 Blakes with Vanderbilt in 2025 | |
| No. 1–Vanderbilt Commodores | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| League | Southeastern Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 29, 2005 |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Rutgers Prep (Somerset, New Jersey) |
| College | Vanderbilt (2024–present) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Mikayla Blakes (born December 29, 2005) is an American college basketball player for the Vanderbilt Commodores of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Blakes played basketball for Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset, New Jersey. She helped her team reach three straight New Jersey Non-Public B state finals, winning the title as a sophomore, and was twice named Courier News Player of the Year. [1] In her senior season, Blakes was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game. [2] Rated a five-star recruit and the number 8 player in her class by ESPN, [3] she committed to play college basketball for Vanderbilt over offers from Indiana, Rutgers, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA, and Wisconsin. [4]
On January 2, 2025, Blakes scored 36 points in a 108–82 victory over Georgia, setting a new Vanderbilt single-game record for points by a freshman. [5] On January 19, she scored 23 points and made the game-winning shot in a 71–70 win over Tennessee. [6] On January 30, Blakes set single-game scoring records for both the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Vanderbilt, with 53 points in a 99–86 victory over Florida. She had the most points in a game by an NCAA Division I freshman since Elena Delle Donne of Delaware in 2010. [7] On February 16, Blakes broke the Division I freshman single-game scoring record, previously held by Delle Donne, with 55 points in a 98–88 overtime win over Auburn. She shot 23-of-24 from the free throw line and led a 15-point comeback. [8]
Blakes' father, Monroe, played college basketball for Saint Michael's in the NCAA Division II and was inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame. Her older brother, Jaylen, played college basketball for Duke before transferring to Stanford. [9]