(2017) SG Jaelynn Penn to IUWBB

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Committed 10/2/16. Welcome aboard! 

Butler High School senior Jaelynn Penn, a top contender for Kentucky’s 2017 Miss Basketball award, announced she has decomitted from the University of Dayton.

Penn said her decision was based on last week’s announcement that Dayton’s Jim Jabir was stepping down after 13 seasons as head coach. Shauna Green, a former assistant at Northwestern, was named the Flyers’ new coach on Sunday.

Penn, a 5-foot-9 guard, originally committed to Dayton last September. Last season she averaged 14.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in helping the Bearettes win their second state title in three seasons. She shot 59.3 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 71.3 percent from the free-throw line, was named the MVP of the Sweet 16 and earned first-team All-State honors from The Courier-Journal.

Penn said “I don’t have a list right now,” but added that, “I’ll probably go out of state.” She said she will continue to consider Dayton and that Indiana and South Carolina are other schools that have expressed interest in the past.

“I’m just taking my time right now,” Penn said. “I’m not sure if I’ll sign in the fall or the spring. If I sign early, it will happen. But I’m not pushing to sign early.”

Butler likely will enter the 2016-17 season as the No. 1 team in the state after losing just two seniors from last season’s 31-5 squad.

http://usatodayhss.com/2016/butlers-jaelynn-penn-decommits-from-dayton

ESPN (5*,39)

Prospects Nation (4*,48)

Schedule

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

Jon Blau ‏@Jon_Blau 17m17 minutes ago

Hearing Indiana will have Jaelynn Penn (Louisville, Ky) for an official visit this weekend. More info on her:

April 2016 USA Toda

TheHoosier.com - Sam Beishuizen

One of the nation's top high school basketball stars in the class of 2017 will be in Bloomington for an official this weekend.

TheHoosier.com has learned ESPN 5-star guard Jaelynn Penn will check out Indiana this just two weeks after she decommitted from Dayton. South Carolina has also been in the mix for the Louisville native who told USA Today she likely won't play in her home state of Kentucky.

Penn pledged to Dayton as a sophomore last September but reopened her commitment after head coach Jim Jabir resigned earlier this month, citing health concerns. Jabir left the Flyers as the program's all-time wins leader.

Penn averaged 14.2 points and 5.9 rebounds as a junior to lead Butler Traditional High School to its second consecutive state championship, its fifth all time. She's ranked the No. 39 overall prospect in the nation by ESPN.

The 5-foot-9 guard's ESPN scouting profile has rave reviews, describing her as an all-around threat capable of scoring from just about anywhere.

Indiana head coach Teri Moren already has three commitments in the class of 2017 in Alexis Johnson, Linsey Marchese and recent commit Keyanna Warthen. The Hoosiers have room for six signees but likely won't fill every slot to maintain balance in the 2018 class after signing four newcomers last year.

 

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Boom! #4 for this class.

 

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Huge get for CTM! She joins C Linsey Marchese, F Alexis Johnson and G Keyanna Warthen.

We still have 2 spots left.

[JSHoosier 19,568]

A 5*!?!?!?  That's the kind of caliber we needed to pair with Buss, hell I would've settled for a 4*.

Now have to get the LOI signed, unfortunately verbal commitments aren't worth the paper their written on.

[WayneFleekHoosier 46,745]

Interesting she is ranked 39th averaging 14/6. Team must be stacked. 2 consecutive state titles.


Sent from my iPad using BtownBanners

[JSHoosier 19,568]

Wish we could've landed a player like this sooner so we could pair her with Buss for two years.  At least she'll have a senior Buss to help carry the team though, that's a step in the right direction.

[HoosierAloha 29,887]

36 minutes ago, JSHoosier said:

Wish we could've landed a player like this sooner so we could pair her with Buss for two years.  At least she'll have a senior Buss to help carry the team though, that's a step in the right direction.

A senior Buss and an upgraded roster that she can carry on after her freshman year. 

[JSHoosier 19,568]

2 minutes ago, HoosierAloha said:

A senior Buss and an upgraded roster that she can carry on after her freshman year. 

Yep, after Buss leaves this can be her team.  Next step though is to land a few more players of the Buss/Penn caliber; even just one every couple years instead of every 3/4.  Then higher caliber girls see that their peers are serious about IUWBB.

 

This is just the first step in that direction.  Even having one year with a player the caliber of Tyra Buss as an upperclassmen is a luxury that Buss herself didn't have.

[HoosierAloha 29,887]

9 minutes ago, JSHoosier said:

Yep, after Buss leaves this can be her team.  Next step though is to land a few more players of the Buss/Penn caliber; even just one every couple years instead of every 3/4.  Then higher caliber girls see that their peers are serious about IUWBB.

 

This is just the first step in that direction.  Even having one year with a player the caliber of Tyra Buss as an upperclassmen is a luxury that Buss herself didn't have.

改善 constant improvement, constant upgrade.  Every year or every other year should have IUWB in the upper tier of the B1G which would be tourney appearances and more exposure for the program.  Didn't we just land a solid PG in the '17 class too?  That could help a lot in getting better players.  The program is definitely headed in the right direction.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

Couple of short post-announcement articles

http://www.hoosiersportsreport.com/2016/10/iuwbb-hoosiers-land-five-star-penn/

http://www.idsnews.com/article/2016/10/womens-basketball-lands-five-star-recruit

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

Best article thus far.   http://www.hoosiersportsreport.com/2016/10/iuwbb-h-s-aau-coaches-offer-perspectives-on-penn-to-iu/

IUWBB: H.S., AAU coaches offer perspectives on Penn-to-IU

Kentucky Premier’s David Tapley knew Jaelynn Penn had significant interest in Indiana before she headed to Bloomington this weekend.

But did he think Penn, who averaged 17 points a game for his Nike EYBL team this summer, would actually commit to IU this weekend? Especially with a visit to national power South Carolina scheduled in the near future?

“Absolutely not,” Tapley said, laughing. “She must have really liked it.”

Tarpley’s surprise only underscores what kind of commitment head coach Teri Moren has landed in the five-star Penn, who plays for Butler High School in Louisville, Ky. But, with the help of Tarpley and Butler’s Larry Just, here is an idea of how it all came together for ESPN’s 39th best recruit in 2017.

As previously reported, Penn decommitted from Dayton in September when coach Jim Jabir resigned. Once that news broke, Tapley’s phone blew up with calls from coaches “slobbering” with interest. Just helped to play “mediator,” as he puts it, encouraging Penn to have a plan once she started looking at schools.

The list of interested parties was many, including Kentucky and Louisville. In fact, Tarpley said only a few top programs didn’t call, including Notre Dame and UConn.

When IU called, they had a few ins with Penn. Assistant coach Janese Banks, who was hired by Moren in May, recruited Penn’s Butler High School teammate, Danielle Lawrence, to IUPUI. Assistant Glenn Box, hired away from St. Louis in June, helped secure a verbal commitment from Butler’s Tasia Jeffries. And on top of that, Tarpley knew Moren and Rhet Wierzba from their Indiana State days.

Those prior relationships were a big advantage for IU, according to Just. While South Carolina’s Dawn Staley and her assistants hadn’t had much time to build connections, the Hoosiers already had some in place, especially with Banks’ tie-in with Lawrence.

“Danielle and Jaelynn hit it off big when they were together with me,” Just said. “(Penn) just wants to feel like someone will take care of her and will give her a chance to do what she’s comfortable doing. She can help IU continue with their rise and take that to even another level. She will look forward to that.”

Penn isn’t just a great athlete. She’s a top student. That means she didn’t just find IU’s rising women’s basketball program appealing, but also the university’s medical school. For her visit, Penn went to IU’s football game against Michigan State. She also went with teammates to a haunted house.

But, again, Tarpley expected Penn to take her time in making a decision. Then, he had an interesting exchange with Penn’s father on Saturday night.

“Her dad texted me a bunch of pictures,” Tarpley said, “and said, ‘This is going really well,’ and I said “Really?’ … ‘Yeah, she really likes it here.’ … ‘Well, is there a chance she might commit today? … (Penn’s father said) ‘I hope.'”

“I knew he was sold when he said that,” Tarpley said.

Once news broke Sunday afternoon that Penn committed to IU, Tarpley and Just understood the significance. This may highlight the continued turning of the tide at IU following last year’s NCAA tournament appearance, which followed an offseason of tremendous turnover in 2015.

Tarpley had former Hoosiers guard Larryn Brooks on his Kentucky Premier team. She was the most prolific scorer in IU women’s basketball history through her sophomore campaign, but transferred to Texas Tech after Moren’s first year. Tarpley wonders if Brooks should regret leaving. He also thinks Penn could have a Brooks-like impact alongside foundational pieces in All-Big Ten juniors Tyra Buss and Amanda Cahill.

Penn may have averaged 14.2 points per game as a junior at Butler, but that was on a state championship team with multiple Division I prospects. As an AAU player, she has played with Kentucky’s Miss Basketball, Erin Boley, who is headed to Notre Dame, and Crystal Dangerfield, who is headed to UConn.

“She’s so skilled and so athletic, pro hops. This kid can play,” Tarpley said of Penn. “This kid here’s all business, this kid ain’t loud. This kid’s got her head right. That’s the key to all this.”

Penn’s high school coach echoes Tarpley.

“I don’t think there is a better player you are going to find in the state of Kentucky,”  Just said. “May not score the most, may not rebound the most, but she is going to do everything. She is going to impact the game in every way it can be impacted, and there aren’t many kids who have the chance to do that.

“I’m excited she has chosen a place she feels good about and I think Indiana is getting a great player and a great person on top of that.”

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

IUWBB: Penn explains decision to attend IU

October 3, 2016 Jon Blau Women's Basketball Leave a comment

Indiana claimed a statement recruiting win on Sunday, nabbing five-star guard Jaelynn Penn in a head-to-head battle with South Carolina.

Penn, considered the No. 39 recruit in 2017, according to ESPN, explained Monday why she chose IU over a program consistently ranked top 5 in the country.

“I felt more of a priority to them,” Penn said of IU. “They have McDonald’s All-Americans on the bench over (at South Carolina). Indiana’s closer to home. I want my parents to come to my games and stuff, that’s important. But mostly the education.”

It wasn’t just about basketball for Penn, who wants to be a doctor someday and likes IU’s medical school. But in terms of the Hoosiers’ basketball program, Penn said she feels it’s ascending after last year’s NCAA tournament appearance.

“I feel like they are on the come up,” Penn said. “Getting to the NCAA tournament was a big thing for them. Just because they are not established as one of the top schools in the nation, that doesn’t mean we can’t get there, you know?”

Penn, a 5-foot-10 guard, figures to be a valuable piece next to point guard Tyra Buss, who will be a senior in 2017-18. The Hoosiers will also have graduated current seniors Alexis Gassion, Karlee McBride and Amber Deane from the backcourt.

With a backcourt of Buss, Penn and possibly Ria Gulley, the Hoosiers will have three athletic guards who can run the floor and attack the basket. Penn was also a 40 percent shooter from 3 last season for Butler High School in Louisville.

IU’s pace of play definitely intrigues Penn. She also likes the fact that head coach Teri Moren doesn’t take kindly to losing.

“I heard she’s not a great loser at all,” Penn said. “I think they take pride in that and that’s what I take pride in now as a high schooler.”

[ccgeneral 38,084]

And our diaper dandy signed last night! All 5 commits have signed now.

 

[ccgeneral 38,084]

 

 

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Preseason Top 25 players in Kentucky. Penn and Berger start their season on 11/29.

http://usatodayhss.com/2016/preseason-rankings-top-25-players-in-kentucky-2#sthash.VsFnTtX6.uxfs

1. Jaelynn Penn (39) Butler  5-9 Sr. 14.2  

5. Grace Berger (1) Sacred Heart  5-11 Jr.  14.4  

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Penn with 15 pts (11 in the 1st half). Butler fell 68-62 in their season opener.

Next: 12/1 vs Central

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Penn with 16 tonight in 69-23 win.

Butler (1-1) @ Bullitt East on 12/6.

 

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Penn with 16 tonight in 84-72 win. Her counterpart and Miss BB candidate Lindsey Duvall had game high 27 for Bullitt.

Butler (2-1) hosts Pleasure Ridge Park on Friday @ 6 pm.

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Penn led the way with 18 pts, 5 rebs, 3 asts in 66-62 win and Butler (7-1) advances to the semis of the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic tomorrow morning.

@DanKarellPreps: #iuwbb signee Jaelynn Penn had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the win. Molly Lockhart had 17 pts on 8 of 9 shooting. #Butler