Iowa high school girls basketball state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.
Just over 24 hours later, Bourrage’s AAU program, Example Sports, announced she received a scholarship offer from South Carolina. The 6-foot guard was named her conference’s player of the year as a junior after averaging 18.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game for Davenport North, according to the Quad City Times. Her team finished 22-4 in Class 5A and ended its season with a loss in the state quarterfinal against Cedar Falls (the game Staley and Law attended).
Bourrage plans to take official visits to all six of her finalists, On3 reported.
No. 6 Agot Makeer (W)
Top 12 schools (announced June 26): South Carolina, UConn, UCLA, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Duke, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Michigan
Makeer, a 6-foot-1 guard, was born in Fargo, North Dakota, but raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Both Kevin Durant and Steph Curry have influenced her positionless brand of basketball, she told the Lexington Herald Ledger in 2023.
“I think ... what makes me different is my versatility,” Makeer said. “I can play one through five and can guard one through five. So I think it’s just me being able to do different stuff on the court.”
Richard Nurse, Kia Nurse program director and U17 coach, said Makeer’s strengths as a player are “her size, her length and her intelligence in the game.” He also lauded her as a consummate teammate.
“She talks, she communicates with the athletes,” Nurse said. “She plays well, she’s always helping all her teammates out.”
No. 7 ZaKiyah Johnson (G)
Top six schools (announced Wednesday): South Carolina, Southern California, LSU, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Louisville
Johnson is a three-time Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year and won gold with current Gamecock Joyce Edwards in the U18 FIBA AmeriCup last month.
The Sacred Heart star visited Kentucky Friday and has planned an official visit to LSU for Sept. 7, On3 reported. She’s in the process of scheduling visits to South Carolina and the remaining three finalists but told On3 she plans to visit Louisville last.
Johnson said of South Carolina: “I’m definitely a lot closer with those assistant coaches, but they’re consistent with me. I know a few of the girls on the team and they bring out the sisterhood vibe. I want to check it out, see what it is, and see if it’s a fit for me.”
