BYU commit Amari Whiting with her AAU team, Natalie Williams Basketball Academy, during a game over the summer of 2022. (Courtesy, Whiting family)
Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
PROVO — She wasn’t with the team for long, but she already made an impact on her teammates and coaches.
Four-star guard Amari Whiting sat at a table in Timpview High’s library during a signing day ceremony Thursday night in her first-year high school, a few months after leading Burley High to the 4A Idaho state title and her mom Amber took the head coach job at BYU, thrusting chaos into her personal life before her senior season.
A few months after moving to Provo, Whiting tore her ACL, ending her senior season before it began. A former Oregon commit, Whiting now plans to enroll at BYU in January, where she will rehab and recover in time to lead the Cougars into their first season in the Big 12 in 2023-24.
And every step of the way, another former BYU guard will be watching, waiting and providing any support necessary.
“I feel like I’ve known you forever,” Timpview coach Haley Steed told the younger Whiting before a crowd of over a hundred Thunderbird peers, students, faculty and parents Thursday night.”She won’t be on the court for us this year, but she’s still part of our T-bird family forever.”
Whiting, the No. 33-rated recruit in the Class of 2023 by ESPN, is the cornerstone of a four-player signing day class that represents Whiting’s first and the first of the Big 12 era at BYU. But group headlined by more than the Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year has the potential to transform the Cougars’ program and culture.
“I’m really excited about the 2023 class,” BYU coach Amber Whiting said. “These ladies are special. They are high-character kids that play the game because they love it. They each have that defense-first mentality and aren’t afraid to work hard. Individually, they bring something that complements each other.”
BYU women’s basketball signed its first class of the Big 12 era, including four-star guard Amari Whiting, Nevada Player of the Year Ali’a Matavao, Utah 6A Player of the Year Kailey Woolston, and Marina Mata from Spain. (Photo: Photos via BYU Athletics)
The class also includes Ali’a Matavao, the 6-foot forward from Liberty High in Henderson, Nevada who was named Gatorade Nevada Player of the Year as a junior and averaged nearly a double-double of 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds. A teammate of Whiting with the Natalie Williams Basketball Academy on the Adidas 3 Stripes Select circuit, Matavao’s offense is matched only by her defense, averaging 3.1 steals per game in addition to her work on the defensive glass.
“We call ourselves ‘the duo’ because we just had fun and took dubs together,” Amari Whiting said of Matavao. “Through the summer, we were able to bond. It’s easier to play with someone who you love off-the-court. I think this summer was perfect for us, and the next four years will be easier because we have that chemistry, we know how we play, and we cherish it forever.”
In addition to the top players in Idaho and Nevada, the Cougars also added the top scorer in Utah’s 6A classification last year. Kailey Woolston has grown up a BYU fan at nearby Lone Peak, and the 5-foot-10 guard committed to the Cougars after leading the Knights to a 23-0 season with 19.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game en route to Deseret News 6A MVP honors.
Woolston played against Whiting in the summer circuit, and the two guards can’t wait to (finally) play together after facing off in an 8-point win for the Knights.
“Kailey can shoot the lights out of the ball,” Amari Whiting said. “She’s super skilled and crafty, and I’m so excited to play with her.
“I remember after we played, and once she finally committed, I thought, ‘thank heavens I don’t have to play against her again.’ I could not have to guard her 24/7 with the shots she makes in everyone’s face. I’m glad she’s on my team.”
The final piece of the group is Marina Mata, an underrated 6-foot-2 forward from Barbastro, Spain who averaged 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game a year ago for Segle XXI.
“I think our class is really good,” Amari Whiting said. “A lot of them haven’t been recruited a ton … but I feel like we’ve gotten a lot of girls who are good girls and fit the culture, but also are phenomenal basketball players.”
Women’s volleyball
The 18th-ranked Cougars added six players to the 2023 class “love the challenge of being a part of our first Big 12 class as our program ushers in new teams, places and experiences,” head coach Heather Olmstead said.
The group is highlighted by a pair of big outside hitters from California in 6-foot-2 Addison Benson of Newbury Park and 6-3 Claire Little from Vista Murrieta, an AAU 18-U All-American team member in 2022 and No. 24 overall recruit by Prep Volleyball; and Brielle Kemavor, a 6-foot-5 middle blocker from Bristow, Virginia who was named MaxPreps’ best player in Virginia in 2022.
Timpview setter Silina Damuni is one of three local standouts who will matriculate to Olmstead’s program. The 5-foot-9 two-time state champion was the 2020 5A MVP by the Deseret News and broke the Utah state record for assists in the Thunderbirds’ most recent run to the 2022 state title.
“BYU is most definitely my dream school,” said Damuni, whose father Jack works for head football coach Kalani Sitake and older brother Raider signed with the Cougars before serving a church mission in California. “Ever since I was a little girl, BYU has always been where I wanted to be.
“BYU is a really competitive program, but it also felt like home. On my other visits, I didn’t get that same feeling. It felt like home at Timpview, too.”
Mountain View middle blocker Mia Lee, a three-time 5A state runner-up and Prep Volleyball top-150 player, will be joined by Bruins teammate and libero Brielle Miller, who is also a three-time Utah state beach volleyball champion.
I would like to thank my Heavenly Father, my parents Coaches, teammates, and friends. I wouldn’t be here without you all. With that being said, I am committing to further my education and volleyball career to Brigham Young University @BYUwvolleyball#commited
Go Cougs! pic.twitter.com/32s2tYR4Rc
— Silina Damuni (@DamuniSilina) September 30, 2021
Women’s soccer
Jennifer Rockwood’s top-tier program that will open its 22nd NCAA Tournament against crosstown rival Utah Valley on Friday (6 pm MT, ESPN+), added four new signees that will arrive at BYU only a year after graduating just one senior.
The group is highlighted by Provo product Ellie Ford, the 5-foot-8 winger from Timpview who was a four-time UYSA State Cup champion with Utah Celtic, in addition to:
- Tylie Pratt, DF, Highland HS (Gilbert, Ariz.)
- Ella Rustand, DF, Sabino HS (Tucson, Ariz.)
- Halle Dixon, MF/F, Carlsbad HS (Carlsbad, Calif.)
“The opportunity we have to sign these four student-athletes is amazing,” Rockwood said. “They all come so prepared for playing at the next level and will add a tremendous amount of energy and athleticism for our team. Each one has the ability and versatility to impact our team in the near future. I can’t wait to get them on-campus.”
Men’s tennis
The Cougars added five-star tennis recruit Caden Hasler in the Class of 2023 when the 6-foot-2 right-hander from American Fork High School signed his national letter of intent.
A two-time doubles national champion, the No. 24 overall recruit nationally by the US Tennis Association is the top recruit in Utah and the intermountain region. Hasler, who won an individual and team state title with the Cavemen, is the fifth five-star recruit to join the program in the last four classes, joining Brighton’s Hardy Owen in 2022 and Dominik Jakovljevic, Alex Lin and Redd Owen on the current roster .
Like Owen, Hasler plans to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and will join the Cougars in 2025.
“We are thrilled to have Caden Hasler join the Cougars as we head into the Big 12 next fall,” BYU coach Dave Porter said of Hasler, the son of BYU women’s tennis coach Holly Hasler. “We are excited to have him impact our team over the next several years.”
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A proud graduate of Syracuse University, Sean Walker has covered BYU for KSL.com since 2015, while also mixing in prep sports, education, and anything else his editors assign him to do.
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