Virginia women’s basketball head coach Joanne Boyle announced the signing of guard Jocelyn Willoughby (6-0, East Orange, N.J./Newark Academy) to a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday (Nov. 18).
“We are extremely excited to have Jocelyn join our fantastic 2016 recruiting class,” Boyle said. “Jocelyn is an extraordinarily versatile guard with great size, who is effective on both ends of the floor. She is one of the strongest wings in the country and will be a match-up problem for opponents in a variety of ways. Jocelyn’s ability to score from the outside and her strength around the basket, as both a scorer and a rebounder, will add to the depth of our team. Her size and power will allow us to play her in multiple positions on the defensive side of the ball. A proven winner with the heart of a leader, Jocelyn’s abilities and personality will be a great fit in the up-tempo, physical style of the ACC.”
Ranked the No. 8 wing in her class and No. 47 player overall by ESPN-W and No. 5 at her position and No. 28 overall by Prospects Nation, Willoughby is a standout at Newark Academy. She became the first player at her school to score 1,000 career points, doing so in her sophomore season. As a freshman and sophomore, she helped lead Newark to two-straight seasons with 21-or-more wins and back-to-back Prep B girls’ basketball state titles.
Willoughby has 1,190 points in her three-year career, which included 617 in 2013-14. In her sophomore season, she averaged 23.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 4.4 steals per game. She also tallied 10 double-doubles with 20, 20-point games. Willougby will join a familiar face on the UVA roster, as she played AAU ball with current Virginia guard Aliyah Huland El (Randolph, N.J.).
Willoughby is the second five-star recruit Boyle has signed this year, joining guard Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.). Toussaint is ESPN-W’s No. 48 overall recruit and No. 12 at her position. The talented guard was named the Queens Player of the Year after averaging 2.15 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a junior. Boyle also announced last week the signing of forward Lisa Jablonowski (Luxembourg), who brings a wealth of top-level international experience.
“Every member of my staff has worked tirelessly and done an incredible job putting together a fantastic 2016 recruiting class,” Boyle remarked. “All three will add tremendous talent and depth to our team.”
The Cavaliers will lose one senior at the end of the 2015-16 season, guard Faith Randolph.
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