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Mitchell Strikes Gold, Signs Three Standouts to NLIs

Mitchell Strikes Gold, Signs Three Standouts to NLIs

by Evan Crane

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three of the best high school basketball players in the nation have signed national letters of intent to play women’s basketball at the University of Kentucky in 2020, as head coach Matthew Mitchell has welcomed Treasure Hunt (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Nyah Leveretter (Blythewood, S.C.) and Erin Toller (Louisville, Ky.) – a top-10 class in the nation according to ESPN.com – to the Big Blue Nation.  
 
“National Signing Day is always a fun day for our staff as we get to officially welcome some exceptional young women to our program and introduce them to the Big Blue Nation,” Mitchell said. “Treasure Hunt, Nyah Leveretter and Erin Toller are not only three talented basketball players, but three great young women who we feel confident will buy into what being a Kentucky Wildcat is all about. I know all three are going to have great senior seasons and we can’t wait to get them on campus this summer and start their careers at this amazing university.” 
 
Below is a detailed look at all three players, including comments from Mitchell.
 

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Treasure Hunt, 6-2, Guard – Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Ranked as a top-10 player in the 2020 class by the All Star Girls Report, while ProspectsNation.com tabs her as their 15th best player in the class … A five-star guard according to ESPN.com that ranks her the 28th best player in the 2020 class and the fifth best wing/guard … ESPN.com observed Hunt at a tournament in March and described her as a “strong, athletic perimeter prospect with a college-ready frame who drives and finishes plays in traffic; knocks down jump shots with range to the arc; active in passing lanes, coverts plays from turnovers; a coveted prospect in the class of 2020” … Was named one of 50 players nationally to the Naismith High School Trophy Girls Watch List … Gold medalists from the USA Basketball U18 3×3 Tournament, defeating some of the best players in the nation under the age of 18 in the event … Was one of five women’s players in the nation invited to Steph Curry’s 30 Select Camp in 2019 … On top of being invited to USA Basketball U18 tryouts, she was invited to the Slam Summer Classic in New York City, the John Lucas Top 160 Camp and was a member of the 2019 Run for the Roses All-Tournament Team … Incredible junior season at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, where she is coached by her mother, Keisha … Averaged 19.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals as a junior … Led Hamilton Heights to 20+ wins a sophomore averaging 13.7 points per game with 3.3 rebounds per game, while she hit 44 3-pointers with 64 assists, 41 steals and 19 blocks … Also averaged 13 points as a freshman … Helped lead the FBC United travel team to an undefeated run and league championship in the Under Armour circuit … Chose Kentucky over Baylor, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Auburn.
 


Matthew Mitchell on Treasure Hunt: “We are overjoyed that Treasure has decided to make Kentucky her home the next four years and know she is going to have a special career here as a Kentucky Wildcat. When you watch her play you can tell she is someone with a high ceiling and next-level talent, but it’s her passion for basketball that excites us as a staff. On her visit, I really enjoyed how she fit in with our players and staff from the very beginning. Her coach and mother, Keisha, has raised an exceptional person and player and we cannot wait to get her on campus and just continue that growth both on and off the court.”
 

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Nyah Leveretter, 6-3, Forward – Westwood High School (Blythewood, S.C.)
Strong, tall, athletic forward that is the perfect frontcourt prospect for Kentucky … A four-star prospect according to ProspectsNation.com and ESPN.com, which ranks her as the 20th best forward in the class … A top-100 player in the class, according to ESPN.com, which describes her as an “athletic-4 with superior length and wingspan that competes on the glass and scores in traffic; rebounds and initiates the fast break, stretches the defense to the arc and is a versatile defender” … Named to the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association AAAA All-State Team in 2019 after averaging 11.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game … Scored over 350 points as a junior hitting 44 percent from the field, including 13 3-pointers and 68 percent from the free-throw line … Has led Westwood to the AAAA State Tournament Final Four each of the last two seasons … Impressive sophomore season averaging 11.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game … Hit 50 percent from the field as a sophomore, scoring nearly 300 points … Saw significant varsity time as a freshman averaging 7.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game … Enters her senior season needing just over 100 points to reach 1,000 for her four-year high school career … Star volleyball player in high school as well with over 700 career kills, adding 577 career blocks and 53 aces over her four-year career … Nyah is the daughter of Simquita Leveretter and Barry Leveretter … Picked Kentucky over Florida and Clemson among others. 
 


Matthew Mitchell on Nyah Leveretter: “When you think about how our teams have traditionally liked to play over the years, starting with being aggressive on the defensive end and using elite athleticism to get up and down the floor and score, that’s exactly how I would describe Nyah’s game. She has all the intangibles you can’t teach like great size, an athletic build and an extremely high motor, which has us very excited about how she is going to fit in here at Kentucky. I have loved getting to know her and her family and think she is going to fully embody what it means to be a Kentucky Wildcat. We are very excited she has decided to call Kentucky home.”
 

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Erin Toller, 5-7, Guard – Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Ky.)
A talented point guard who is a floor general at the position and can score in a variety of ways … ESPN.com evaluated Toller as a “crafty floor-leader with a scorer’s mentality; quick first-step attack collapses the defense and finds the rim with regularity; delivers with confidence from deep and can penetrate and distribute” … As a freshman at Sacred Heart, she saw significant time averaging 8.5 points per game with 1.1 assists per game and 1.3 steals per game … Hit 38 3-pointers as a freshman and went 42-for-57 from the free-throw line for 74 percent … Played for Kentucky Premier 17 under David Tapley and won two game MVP honors at the Battle of the Bridges Tournament … Missed most of her sophomore and all of her junior years of basketball with knee injuries, while she was averaging 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game before sustaining the injury her sophomore season … Daughter of Yvette Toller and Eric Toller … Chose Kentucky over Tennessee, WKU and Xavier.
 


Matthew Mitchell on Erin Toller: “There is always something special about a Kentucky grown player deciding to play for the University of Kentucky and we are thrilled that Erin is a Kentucky Wildcat. She is a very talented basketball player that can score inside with an attacking mindset or knock down an outside shot with confidence. What I love about Erin is the fact she relishes being a leader on the court. We know that is going to be very beneficial to our team. Erin is a quality young woman who we are glad to have wearing Blue and White.”
 
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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