Monique Oliver is poised
for battle in the Big East.
There are many factors in a choice of a college that cannot be altered -- the weather, campus, potential majors -- but one of the most cited reasons for basketball prospects, the coaching staff, is far from immune from change. It was, in fact, a coaching change at USC that led Monique Oliver, the No. 6 ranked player in the ESPN HoopGurlz 100, to gain her release from the Trojans and eventually pledge to Rutgers and head coach C. Vivian Stringer.
"I committed this morning," said Oliver, who still needs to sign a National Letter of Intent with Rutgers before May 20.
Oliver will join two other signees in the class of 2009 -- Erica Wheeler, a 5-foot-7 point guard from Miramar, Fla., and Christine Huber, a 6-4 forward from West Islip, N.Y.
All three prospects are ranked in the top 100 in the senior class, Wheeler at No. 39 and Huber at No. 73.
"It's just a big change," Oliver said, "going from the West Coast to the East Coast but I'm ready for the change."
After receiving her release, Oliver contacted Maryland and Texas in addition to Rutgers.
"Me and the coaches had great chemistry," Oliver said of what led her to choose Rutgers.
Oliver, a 6-3 post who is among the best rebounders in the country, was a part of the Trojans' No. 8 ranked recruiting class in the fall while Rutgers class was ranked No. 18 by ESPN HoopGurlz. This change will impact both schools class rankings when the final tally is released after the signing period next week.
The late addition will also help replace the two freshmen, Jasmine Dixon and Brooklyn Pope, who transferred from Rutgers. Both landed at schools closer to home, with Dixon at UCLA and Pope at Baylor.
Oliver played her last two high-school seasons at southern California powerhouse Long Beach Poly after transferring from Cheyenne High School in Las Vegas, Nev. Her junior year she played with Dixon at Poly.
Nikki Speed, former Marlborough High School (Los Angeles, Calif.) star, will be a sophomore at Rutgers next season, so Oliver will not be the only left-coaster on the Scarlet Knights' roster. Speed was invited to try out for the USA Basketball U19 team this weekend.
