One of the key targets for Stanford women’s basketball in the 2024 class is 4-star point guard Shay Ijiwoye out of Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Ijiwoye visited Stanford in February for their home game against UCLA and caught up with CardinalSportsReport.com about her visit and where things sit in her recruitment.
For Ijiwoye, her visit was a really good experience. It gave her a chance to learn more about the program and get the same kind of experience that she would get if she were taking an official visit. She felt like she got a good taste for what Stanford is like and what life would be like if she were to commit there.
“It went really well,” Ijiwoye said of the visit. “It was not an official visit, but it was like an official visit because it was an official visit weekend. We just kinda did the same things. Watched their practice, went to the training table, went on a campus tour, talked to academic advisors, talked to the athletic director, a little photo shoot and then obviously went to the game, too.”
Touching more on the campus tour, that part went really well for Ijiwoye. She was impressed by the overall vibe and especially liked seeing the quad due to his history and popularity with tourists.
“I think it was really nice,” Ijiwoye said of the campus. “The quad area is historical. To see it was built so many years ago and the church was really pretty. It was a very touristy spot. You can see people coming in, soaking up the campus.”
In regard to academic advisors, Ijiwoye received a lot of information about what life would be like academically at Stanford. She feels like Stanford is a place that can help her reach her academic and professional goals.
“Yeah, I’m thinking of majoring in kinesiology and minoring in law,” Ijiwoye said. “But they were saying you can create your own major in a sense. I’m not sure what that would look like. But it’s so you don’t have to compromise any passions you might have.
“I want to stay close to the game and I’ve always been interested in the medical field. It helps me to know as an athlete why things happen. Just like the importance of [understanding] the body, nutrition, improving your breathing, how it affects your heart rate, all that stuff.”
At this stage, Ijiwoye feels like she has developed a good relationship with the entire coaching staff. Associate head coach Kate Paye is the main coach recruiting her, but all coaches on staff have made an effort to get to know Ijiwoye and let her know they want her to be a part of the program.
“I have a pretty good relationship with them,” Ijiwoye said of her relationship with Stanford. “Kate Paye, she calls and reaches out to me once a week. Calls me and Face Time. Coach Brittany, she’ll reach out to me. Tara, she’s talked to my parents. We’re focusing on building a strong relationship.”
What Stanford likes about her game is her ability to excel in transition and lead an offense. They feel like she’d be a really good fit in their system and run the kind of offense that they like to run. On defense, they like her tenacity and ability to make things tough on opposing ball handlers.
“They like how I push the ball and command my team,” Ijiwoye said. “They like my presence on the court and my ability to get my teammates involved. They like how I play intense defense and get up in my opponents and how I disrupt their flow.”
Outside of Stanford, Ijiwoye said Michigan, Illinois, Clemson, Harvard, Cal, Oklahoma, Miami (FL), and Oregon State are the main programs that are on Ijiwoye the hardest. In regard to how she is evaluating these different programs, Ijiwoye made it clear that this is both about basketball and academics. She is hoping to have a decision made sometime in the late summer/early fall.
“Basketball-wise, a place that fits my play style and winning and being surrounded by amazing people,” Ijiwoye said. “Academically, somewhere I can choose my major. Where I can really explore and get a great education. I just want to be around great people on and off the court and build a good relationship.
“I’m in the process of narrowing down my list. A decision timeline would be sometime in the fall. August or September so I can enjoy my senior year.”
At this point, Stanford seems to be in a good spot with Shay Ijiwoye. They got her out on a visit, they have the academic freedom she is looking for, and they also seem to be a good fit for her on the court as well. It’ll be interesting to see if Stanford can make the cut for her final list and whether or not they’ll land her services later on this year.
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