2020 Florida women’s basketball signee Jordyn Merritt (Plano, Texas) has been named to the Jordan Brand Classic roster, one of just 27 players nationwide to earn a spot in the prep showcase.
Merritt’s recognition marks the second-straight season a Florida signee has been tabbed to the Jordan Brand Classic after Lavender Briggs became the first player in program history to play in the game in 2019.
The event, in its 19th year overall and sixth for the girl’s game, will be played in Chicago on March 27. A celebration of some of the top talent in the nation, there will be a double header with both a girls and boys game at Wintrust Arena.
A five-star recruit and the nation’s No. 27 overall player according to ESPN HoopGurlz, Merritt became the highest-ranked recruit to sign with Florida since 2013.
Merritt, who sustained an ACL injury in November, will not play in the game.
The six-foot-two Merritt earned a 97 overall scouts grade from ESPN and has amassed over 1,500 career points. She has started for her Plano Senior High team since she was a freshman.
Merritt has been a steady riser in the recruiting rankings after she collected 6-6A Newcomer of the Year honors during her first year of competition. As a sophomore, Merritt helped guide Plano to its first-ever 6A State Championship finishing the season with averages of 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds. Merritt was tabbed the Dallas Morning News SportsDay High School All-Area Girls Basketball Player of the Year and to the All-USA Texas Girls Basketball Team that same season.
As a junior the agile and athletic forward averaged a double-double at 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. She also gained experience competing on the national stage in the U17 US National Team trails and the 2018 USA Basketball 3×3 National Championships.
Before her season-ending injury, Merritt helped guide the Lady Wildcats to a 6-0 record and the No. 9 ranking in Class 6A by the TABC.
The Texas native joins Madison Scott of Ole Miss and Treasure Hunt of Kentucky as the only three future SEC players to receive Jordan Brand Classic recognition.
One of two players to sign a National Letter of Intent in third-year head coach Cam Newbauer‘s 2020 class, Merritt joins Brynn Ferrell (Ortley Beach, N.J) a four-star wing who is a two-time all-state honoree.
UF has landed five-star recruits in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2012 and 2013 classes when Ronni Williams and Haley Lorenzen signed on with the Gators. The Gators’ recruiting classes have climbed over Coach Newbauer’s time at the helm. After the staff’s first resulted in the No. 31 rank from ProspectsNation, the 2019 class rose to No. 26 and the future continues to look bright in 2020.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators