Local top 25 recruit Jaliya Davis commits to Kansas women’s basketball

On Tuesday, Kansas women’s basketball landed a commitment from one of the most talented high school recruits in program history.

Jaliya Davis, who currently plays at Blue Valley North High School in nearby Overland Park, committed to play for Kansas during a ceremony at the high school on Tuesday afternoon.

Davis is a consensus five-star recruit according to every major recruiting site. The 6-foot-2 small forward is listed as the No. 17 player overall on ESPN and chose KU over offers from some of the best women’s college basketball programs in the country – including Baylor, Texas, Oklahoma and the reigning national champion and current No. 1 team in the country, South Carolina.

Davis is ranked even higher than current KU sophomore phenom S’mya Nichols – also a former local Kansas high school recruit – who was rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 34 player in the country in the 2023 class.

With Nichols and Davis potentially paired up together next year, KU could have one of the top duos in the Big 12.

Davis’ commitment is no doubt a huge win for head coach Brandon Schneider and his staff. Not only did KU win a recruiting battle over some of the best programs in the country, they were also able to retain another top in-state talent – proving that Nichols wasn’t a one-time win for this program and offering encouragement for local recruiting moving forward.

Davis is the third player to commit to KU in the 2025 class along with guard Libby Fandel from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and forward Tatyonna Brown from Colorado Springs, Colorado.