Baylor WBB’s Signs Top-10 National Prospect, Oliver for Class of 2019

Welcome, Jordyn!

The story behind how Jordyn Oliver fell in love and signed with Baylor

"Jordyn Oliver had a Texas backpack, a Longhorns shirt and pictures from her time at a Texas basketball camp, to name a few items. She would've been interested in playing college basketball there, too.

"But they never came calling quick enough," Oliver said.

Instead, almost four years ago, Oliver fell in love with Baylor and head coach Kim Mulkey, a recruiter turned mother-figure for the talented guard. She committed soon after.

"It's been a long time," Oliver said. "Four years -- it felt like it has taken forever. It's still surreal. To finally sign that dotted line, it was good."

Being recruited created a new tradition for Oliver. In eighth grade, when she got her first offer from TCU, she took her old Texas belongings and put them in a bag. Eventually, she said she gifted them to Celeste Taylor, a 2019 recruiting prospect out of the Long Island, New York, area who signed with the Longhorns. Oliver didn't need them anymore.

She then replaced those items with TCU ones when she got her first scholarship. She had Horned frogs towels and socks, among other things. She was excited about the possibility of playing at TCU, but AJ Alix, a guard on the Horned frogs who eventually finished her career at Florida State, told her to keep her options open and take her time because bigger things were on their way.

"I never thought it would get as big as Baylor," Oliver said.

Specifically, Oliver remembers the conversations with coach Mulkey that stuck out from the other recruiters. Once, before a game, Mulkey and Oliver talked for 30 minutes. It was a genuine conversation, Oliver said, a stark difference from some of the other meetings she'd had with coaches.

"She was coaching me without even knowing if I was going to her school," Oliver recalled.

Oliver originally brushed it off -- something she said she usually does -- but then she kept thinking about the conversation. Mulkey, according to Oliver, was always honest with her, talking to her without the underlining need to do it because she wanted Oliver to play at Baylor.

Sometimes, Mulkey would call Oliver while she was gardening or relaxing by the pool, Oliver said. Each conversation was like talking to a mom instead of a recruiter after a commitment. That's why Oliver decided to commit to Baylor during her freshman year. She did it on Mother's Day -- a gift to her mother, Carmell, who always prioritized getting a free education, and a gift to coach Mulkey.

After she committed to Baylor, Oliver had to put her TCU gear in bags and give them off to someone else. She had no plans of de-committing."

Link for the entire article
https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/high-school/high-schools/2018/11/14/just-cant-wait-get-waco-prospers-jordyn-oliver-signs-baylor

slimecap said:

---

The story behind how Jordyn Oliver fell in love and signed with Baylor

"Jordyn Oliver had a Texas backpack, a Longhorns shirt and pictures from her time at a Texas basketball camp, to name a few items. She would've been interested in playing college basketball there, too.

"But they never came calling quick enough," Oliver said.

Instead, almost four years ago, Oliver fell in love with Baylor and head coach Kim Mulkey, a recruiter turned mother-figure for the talented guard. She committed soon after.

"It's been a long time," Oliver said. "Four years -- it felt like it has taken forever. It's still surreal. To finally sign that dotted line, it was good."

Being recruited created a new tradition for Oliver. In eighth grade, when she got her first offer from TCU, she took her old Texas belongings and put them in a bag. Eventually, she said she gifted them to Celeste Taylor, a 2019 recruiting prospect out of the Long Island, New York, area who signed with the Longhorns. Oliver didn't need them anymore.

She then replaced those items with TCU ones when she got her first scholarship. She had Horned frogs towels and socks, among other things. She was excited about the possibility of playing at TCU, but AJ Alix, a guard on the Horned frogs who eventually finished her career at Florida State, told her to keep her options open and take her time because bigger things were on their way.

"I never thought it would get as big as Baylor," Oliver said.

Specifically, Oliver remembers the conversations with coach Mulkey that stuck out from the other recruiters. Once, before a game, Mulkey and Oliver talked for 30 minutes. It was a genuine conversation, Oliver said, a stark difference from some of the other meetings she'd had with coaches.

"She was coaching me without even knowing if I was going to her school," Oliver recalled.

Oliver originally brushed it off -- something she said she usually does -- but then she kept thinking about the conversation. Mulkey, according to Oliver, was always honest with her, talking to her without the underlining need to do it because she wanted Oliver to play at Baylor.

Sometimes, Mulkey would call Oliver while she was gardening or relaxing by the pool, Oliver said. Each conversation was like talking to a mom instead of a recruiter after a commitment. That's why Oliver decided to commit to Baylor during her freshman year. She did it on Mother's Day -- a gift to her mother, Carmell, who always prioritized getting a free education, and a gift to coach Mulkey.

After she committed to Baylor, Oliver had to put her TCU gear in bags and give them off to someone else. She had no plans of de-committing."

Link for the entire article
https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/high-school/high-schools/2018/11/14/just-cant-wait-get-waco-prospers-jordyn-oliver-signs-baylor

---

After reading the article my conclusion, Baylor is getting a quality individual from a quality family that just happens to be a quality basketball player.