One of the top prospects in the 2024 women's basketball recruiting class has committed to Ohio State.
Jaloni Cambridge, the younger sister of current Ohio State guard Kennedy Cambridge, announced Friday that she will continue her basketball career with the Buckeyes.
The No. 3 overall recruit in the 2024 class, according to ESPN, Jaloni Cambridge picked Ohio State over Baylor, Florida, Georgia, Louisville, LSU and South Carolina, among others.
#1 Point Guard, Jaloni Cambridge (@JaloniCambridge), headed to Ohio State
— WSLAM (@wslam) December 29, 2023
Buckeye Nation MAKE SOME NOISE pic.twitter.com/CUvhQKyM2e
BM
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) December 29, 2023
In four seasons at Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tennessee – which included her eighth grade, freshman, sophomore and junior years – Cambridge was a three-time Division II-AA Tennessee Miss Basketball honoree.
Before the 2023-24 season, Cambridge transferred to Montverde Academy, a prep school in Florida. She averages 21.2 points per game for the Eagles, who have won back-to-back national championships at the high school level.
In an interview with the Tennessean, which named the 5-foot-6 point guard the Tennessean Girls Basketball Player of the Year three times from 2021-23, Cambridge said Ohio State is the perfect fit for her on and off the court. She also explained her excitement to compete at the Power 5 level with her older sister.
"It's the way (Ohio State plays), their style of play," Cambridge told Tom Kreager. "But before that, it's their culture. ... When I talk about wanting to surround myself with like-minded people, that's just there from coaches and players. They want you at your best. They are going to do whatever it takes to get you there. I want to be the next guard at Ohio State."
The Buckeyes are off to a 10-2 start in 2023-24. Their losses have come to No. 6 USC and No. 2 UCLA, with the former due in large part to the 31-point performance of JuJu Watkins, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 class.
Guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor, an offseason transfer from Duke, will move on from Ohio State after the season, which could allow Cambridge to make an immediate impact similar to that of Watkins for the Trojans.
In addition to Cambridge, Ohio State has secured commitments from 5-foot-8 guard Ava Watson (the No. 51 overall prospect) and 6-foot-4 forward Ella Hobbs (the No. 92 overall prospect) in the 2024 class. Kevin McGuff and the Buckeyes added 5-foot-9 guard Diana Collins (the No. 70 overall prospect) and 6-foot-4 forward Faith Carson in the 2023 class.
