The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Basketball Nets Two Talented 2018 Prospects
11/8/2017 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – Two promising prospects signed a National Letter of Intent, committing to the Ole Miss women’s basketball team on the first day of the NCAA early signing period Wednesday.
Head coach Matt Insell announces the addition of Iyanla Kitchens and Alexis Tolefree. ESPN named Kitchens one of its top 100 players nationally for the class of 2018, while Tolefree will bring a junior college All-American pedigree to Oxford for the 2018-19 season.
“It’s a great day to be an Ole Miss Rebel,” Insell said. “Signing Days are always special because you have young ladies who make the decision to join the Ole Miss family. It’s a special family they’re joining here at Ole Miss. Our staff worked extremely hard to make this day happen and I couldn’t be more excited about the two young ladies who decided to join us today.”
With just two seniors on the roster, Ole Miss isn’t adding a high-volume class. But where the Rebels lack quantity, they make up for it in quality and fit, as Insell explains.
“This isn’t a really large class for us—we didn’t need a lot in terms of numbers,” Insell said. “With only two seniors, we didn’t need to sign five or six different student-athletes. We just needed to find two players who can really help move our program forward. It was more about needs than wants, and we needed these two on our roster.”
Rebel Nation, please welcome our first Class of 2018 signee, @IyanlaKitchens, to the @OleMissWBB family! #HottyToddy #DoNotMiss pic.twitter.com/j7ewDWA8r5
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) November 8, 2017
Iyanla Kitchens
Lithonia, Georgia // Arabia Mountain High School
F/C // 6-3
Kitchens is the No. 76 prospect in the nation, grading out at 94 out of 100 according to ESPN. The recruiting service tabbed her as the No. 17 post player in the nation for the 2018-19 class. Rankings aside, Insell is excited to add Kitchens’ physical presence to the roster, as well as her personality to the Rebel locker room.
“Iyanla Kitchens is a powerful low-post player,” Insell said. “She brings a strength and a physical presence to our roster that we don’t have right now. She has great jumping ability and athleticism. She runs the floor like a guard. She may be the best rebounder I’ve ever watched at the high school level. She’s somebody we’ve been watching. We knew we needed to add her to our roster to continue to add that size inside. I couldn’t be more excited about Iyanla joining our program. She’s not only a great basketball player, but she’s a great person. She comes from a great family, and I couldn’t be happier to have them joining the Rebel Nation.”
Insell and his staff have now pulled talented post players out of the high school ranks in three consecutive seasons as they look to build in the inside presence needed to challenge for a Southeastern Conference title. She’ll join sophomore Shelby Gibson and freshman Promise Taylor on the block at The Pavilion at Ole Miss next season.
Signee No. 2️⃣ for 2018 is Jones County CC transfer Alexis Tolefree! Welcome to the @OleMissWBB family, @a2smooth_! #HottyToddy #DoNotMiss pic.twitter.com/W1rkNi8XJ6
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) November 8, 2017
Alexis Tolefree
Conway, Arkansas // Conway High School // Jones County CC
G // 5-8
Tolefree brings an impressive junior college resume to the Rebels. The Arkansan is the No. 4 junior college prospect in the country according to ESPN. She averaged a team-high 20.8 points per game, leading Jones County Community College to a 30-2 record and an Elite Eight berth in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament.
Along the way, she earned All-Tournament honors and was named a first-team NJCAA Division I All-American. She was the most outstanding player at the MACJC tournament and was first-team all-conference. Her Jones County squad is ranked ninth in the nation going into the 2017-18 season.
“Alexis Tolefree is another player I’ve been following for quite a while that has proven to be a winner at all different levels,” Insell said. “She’s someone I knew I wanted from the first day watching her. She has
Insell envisions Tolefree filling the void that will be left when senior Shandricka Sessom graduates. Sessom was named second-team All-SEC this preseason, but Insell is confident Tolefree can step into a lead scoring role right way in Oxford.
“It’s important to get a perimeter player who can step in and do something really special right away,” Insell said. “Losing Shandricka Sessom is going to be a loss for our basketball team and our program, but Alexis Tolefree can step into that position and that role. One thing I just love about her is her killer mentality. She has that confidence that no matter what team we are playing, she always feels there isn’t a player as good as her on the court. It’s something that sets her apart from a lot of players across the country. It’s great to be able to sign a talented player from the state of Arkansas like Alexis. She saw that Ole Miss was going to give her what she needed to take her game to new heights, and her mother saw the same thing. Just like with Iyanla, we’re adding another great person and great family to our family here at Ole Miss.”
2018 Ole Miss Women's Basketball Signing Class
Iyanla Kitchens - 6-3 - Forward/Center - Lithonia, Ga. (Arabia Mountain HS)
Alexis Tolefree - 5-8 - Guard - Conway, Ark. (Jones County CC)
