It seems that Marquette Golden Eagles women’s basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger isn’t interested in the slightest in balancing out her recruiting classes.
Way back on October 19th, Class of 2019 guard Nirel Lougbo announced her commitment to play for Kieger and the Golden Eagles starting next fall. Lougbo is Kieger’s sixth commitment in the class of 2019, which means that she’ll be taking on a freshman class of the exact same size as her departing senior class.
Congratulations to Rival ‘19 @Nirellougbo_24 for her commitment to Marquette University! We are all so very proud of you ! @UntdConquerors @CoachUexp @3Stripewbb @MullyET @EagleTribSports @InsiderExposure #RivalsWay pic.twitter.com/TAPWruVLpx
— Lady Rivals (@LadyRivals) October 19, 2018
Lougbo hails from Massachusetts, where she attends Tabor Academy in Marion, which is not far from Cape Cod. She’s from North Andover, though, which is 90 miles north of Tabor, on the other side of Boston. I point this out to explain why I’m linking you to this article on her commitment from the North Andover Eagle-Tribune, as it’s full of helpful details about Lougbo.
For example: Lougbo led Tabor to a 20-3 record last season and reached the New England Prep tournament finals. This is not as much of a disappointment as it might sound, as the team they lost to in the finals has ESPN’s #3 player in the class of 2019. Lougbo averaged 10.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 4.2 steals this past season, and as a sophomore, she tallied 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. Oh, and the 5’10” point guard can dunk a tennis ball.
Here’s her club coach for a scouting report:
“Nirel’s physical attributes coupled with her athleticism separate her from most prospects at her position. Her speed in the open floor, ability to attack the rim, and the fact that she can guard high-level athletes at different positions really solidified her as a top prospect. She has a chance to have a great career at Marquette.”
Lougbo has had the opportunity to see up close and personal what kind of skill and ability is required to succeed at the high major level. Her first year at Tabor involved coming off the bench behind Molly Bent, who signed with Connecticut, and Araion Bradshaw, who signed with South Carolina. Those are two top end women’s basketball programs, so you know that Lougbo has what it takes if she could take up the reigns at Tabor following those two.
There doesn’t appear to be any YouTube videos of Lougbo out there, but she has a Hudl page, and it’s up-to-date as of this past March. They can’t be embedded here, but you can click over there and watch clips to your heart’s content.
As Marquette’s all-time leader in assists, Kieger will undoubtedly ask a lot of an athletic playmaker like Lougbo. But she also sounds like the kind of player who can be very successful in Kieger’s up-tempo tactics. Lougbo will have to fight for minutes though, as there seems to be an awful lot of capable guards joining the roster in 2019.
We should, at this point, make a note about what’s next for the Golden Eagles in the recruiting department. While the Golden Eagles were in the running for multiple top 100 prospects, things have cooled off now. Milwaukee native Sydnee Roby committed to Miami on Friday after dropping Marquette from contention a few weeks back, while Kaelynn Satterfield opted for Ohio State around the same time. Shemera Williams has not announced a decision yet, and at least for the time being, Marquette still has space available for her, at least in terms of scholarships.
Here’s what the women’s basketball scholarship picture looks like right now.