Ole Miss commit takes her A'ja Wilson-inspired game into her final year at Heathwood Hall

COLUMBIA Those who have been tracking her since her first varsity season won't be surprised that Lauren Jacobs committed to an SEC school to play basketball.

What's more impressive, though, is how much her most recent season resembles the dominance of A'ja Wilson's time at Heathwood Hall.

The commitment comes on the heels of her jaw-dropping junior campaign, a season that saw her dominate defenses week after week.

The point guard averaged 31.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 4.2 SPG, en route to back-to-back state championships .

The 2023-24 season, and the video game numbers that came with it, rose her recruitment stock immensely, as the four star recruit now sits as the No.1 point guard in the Palmetto State.

Additionally, she is a top 100 player in the country (No.

89), according to the espnW HoopGurlz rankings .

Hammond tight end attempts to follow uncle's footsteps Despite the dominant season, Jacobs remains focused going into her senior year.

The goals are to win another championship and build her game even more.

"I've been focusing on trying to be more consistent with my game and more efficient with my shooting and my stats because I know we still have the opportunity to win the state championship, but there's always room to improve," Jacobs said.

On Sept.

14, Lauren Jacobs made her anticipated verbal commitment to Ole Miss.

She chose the Rebels over the rest of her top 10 , including Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks.

While Coach Staley did send an offer her way, Jacobs never officially visited South Carolina.

She has watched some of their practices and games, but the recruitment push from USC didn't go much further than that.

The move is a swerve from A'ja Wilson, Heathwood legend and eventual USC alum.

But the similarities between Jacobs and Wilson's play remain.

As a junior forward, Wilson averaged 27.4 PPG, 13.5 RPG and 3.0 SPG.

A force to be reckoned with, she dominated on both sides of the ball.

Now a three-time MVP with the Las Vegas Aces, Wilson had an even better senior campaign at Heathwood, where she averaged 34.4 PPG.

Father-daughter dance: Camden duo aim for 3-peat Jacobs, going into her last year, is looking to stamp her Heathwood legacy before heading to Oxford, Mississippi; her preps career having demonstrated similar output to Wilson's, with a projection of continued mirroring results.

Jacobs and the Aces star have met on multiple occasions through Wilson's Palmetto 76ers / A'ja Wilson Elite AAU travel team.

She also made a surprise appearance at one of Heathwood's games.

"I've met her quite a few times, she came here to do a camp for a few years ...

so I went to that," Jacobs said.

"Then, she came to our state championship game two years ago.

"We didn't even know she was coming, but she ended up showing up, and she was able to talk to us (about) the game and how we played ...

so that was really cool." Jerome Dickerson, the trainer for the girls varsity team and father of Heathwood head coach Brionna Zimmerman, has trained Jacobs since she started playing basketball.

He still shares the techniques he trained a young A'ja Wilson with to the team, which helps players like Jacobs excel.

"You get the best of both worlds, he pours stuff into you and he poured stuff into A'ja," Jacobs said.

"So it's just like, 'Oh, the same guy that trained A'ja Wilson is training me.'" While they play different positions, Jacobs still models her game around Wilson, believing A'ja still shows point guard tendencies.

"Her game is an all around game, and it's very well developed and fundamental, but she can also get cracky with it," Jacobs said.

"(It's) really good (to) shape my game around hers, (as) an inspiration." Jacobs's stellar play makes sense, since basketball has always been in her blood.

Her mother played basketball in college, and then continued her career overseas.

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Just four years later, she would get her first college offer from Furman.

The Heathwood star was always motivated to play basketball, but the Furman offer kicked her drive to another gear.

The point guard described her Furman offer as an eye-opening moment, and a realization of how good she could actually be.

"That's when I was, like, 'I can take this more seriously', because at that time I was playing volleyball and basketball, (and) really enjoyed basketball a lot," Jacobs said.

"It felt good, it made me realize how good I am, but how I still have to work to be better to keep that offer," Jacobs said.

"I continue to get better, and I found more confidence (in) myself after that." That newfound confidence elevated her game to grand heights, leading to a new wave of collegiate offers.

She has risen her scoring from 6.3 PPG (8th grade season at Cardinal Newman), to 31.5 PPG at Heathwood Hall.

Before her Ole Miss decision, Jacobs had received collegiate offers from over 25 different schools, 11 of them Power 5 programs.

London to Columbia: High school star on his journey to Vols commitment Even though Lauren Jacobs is heading out of the Palmetto State, there is a plethora of Midland raised talent in women's basketball that will be represented in the SEC.

A good example is Joyce Edwards, one of the newest Gamecocks .

Edwards was the standout forward from Camden High, and the leader of the team for many years.

In her career with the Bulldogs, she averaged 24.5 PPG and 12.4 RPG.

The two high-level players were able to face off in a must-see matchup last season when Heathwood visited Camden last November.

Edwards scored 37 points while Jacobs scored 34 of her own, and Camden cruised to a 93-61 win.

Since both players will be at SEC programs come 2025, they will face each other again during conference play.

Jacobs spoke on the representation of the state at the college level.

"That speaks very well for our state and our city, having people who are coming out of our state that's playing the game of basketball at a high level," Jacobs said.

"We'll be looking back like, 'Oh, we just played each other in high school.'" After her graduation from Heathwood Hall, Jacobs will travel eight hours west to Oxford, Mississippi to play basketball.

Ole Miss, though, has offered Jacobs comfort before her move.

"On my official visit, I was able to go to the square, and everything was really nice," she said.

"I really enjoyed the campus, and the people there are great." When she transitions from a Highlander to a Rebel, Jacobs will enter a rising women's basketball program.

Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, or Coach Yo for short, goes into her seventh season having turned Mississippi into a consistent NCAA Tournament team.

The Rebels have participated in March Madness for the past three seasons.

In 2023, Ole Miss upset top-seeded Stanford to secure an improbable Sweet 16 berth.

Mississippi was the first Power 5 school to send an offer Jacobs's way, and now she has a chance to be the face of the women's basketball program there.

"Me, Coach Yo and her staff (have) been building a relationship for over two years now, so her vision for me and for her program was very inspiring," Jacobs said.

"And then the stuff that she's done for Ole Miss and their program since she's been there has been great.

"I feel like they're going to grow.".

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