Alec Crouthamel • TheKnightReport
In the wake of facing off against star Caitlin Clark, the Rutgers women’s basketball team landed another star in the form of a verbal commitment from five-star guard Kiyomi McMiller, who joins signee Zachara Perkins in the team’s 2024 recruiting class.
McMiller, who is in her second season playing at the Life Center Academy in Burlington, New Jersey, chose the Scarlet Knights over the likes of Ole Miss, Florida State, and Temple.
The 5-foot-9 point guard is currently ranked 22nd in the country according to espnW’s recruiting rankings.
On the court, McMiller is at her best with the ball in her hands as a scoring guard. She has great speed with the ball and elite handles to get past defenders and find an open look, even drawing (lofty) comparisons to former NBA star Jamal Crawford with her ability to dribble in space with the ball. Appropriately nicknamed “The Product”, arguably McMiller’s best trait is her creativity on the court, with or without the ball.
“I’m inspired by both of my parents,” she told Business of College Sports. “I get my creativity from my dad and my grandmother, which carries over to my dribbling. I’m always in the gym with my mom and dad working on my game.”
She’ll join a stacked guard room with youth and experience mixed in at Rutgers, with contributors such as Kaylene Smikle, Mya Petticord, Lisa Thompson, and Jillian Huerter. Head coach Coquese Washington, formerly a guard herself in college and in the WNBA, is putting together a room of guards that can attack off the perimeter to either set up teammates or take it themselves for the score.
Similarly, off the court, McMiller has also become a trailblazer. Back in February, she became the first high school athlete to sign a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal with the iconic Jordan Brand. Bringing that brand recognition to Piscataway will put more eyes on the program, and Rutgers as a whole.
The Silver Spring, Maryland native grew up in a basketball family, as both of her parents coached at nearby Montgomery College. Her father, Mike, also joined on at Life Center Academy as an assistant coach.
“It’s a dream come true being with the brand that stands for the same passion that I have for the game,” she said. “I look forward to encouraging basketball players to use their creativity and platform to define their purpose.”
McMiller and Perkins currently make up the program’s 2024 class, but Washington and the staff may not be done yet. Fellow five-star guard Mikayla Blakes, ranked tenth in the class, also has Rutgers among her finalists. There’s plenty of familiarity with the program, as Blakes attends Rutgers Prep in Somerset, and current Scarlet Knight Antonia Bates played for the Argonauts out of Easton, Pennsylvania.
Both Blakes and McMiller were listed as two of the top scorers in the class by espnW, and adding both players would bring a lot of attention and hype to a Scarlet Knights program looking to get back on track in the Big Ten.