Jadyn Donovan, No. 3 women's basketball recruit, to join Duke Blue Devils

Guard Jadyn Donovan, the No. 3 women's basketball recruit in the 2023 espnW 100, announced her commitment to Duke over Notre Dame on Monday.

«I chose Duke for a number of reasons, most notably that Duke academics is second to none and I want to use my degree to take me as far as I can go because the ball stops bouncing one day,» Donovan told ESPN. «It is also close to home and my family.»

Donovan is the highest-rated player to commit to the Blue Devils since head coach Kara Lawson took over the helm.

«My top two schools were the best options for me,» said Donovan, who also strongly considered North Carolina, Arizona, UCLA and Tennessee. "[Notre Dame] Coach [Niele] Ivey and Coach Lawson both played in the WNBA and had NBA experience.… I want to pursue a degree in communication and journalism, and coach Lawson has a lot of experience and background in that. I also want to continue to be involved in USA Basketball, and she has ties into that as well."

Donovan has been a highly ranked player since she stepped onto the floor at Sidwell Friends School (D.C.). She burst onto the scene at the She Got Game Classic in December 2019 with her speed and leaping ability.

Over the years, she developed a pull-up jumper and an array of finishing moves at the rim, and she has started to show she can be a threat from the 3-point line as well. Donovan has become a good passer who creates for her teammates and she also moves well without the ball with a strong understanding of when to cut and how to play out of actions by making the right reads.

As a junior, Donovan played alongside top-100 recruits like UCLA commit Kiki Rice (No. 2 in 2022), Khia Miller (No. 82 in 2023), Kendall Dudley (No. 4 in 2024) and Leah Harmon (No. 35 in 2024),