Ohio State signee Jaloni Cambridge is one of the three best high school girls’ basketball players in the country.
Cambridge, who is ranked by ESPN as the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, was named Thursday as one of three finalists for the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year Award along with Southern California signee Kennedy Smith and South Carolina signee Joyce Edwards.
Los Angeles native Kennedy Smith (left) signed with USC, while Camden, South Carolina, native Joyce Edwards (middle) signed with South Carolina and Cambridge sent her National Letter of Intent to Ohio State. (Photo Courtesy of Gatorade)
Cambridge was also named the Gatorade State Player of the Year for Florida as she has led Montverde Academy to a 21-4 record this season, averaging 21.8 points, 9.4 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game. She helped lead her team to a berth in the Chipotle Nationals, where they’ll play for a national championship in April.
Cambridge previously played for Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tennessee, where she was a two-time Miss Basketball winner in 2022 and 2023. The incoming Buckeye guard has also been selected as a McDonald’s All-American, a Nike Hoop Summit invitee and a first-team Naismith All-American for her play this season.
As one of the top prospects in her recruiting class, Cambridge is likely to play a significant role right away for the Buckeyes, who will be replacing two outgoing senior guards next season in Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor. She will join her older sister Kennedy, a current sophomore for the Buckeyes who is redshirting this season, on Ohio State’s 2024-25 roster.
