Rutgers women’s basketball has landed its first commit of the Gary Redus II era, as four-star guard Chikae Desdunes has committed to the school, according to Talia Goodman of On3/Rivals. Chikae originally committed to Penn State in October of last year, but ultimately decided to reopen her recruitment in March before committing to the Scarlet Knights a week later. Desdunes is ranked as the No.57 prospect in the nation by the 247sports composite.
Desdunes had several power schools interested in her,
even before she committed to Penn State. Auburn, Baylor, Michigan State, Purdue, and West Virginia were among the schools looking to gain favor with the guard from Daytona Beach, Florida.
Desdunes stood out as a shooter at DME Academy in New Orleans last season. Last season, she shot 42% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc. She also earned a reputation as a three-level scorer during her time in the Nike EYBL last summer.
When making her decision to play for DME Academy last season, Desdunes spoke to Rivals and made it clear that one of her biggest deciding factors was her relationship with the coaches.
“The biggest thing is my relationship with the coaches. I want a family environment. I’m also looking at coaching staffs that have been together for a while, so that when they say family, I know it’s real, because they’ve been together.”
During his opening press conference, Redus, who was known as one of the best recruiters in the country during his time at LSU, spoke a lot about developing the proper relationships with athletes.
“I think that in the NIL era, yes, like a lot of the kids are concerned about NIL, but they’re still concerned about relationships. Relationships are still really important, and that’s what I plan on doing.”
“I try to approach recruiting, coaching, mentoring, all of those things the same way. I want to get to know you while you get to know me. I think it’s very simple to form a bond and form a relationship when it’s coming natural.”
By landing a highly regarded prospect as his first recruit, Redus has made a strong first step in his effort to rebuild the program. The hope is that he can keep this recruiting momentum going throughout the rest of his first class.
