UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State women's basketball program welcome five future Lady Lions on National Signing Day, head coach Carolyn Kieger announced. Cam Rust, Talayah Walker, Ari Williams, Jill Jekot and Shaelyn Steele all signed their National Letters of Intent to play at PSU on Wednesday afternoon.
"We are immensely proud of our five outstanding 2024 recruits as they solidify their commitments on National Signing Day," head coach Carolyn Kieger said. "Their dedication, talent, and hard work have led them to this moment, and we can't wait to see them excel at the collegiate level. Each of our new additions come from reputable AAU and High school programs and we know this experience will pay dividends. This is just the beginning of their promising journeys, and we have no doubt that they will continue to shine both on and off the court."
CAM RUST | F | SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I.
A native of South Kingston, R.I., Rust is a highly touted recruit and consensus top-100 player across multiple ratings agencies, including the ESPN Watch List. She is on track to graduate from Worcester Academy in Massachusetts in the spring of 2024, where she has spent four years playing for its women's basketball program. The standout forward broke out as a freshman at the Gordon School in East Providence before making her way to Massachusetts. During her freshman campaign she averaged 15.0 points per game and 12.0 rebounds per game. Her head-turning performances culminated in an invitation to Coach Wootten's Top-150 Camp in Dallas, earning a spot at the 2021 USA Basketball U16 trials in the process.
Rust has played club basketball for the Bay State Jaguars in the grassroots circuit for the past two years. She helped lead the team to the GUAA U16 Championship where the team finished as the tournament runner-up. The future Lady Lion arrives at Penn State with a four-star ranking according to Prospects Nation and a 90 Grade according to ESPN.
COACH KIEGER ON RUST
"Cam was our first commitment of the 2024 class. She is a culture driver who values a tight-knit family atmosphere. She is a proven leader and natural competitor in every sense of those terms. She will add depth and versatility to our roster as a point forward who can space the floor and play inside-out. We are eager for her to join the family and start making a significant impact on our program."
TALAYAH WALKER | G | ODENTON, MD.
Talayah Walker joins the Lady Lions from Odenton, Md. where she attends Our Lady of Good Counsel High School. A four-year member of the women's basketball team, Walker was a two-time WCAC first team selection. During a breakout campaign in 2021-22, the guard averaged 17.0 points per game and nearly doubled that number in her most recent season, averaging 30.0 points per game in 2022-23. Her average was good for the second highest scoring mark in the league last season.
Walker played club basketball for Philly Rise for three years where she averaged 15 points per game in two consecutive seasons. In back-to-back seasons she led the team to the Nike National Championship and clinched the Boo Williams Championship. The 2022 squad was the only team to win all three EYBL stops and Walker garnered several accolades in the process, including First-Team EYBL honors, and was named the Boo Williams Invitational MVP. In her most recent season with Philly Rise, her team was the champion of the second EYBL stop in Dallas, Texas.
COACH KIEGER ON WALKER
"Tay is a fierce competitor who brings the JUICE every time she steps on the floor. She is a tenacious defender who has a knack for getting deflections and steals. She loves getting into passing lanes and can pressure the ball 94 feet. On the offensive end she has a versatile skillset and has the ability to score off the bounce or from deep. We have no doubt Tay will have a significant impact here at Penn State."
JILL JEKOT | G | ENOLA, PA.
A Pennsylvania native, Jill Jekot is a highly competitive high school recruit throughout the northeast. She currently attends Cumberland Valley High School and is set to graduate in the spring of 2024. A three-time captain of the women's basketball program at Cumberland Valley, Jekot is a two-time Mid Penn All-Conference First Team selection, three-time First Team All-Sentinel honoree and two-time first team All-State member. In her first two seasons, she was named the Ms. PA Top Underclassman in the state in consecutive years. During her impressive junior season, the Pennsylvania native averaged 23 points, seven rebounds and 2.9 steals per game. She earned a slew of awards including the Mid Penn Commonwealth Player of the Year award, Hempfield Tip-Off Tournament MVP and United Ban Myrtle Beach Classic All-Tournament honors.
Jekot is intimately familiar with Happy Valley, as her older sister, Kelly, played for the Lady Lions from 2020-2022. Collegiate athletics runs deep in the Jekot family, with both her parents playing Division II sports at Lock Haven, where her father played basketball and mother played field hockey. The future Lady Lion's two other sisters are also members of Divison I basketball programs with Katie playing at Saint Joseph's from 2017-23 and Julie currently competing at LaSalle.
COACH KIEGER ON JEKOT
"We are thrilled to add another Jekot to the Lady Lion Family. Jill is a tremendous addition who brings a wealth of basketball experience. She plays incredibly composed and makes everyone around her better. She is a three-level scorer with great vision and a high basketball IQ. Her versatility will fit in perfectly with our system."
SHAELYN STEELE | G | RUSSELL, KY.
Shaelyn Steele is a guard hailing from Russell, Ky. and is a six-year member of the Russell Lady Devils Women's Basketball program. The top-ranked recruit out of the state of Kentucky in 2024, Steele earned a spot on the varsity high school basketball team when she was in seventh grade and will finish her career as a senior in the 2023-24 season. During her time with the Lady Devils, she helped the team to two regional titles and to the Elite 8 in the state in the 2020-21 campaign.
In 2021, the future Lady Lion was named The Daily Independent Player of the Year and the 16th Region Tournament MVP. In her most recent season in 2022-23, she was named the EKC Offensive Player of the Year and a Kentucky/Indiana Junior All-Star in addition to landing First Team All-State laurels. The tenacious perimeter player also joined the 2,000-point club as a junior, an elite honor at the high school basketball level. Steele also has played club basketball for WV Thunder for five seasons.
COACH KIEGER ON STEELE
"Shae has a very high IQ and is an elite decision maker. She thrives in an up-tempo system and does an excellent job using her speed. As a proven winner and excellent playmaker, we are ecstatic for her to be joining our backcourt. Her ability to facilitate and stretch the floor will add immediate value to our team."
ARI WILLIAMS | F | CHICAGO, ILL.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Ari Williams joins the Lady Lions heading into her senior year at Example Academy High School in greater Chicagoland. A powerful presence on the wing, Williams has helped lead her squad to a City Championship and runner-up finish in consecutive seasons. During the team's 2020-21 Chicago Public Schools Red South League championship run, Williams helped the team publish an unblemished 13-0 record while notching six points and four rebounds per game. The following season in 2021-22, Kenwood Academy went 21-7 overall with Williams booking 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest. Last year, Williams helped the team publish a dominant 30-5 overall record while leading Example to their first sectional championship in three decades.
Williams will graduate from Example Academy in the spring of 2024 and will enroll at Penn State shortly thereafter. While in University Park, Williams intends to study business in the hopes of pursuing a career in real estate at the conclusion of her basketball playing career. The standout forward prospect is the daughter of La'aria Williams and Darrell Bullock. A family with a strong athletic background, her father, Darrell, played professional basketball overseas in Germany for Baskets98.
COACH KIEGER ON WILLIAMS
"Ari is a perfect fit in our front court. Her length and versatility make her a matchup nightmare. She has the ability to shoot the three but also dominates in the mid and low post. She loves to play defense and can cause havoc because she can defend multiple positions. Her best basketball is ahead of her, and we are so excited to help her reach her dreams on and off the court."
