Updated 10:10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20:
What already looked like a strong recruiting class for Kansas women’s basketball got quite a lot better on Tuesday afternoon.
Jaliya Davis, a 6-foot-2 small forward who is the nation’s No. 24 prospect as assessed by 247Sports, announced her decision to attend KU next year in a ceremony at her high school, Blue Valley North in Overland Park.
“We are elated that Jaliya made the decision to stay home and become a Jayhawk,” KU coach Brandon Schneider said in a release on Wednesday. “She has been one of the top-ranked players in the country for many years.”
Davis, a five-star recruit as assessed by ESPN and four-star on 247Sports’ rankings, picked the Jayhawks over Baylor, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.
“Jaliya is a long and extremely athletic forward,” Schneider said. “She is a dominant rebounder and a matchup issue on the offensive end. She can post, she can attack off the bounce and she can stretch it to the three-point line. Her versatility carries over to the defensive end as her quickness will allow her to guard multiple positions at our level.”
She immediately becomes the highest-ranked prospect in the 2025 class for KU women’s basketball — a class that already included a pair of recent signees in well-regarded guard Libby Fandel from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and forward Tatyonna Brown from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Davis visited KU in late September.
Brandon Clay of 247Sports wrote in a scouting report on Davis, “She can score the basketball effectively, whether it’s off the bounce or by cutting to the rim to finish. Davis was one of the premier scorers inside the Nike EYBL during the 2024 season. As she continues to develop her outside shooting range, her production is expected to increase further.”
Her commitment represents a key example of in-state success for KU, which is led by a Kansan star in sophomore S’Mya Nichols and has given significant playing time to Andover native Brittany Harshaw and Kansas City, Kansas, native Sania Copeland already this year.
The Jayhawks are currently 4-0 this season ahead of a neutral-site game against Iowa on Wednesday. Most of KU’s current contributors will be able to return for the 2025-26 season, with a few key exceptions like guard Wyvette Mayberry.
