Mikayla Blakes

Blakes played basketball for Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset, New Jersey. She helped her team reach three straight New Jersey Non-Public B state finals, winning the title as a sophomore, and was twice named Courier News Player of the Year.^[1] In her senior season, Blakes was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game.^[2] Rated a five-star recruit and the number 8 player in her class by ESPN,^[3] she committed to play college basketball for Vanderbilt over offers from Indiana, Rutgers, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA, and Wisconsin.^[4]

On January 2, 2025, Blakes scored 36 points in a 108–82 victory over Georgia, setting a new Vanderbilt single-game record for points by a freshman.^[5] On January 19, she scored 23 points and made the game-winning shot in a 71–70 win over Tennessee.^[6] On January 30, Blakes set single-game scoring records for both the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Vanderbilt, with 53 points in a 99–86 victory over Florida.^[7] She had the most points in a game by an NCAA Division I freshman since Elena Delle Donne of Delaware in 2010.^[8] On February 16, Blakes broke the Division I freshman single-game scoring record, previously held by Delle Donne, with 55 points in a 98–88 overtime win over Auburn. She shot 23-of-24 from the free throw line and led a 15-point comeback.^[9]

Blakes was awarded the Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Year by USBWA for the 2024–25 season.^[10]