Mikaylah Williams of
Parkway (Bossier City, La.), a MaxPreps All-American and the No. 1 recruit of the Class of 2023, announced over the weekend that she’s staying in-state and committed to play college basketball at LSU.
Williams, a 6-foot-1 guard, averaged 22.8, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals per night for the 32-2 Panthers, who fell in the 2021-22 Louisiana 5A championship game. The No. 1 recruit in her class by HoorGurlz, chose Kim Mulkey and the Tigers over Ole Miss, Baylor, Duke and Texas A&M.
“Whether I’m putting up shots in an empty gym or playing for big moments in front of big crowds, I’ve kept falling in love with this game,” Williams said in her Twitter announcement. “Basketball has never been just about basketball for me. It’s bigger than that. It’s about life and the many lessons.
“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. I’ve decided I’ll be attending The Louisiana State University.”
Williams will compete in early July with the USA U17 team in the FIBA World Cup alongside MaxPreps National Player of the Year Juju Watkins of Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) and Breya Cunningham of La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla, Calif.), who recently announced she’s headed to Arizona to play collegiately.
Williams won gold with the USA U18 squad at the 2021 3x3 FIBA World Cup while also earning MVP honors.
Mulkey has recruited the No. 1 player in their class three times previously — Brittney Griner and Lauren Cox while at Baylor, and Semoine Augustus in 2002 with LSU.
