Did I read where Wilson from Muskogee is visiting this weekend?

[nwahogfan1]

Is this right?  Isn't she a top 50 ladies recruit and a top 5 SF/SF High School recruit?  This would be a huge get for Jimmy, his staff and our program.

How big a factor is playing close to home?   How about playing in the SEC?

[rjm1940]

nwahogfan1, I was just going to comment on this.  You beat me to it.

Richard Davenport, Tuesday, 10-20-15 said:

"Arkansas women's basketball Coach Jimmy Dykes will host the most highly regarded prospect for an official visit this weekend since he's been the Razorback coach.

Guard Aaliyah Wilson, 5-10 of Muskogee, Oklahoma will start her visit on Friday. ESPN rates her the No. 30 prospect in the nation."

This is exactly the type of player we need in order for my dream to become reality.

I hope Wilson falls in love with the UofA program and becomes a Razorback.

I like our current players and I think we are going to have a competitive team this year, but we have a tough non-conference schedule and our record might not improve much.  We have good players and I love the attitude they display.  I expect us to be in every game we play with the possible exception of USC.  USC is going to be hard to beat, but if our two JUCO All Americans play like All Americans, some of our new players from High School develop quickly, and our established stars  have good years we might be able to beat USC.

[psycHOGlogist]

Thanks for bringing this. I didn't know when her visit was, but knew it had to be for a home football weekend.

I think this is her fourth OV - as far as I can tell, she has visited Kansas, Rutgers, and LSU already. Baylor is her fifth, and I don't think she has been there yet.

You would think it would be hard to beat out Mulkey's program for a top tier player like Wilson - consensus 5-star recruit. We lost Imani Wright to them a few years back, too. Baylor only has one commitment right now, a 6' guard whose game is, interestingly, kind of similar to Wilson's. That could help us. Baylor is also still in the mix for several blue chip recruits. I'm not sure how many spots they have to fill, so there may be room for all of them.

One thing that might be relevant is that several prospects have left Baylor via transfer in the last couple years (including Imani Wright), including Ieshia Small and Micayla Buckner. Small and Wright are similar athletes to Wilson. They do have Alexis Jones, who transferred in from Duke last year and sat out, too. So, there may be a bit of a crowd of blue-chippers at her position in Waco, and she will be the only blue-chip Wing in our program (unless you count Cosper, who has a similar game, but is listed as a SG).

Good luck CJD, Tari, and staff!!! Would be awesome to land Ms. Wilson!

[rjm1940]

psycHOG, good post.  Thank you for sharing this information.

[flippinhogmana]

This on the wholehogsports a premium site, please patronize them if you please.

The Recruiting Guy:
Arkansas women's coach wows Oklahoma guard

By: Richard Davenport  Published: Friday, October 23, 2015  E-Mail Aaliyah Wilson
Aaliyah Wilson

http://media.arkansasonline.com/img/photos/2015/10/22/Aaliyah_Wilson_HS_r600x400.JPG?689b03237e9432d372b8e4e059d8b6cfaff1b604

Guard Aaliyah Wilson will be the most highly regarded prospect to officially visit Arkansas since Coach Jimmy Dykes was named the women's basketball coach when she arrives on the Fayetteville campus today.

Wilson, 5-10, of Muskogee, Okla., has more than 20 scholarship offers, including Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, LSU, Rutgers and Kansas. ESPN rates her the No. 5 guard and No. 30 overall prospect in the nation.

Dykes' passion for the program is Wilson's major reason for her desire to visit.
"He cares about the girls the program, the school," Wilson said. "For me to be able to talk to someone that's as serious and is as passionate about the game as me, I know he could really help me get to the next level. It made it easy for me to say I wanted to go there for an official visit."

She has previously officially visited Rutgers, LSU and Kansas. After the trip to Fayetteville, she will officially visit Baylor and take an unofficial trip to Missouri.
Wilson is no stranger to Arkansas. She's attended some women's basketball games and also football games to watch her cousin, Terrell Williams, a linebacker for the Razorbacks from 2009-2012.

"It's been a real cool atmosphere," Wilson said. "They have a family atmosphere."
Wilson said Williams has fond memories of playing for the Razorbacks.
"He told me when he got there they took him in like he was one of their own, the city, the town, the program, the school," Wilson said.

Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.9 steals a game as a junior and was named the Oklahoma Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
"You can tell Coach Dykes is committed to what he's doing," Wilson said. "When he and I talk, I can tell he's telling the truth about what he's saying."
She said she plans to choose her college around the early signing period that runs Nov. 11-18.

"People say you have that feeling when they go," Wilson said. "I just think it's going to come down to the details like the smallest of the details. I know now the schools that I have listed I know they all have great programs as far as education and basketball."

Sounds like we have a decent shot at her...that is what my sources have been saying all along, it bounces around from 50/50 to slight better to slightly less, right now judging from this article, I think our chances are as good as anyone's.  She might very well be ours to lose at this point.  A good job by JD and all the staff including Cummings with her.

[rjm1940]

I am happy the football team won.  I assume Wilson attended the game.  She had an opportunity to witness our fans having a wonderful time while cheering the Hogs on to victory.  I know she has been to other football games, but I think it is good to reinforce positive aspects of our programs.

I hope she will think that if she comes to Arkansas she can help us fill the House with fans having a wonderful time cheering the Lady Razorbacks on to victory and make the decision to play for Arkansas.

I hope she recognizes she is more important to us than she is to the other teams she is considering.

[psycHOGlogist]

Thanks for the link, flippin. I was wondering if any of the "in-the-know" folks (hog63?) had heard anything about how the visit is going?

[psycHOGlogist]

So, this might make things interesting regarding Wilson:

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/13972614/no-1-prospect-lauren-cox-gives-verbal-commitment-baylor

Do you want to go to the school where the #1 player commits? Will you be in her shadow the entire time, or do you think better chance for more championships?

Or does Cox's commitment lead others to pull the trigger and commit to Baylor, perhaps leaving Wilson on the outside? (I mean, they can't take everyone.)

C'mon, Ms. Wilson - call the Hogs!