Baylor WBB Officially Inks Five-Star Dauda for 2021-22 Season

WACO, Texas – No shortage of strong post players has come through Head Coach Kim Mulkey’s program at Baylor since her arrival in 2000, and Wednesday the Lady Bears added another highly touted prospect with Maryam Dauda signing her National Letter of Intent.

Dauda, a 6-4 post from Bentonville, Ark., ranked No. 13 overall and No. 1 among posts in the 2021 signing class by ESPN, made her decision official on National Signing Day after a verbal commitment in the spring.

“Maryam brings a strong skill set with her to Baylor that will undoubtedly continue the tradition of elite post play in our program. Offensively, she has an impressive inside-out post game with the ability to establish control on the block, while also stepping out to stretch the floor with a 15-foot jump shot,” said Mulkey. “Her mobility and athleticism allow her to be aggressive and dominate the boards on both ends of the floor. Not only is Maryam an incredible student-athlete, but she is going to be an absolute joy to coach. We can’t wait to get her to Waco.”

Dauda competes for Bentonville High School in Arkansas, where she averaged 16.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per contest in 28 games as a junior in 2019-20. She was a AAA All-State selection, and like most, Dauda and her teammates’ playoff run was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic before the state tournament could conclude.

Tuesday, Dauda was named as one of 50 high school players up for the Naismith High School Player of the Year Trophy for the 2020-21 season.

Dauda said that her connection with the Lady Bears’ staff is what pushed her over the top to make the decision to attend Baylor.

“I chose Baylor because I know it will be a great fit for me and Coach Mulkey will challenge me on and off of the court. My relationship with the coaching staff always stuck out to me during the recruiting process,” said Dauda. “The conversations weren’t always about basketball, and I can tell they truly care about me as a person. During my home visit, Coach Mulkey clicked with my family right away, and it really meant a lot to me. Baylor is my new home away from home, and I can’t wait to get down to Waco to compete for championships.”

Dauda came to the U.S. entering into her sixth-grade year after growing up in Nigeria. She had not played basketball until coming to America.