Nancy Mulkey will be heading to Oklahoma for her college hoops career. *Photo by Chris Hansen.
Oklahoma scored its second verbal commitment for the class of 2016 when 6-foot-8 post Nancy Mulkey of Cypress, Texas, made a verbal commitment to the Big 12 school. Mulkey, who joins 5-11 wing Chelsea Dungee of Muskogee, Okla., as a member of Oklahomas 2016 class, is the second tallest prospect in the class of 2016 with 6-9 post Felicia Ayetonan of Philadelphia, Pa., being the first.
Given Mulkeys elite size and upside, her decision to pick Oklahoma as her school of choice gives her the potential to be one of the next great post post players to play under coach Sherri Coale and her staff. With her size and the rapid rate in which she has developed as a prep prospect, Coale and her staff have the potential to build both offensive and defensive philosophies centered around having an elite big to roam the paint for four years in Norman.
Without a doubt Mulkeys size and length is a major asset. She has proven to be a game changer on the defensive side of the floor as she can both block and challenge shots in the paint. In addition to her length, for a player her size, Mulkey has good mobility which allows her to be capable of both running the floor and moving to rotating to help on the defensive side of the ball. The physical aspect of the game is where she will need to develop in college. Currently Mulkey has a very thin frame and at times can be knocked off balance by contact. As she gets stronger and learns to use her body more effectively she could ultimately be an impactful rebounder because of her size and length.
For Oklahoma, landing Mulkey, the No. 9 ranked player in the ELITE 60 for the class of 2016 and the No. 3 ranked post player in the country, provides a major addition to their roster. At the time of her decision, Mulkey projects to be the highest rated high school prospect on Oklahomas 2016-2017 roster. With two FIBA gold medals under her belt with USA Basketball national teams, Mulkey could prove to be as valuable off the floor as she could be on the floor. As far as recruiting goes, Mulkeys decision will give the Big 12 school an abundance of momentum as the Sooners look to continue to add to their 2016 recruiting class.
With players such as No. 1 overall Lauren Cox of Flower Mound, Texas, and highly regarded in-state prospect Aaliyah Wilson of Muskogee, Okla., considering the Big 12 school and two members of the ELITE 60 already pledged, the year of 2016 could be special in Norman. Follow @KeilMoorePSB