Marquette Women’s Basketball Extends An Offer To Bree Salenbien

Part of college basketball recruiting is always looking to the future. While Marquette women’s basketball still has two open spots available for the fall of 2020, that’s not stopping new head coach Megan Duffy and her staff from attacking recruiting for the Class of 2021. We got a little bit of proof of that the other day, when news came out that MU has offered a scholarship to Class of 2021 wing Bree Salenbien.

A quick spin through of her name in the Twitter Machine will let you know that Salenbien is grabbing up offers right now like a barrel collecting water in a thunderstorm. That’s not just the three other teams on that tweet along with the Golden Eagles. Duke, Florida, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and Xavier have all gotten their name in the ring during the month of July.

Why the flurry of offers? Well, I’m sure that ESPN ranking her at #33 in the country for the Class of 2021 didn’t hurt. On top of that, she’s already 6’3” tall at the end of her sophomore year. ESPN says she’s a wing, but she’s playing point guard for Michigan Mystics, her club team. All of that helps her case.

Also helpful: Back-to-back state titles in her first two years of high school basketball, and back-to-back Associated Press Michigan Division 4 Player of the Year trophies. Yes, that’s right: Salenbien was the best Division 4 player in the state of Michigan as a freshman and as a sophomore.

She averaged 23 points and 9.2 rebounds as a sophomore, and tallied 17 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, a block and a steal in the state title game. Her postgame quote:

“I was really happy for my teammates,” said the 6-foot-2 sophomore. “I was a little upset with my performance, but we won the game and that’s all that matters.”

To repeat: She felt she didn’t play well while throwing up a 17/13/6/1/1. As a sophomore. In her second straight state title game.

Here’s a four minute video clip of her sophomore year regular season highlights. She appears to be wildly unfair. You name it, she can do it, and that’s as a 6’3” sophomore.

Here’s another four minute video that’s labeled as postseason and since it was published in late June — apparently by Salenbien herself — I have to presume it’s from this past season.

When the 2021-22 school year rolls around, Marquette is projected to be replacing Selena Lott, Tori McCoy, and Lauren Van Kleunen. There are two spots left to fill in 2020, so that may have an impact on the direction that Duffy takes the 2021 class, but that’s a question to be answered when we get down the road a little bit.

Here’s what the scholarship situation looks like right now.