LSU’s Del Rosario And Williams Named on Inaugural USA Basketball Nike Hoops Summit Roster

BATON ROUGE – LSU signees Aaliyah Del Rosario and Mikaylah Williams have been named to the inaugural USA Basketball Nike Hoops Summit Roster.

The Nike Hoop Summit will be on Saturday, April 8, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. For the first time in Nike Hoop Summit history, the 2023 event features both a men’s and the inaugural women’s game with the top American high school athletes facing off against World Teams of top international players 19-and-younger.

Del Rosario and Williams are two of four players that make up LSU’s top ranked signing class. Williams headlines the class as the top player in the nation (AGSR, Prospects Nation and Jr. All-Star National Rankings) and Del Rosario in considered the top post player in the country and the No. 4 overall player according to Just Women’s Sports. LSU is the only program with two top-10 players in its incoming class.

Angelica Velez, Del Rosario’s teammate at The Webb School in Tennessee is a shifty four-star guard and Janae Kent is another four-star guard out of Oak Forrest, Illinois to make up the whole incoming class.

LSU top-ranked class is headlined the class is the No. 1 player in the country (AGSR, Prospects Nation and Jr. All-Star National Rankings) and Bossier City, Louisiana native Mikaylah Williams, a 6-0 guard out of Parkway High School. LSU has also signed teammates at The Webb School in Tennessee and natives of The Bronx, New York, Aalyah Del Rosario and Angelica Velez. Del Rosario, a 6-5 forward, is considered the top post player in the country and is tabbed the No. 4 player overall by Just Women’s Sports. Velez is a four-star guard that is rated as the No. 21 player in the country by Prospects Nation. The Tigers also landed Janae Kent out of Oak Forrest, Illinois, Dan Olson’s No. 58 player in the class.

As the top player in the country, Williams has had success on every stage she has played on. Playing overseas during the Summer, Williams earned two Gold Medals with Team USA, claiming the FIBA U17 World Cup and being named MVP during Team USA’s quest for the championship at the FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup, both in Hungary.

Williams is the reigning Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 22.8 point, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals, leading Parkway High School to a 34-3 record and a state championship appearance. With all-around elite talent, Williams is a natural scorer and lockdown defender whose effort and skill on both sides of the ball separate her from all the other players in the class. As a junior, Williams was a finalist for the 2022 Naismith High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year Award and she was a Junior All-America First Team selection by MaxPreps.

“Mikaylah is an incredibly special student-athlete,” Coach Mulkey. “Being from North Louisiana, Mikaylah chose to stay home and compete for championships as a Tiger. Her immense talent, combined with her unmatched work ethic sets her apart – making her the top player in the country. LSU fans you are in for a treat.”

“In order to take my game to the next level and to continue to learn and grow as a young woman, there’s only one place where I’ve wanted to be. Home,” Williams said when she announced her commitment to LSU.

Del Rosario is a five-star prospect who is the top true big in the country with a powerful inside game who can utilize the face up game. She sees the floor well and can play outside the key too. She is also a physical defensive presence who hits the boards hard. Del Rosario took home the Gold Medal from the FIBA U18 World Cup in Argentina over the Summer.

“Aalyah brings a dominant inside presence to our front court,” Coach Mulkey said. “She has closely followed post players that I have coached in the past and has the capability to be the next great post player at LSU. I can’t wait to get Aalyah to Baton Rouge and get to work.”

“I selected LSU because when I first arrived in this country, my first game I watched was of Coach Mulkey’s team,” said Del Rosario, whose family is from the Dominican Republic. “I loved her style. I loved the way she coached her girls. I knew then I wanted to play for someone like her. LSU for me felt like home when I was on campus. The development that I will be able to experience from Coach Mulkey and Coach Starkey will be what I will need to one day play professional basketball. Winning a national championship is a goal of mine and I know I am with the right people to do it with.”

(Release via LSU Athletics)