MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Mike Carey put the finishing touches on a large recruiting class Wednesday.
The West Virginia women’s basketball coach signed two Division I transfers and two junior-college prospects, who add to the three high school recruits the Mountaineers signed last November.
“This is an extremely exciting day for our program,” Carey said in a press release. “I am thrilled about the addition of each of these players as they all bring a different skill set and add a different element to our roster. I am really looking forward to getting back on the court, and to the start of the 2020-2021 season. The future is extremely bright for our program.”
The Division I transfers are guards Jasmine Carson from Georgia Tech and Jayla Hemingway from Mississippi State.
Caron, a 5-foot-10 guard, played in 51 games over two seasons at Georgia Tech. She averaged 9.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 31 games this season.
She will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Hemingway, a former top 100 national recruit in the 2019 ESPN rankings, played in 24 games as a freshman at Mississippi State. The 5-11 guard averaged 1.6 points per game.
She will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
“I chose WVU because I just felt like all the coaches were extremely genuine,” Hemingway said. “They put a lot of faith in me, and I just knew in my heart that this was my new home.”
It is expected both players will have to sit out next season, because of NCAA transfer rules.
That could change if the NCAA passes a proposal to allow one-time transfers without penalty. The vote for the proposal is expected in May.
The junior-college prospects are 6-3 forward Ariel Cummings, who played last season at Chipola (Fla.) Community College and 5-8 guard Abby Ogle, who played last season at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College.
Cummings averaged 13.9 points and 11.5 rebounds at Chipola last season.
“I chose West Virginia so that I could be a part of a family,” Cummings said. “Watching their games during my recruitment showed me how well I could fit in with their speed and style of play. Talking to the coaching staff gave me constant reassurance that I would not only be taken care of, but also constantly pushed to become better.”
Ogle averaged 15.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season with the Blue Dragons. She shot 37.5% from 3-point range.
“Abby’s ability to score the basketball, especially shoot the 3-point shot will be great for our team,” Carey said. “She can really stretch the defense with her 3-point shooting range and plays the game with great toughness, and I love that about her.”
The four players join high school recruits JeAnna Cunningham, Gigi Hernandez-Boulden and Taziah Jenks, who were already signed.
The seven recruits brings the Mountaineers to 14 scholarship players for next season. The NCAA limit for women’s basketball is 15.
WVU lost seniors Tynice Martin, De’Janae Boykin and Lucky Rudd, and junior Arleighshya McElroy will not be medically cleared to play next season.
