Maddie FrederickIowa State head coach Bill Fennelly and his staff picked up a verbal commitment from 2017 forward Madison Wise of Greenfield, Indiana, to close out the early signing period. Shortly after the addition of Wise, Iowa State managed to secure verbal commitments from two 2018 prospects, Ashley Joens of Iowa City, Iowa, and Maddie Frederick of Phoenix, Arizona. The trio of players represents a great run of recruiting for the Big 12 program as all three players grade as four-star prospects and have the ability to make an impact early in their careers in Ames.
When looking at Iowa State’s 2017 recruiting class as a whole the strength that immediately comes across is the balance of the group. Due to the versatility of the players in the class, the group can give Iowa State an impact player at each position on the floor. The late addition of Wise moved Iowa State up to the No. 27 recruiting class nationally, a three-player class that also includes post Kristen Scott of Rochester, Minnesota, and guard RaeAnnah Johnson of Albert, Minnesota. This group will give the Big 12 school immediate depth at guard, on the wing, and in the post.
Jumping to the 2018 class, Joens picked Iowa State after turning heads with her play all summer long. Her versatility and skill on the wing will give Fennelly and his staff the ability to play Joens in a variety of ways as she has proven she can be effective in different situations.
Last year Frederick won a state championship in high school where she is at times her team's primary ball handler and then other times asked to move to the wing. While her strengths as a prospect are her ability to make plays with the pass as well as her perimeter shooting ability, Frederick is a kid who can score the ball at all three levels.
Moving forward, look for Iowa State to make the post and point guard positions priorities for both the 2017 class as well as the 2018 class. With two quality prospects in for 2018, the Cyclones will have the flexibility to wait on some key targets or go after a player or two that piques their interest.
2017 Iowa State Signing Class
2018 Verbal Commitments
Keil Moore is the Director of Scouting for the JumpOffPlus.com National Scouting Report and international scouting report. He serves on the Naismith Trophy Board of Selectors and has been a member of the women's basketball community for more than eight years as a trainer and evaluator. He can be reached at keil@prospectsnation.com.
