Maya Dodson, a 6-foot-3 wing and the No. 11 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100, has given a verbal commitment to Stanford.
"I met Condoleezza Rice while on my visit and she told me, 'Don't be a unicorn,' " Dodson said of the former secretary of state who teaches at Stanford. "That statement really stuck with me. She told me to not only excel at one thing, but excel in other areas. Stanford gives you that opportunity."
There's no doubt that Dodson already excels in the area of basketball. She has won back-to-back state titles at St. Francis (Alpharetta, Georgia). As a junior, she averaged 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks per game while sharing the spotlight with teammate Kasiyahna Kushkituah, who has committed to Tennessee. Dodson was named Georgia's Class A player of the year.
Then, over the summer, Dodson won a bronze medal with Team USA at the FIBA U17 world championships in Zaragoza, Spain. Dodson started all seven games and averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds.
Dodson chose Stanford over Tennessee and Notre Dame. She is the fourth member of coach Tara VanDerveer's 2017 class. The Cardinal also have verbal commitments from Kiana Williams, a 5-7 point guard from Wagner (San Antonio, Texas) and the No. 8 prospect in the nation; Estella Moschkau, a 6-2 wing out of Wisconsin ranked 44th; and Alyssa Jerome, a three-star prospect from Canada.
"I had a wonderful visit at Stanford and visited during the same time that the three others that committed as well," said Dodson, who plans to major in either engineering or computer science. "They told me they were waiting on me. There is so much there to offer, and I look forward to it.
"Of course I look forward to being coached and developed by Tara VanDerveer and her staff."
The NCAA's early signing period is Nov. 9-16.