Nebraska Women’s Basketball Signs Highly Ranked 2021 Recruiting Class

Nebraska received National Letters of Intent from five players today to form a class ranked #21 nationally by ESPN.

The news is very welcomed as the Huskers lost eight players this past offseason to graduation (starters Hannah Whitish and Nicea Eliely and reserves Grace Mitchell and Kristian Hudson), transfer (three players with significant starting experience - Ashtyn Verbeek, Leigha Brown, the 2020 B1G Sixth Player of the Year, and Kayla Mershon) and medical retirement (another player with significant starting experience, Taylor Kissinger).

For this season, Nebraska brought in four transfers and a three-player freshman class.

From the athletic department:

Nebraska’s impressive 2021 group includes two players ranked among the top 100 in the ESPN individual rankings, led by the versatile Kendall Coley (No. 49) and Nebraska high school standout Allison Weidner (No. 80) at the national level. Lincoln native Alexis Markowski, who will contend with Weidner for Nebraska’s state high school player-of-the-year award in 2021, Illinois prep star Kendall Moriarity and Tatiana Popa fortify a strong five-player class. Four members of the Husker class have been ranked among the top 100 in the country by at least one ranking service, and all five have been mentioned among the top 275.

Kendall Coley, 6-2, Forward/Guard, Minneapolis, Minnesota (St. Louis Park)

• No. 36 Player in the Nation (All-Star Girls Report, 2021)
• No. 39 Player in the Nation (Prospects Nation, 2021)
• No. 49 Player in the Nation (ESPN, 2021)
• No. 52 Player in the Nation (Blue Star, 2021)
• No. 9 Wing in the Nation (ESPN, 2021)
• All-Minnesota (Honorable Mention, 2020)
• All-Metro West Conference (2020)

Coley, who committed to Nebraska in April of 2020, averaged 15.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists as a junior at St. Louis Park High School.

Alexis Markowski, 6-3, Center/Forward, Lincoln, Nebraska (Lincoln Pius X)

• No. 76 Player in the Nation (World Exposure, 2021)
• All-Nebraska (First Team, 2020, Omaha World-Herald)
• Nebraska Super-State (First Team, 2020; Third Team, 2019, Lincoln Journal Star)
• Nebraska Class A All-State (Captain, 2020)
• Nebraska Class A All-Tournament Team (2019, 2020)

Alexis Markowski joins Allison Weidner as the top high school players in the state of Nebraska in 2021. Markowski, who was a first-team All-Nebraska and Super-State center while leading Lincoln Pius X to the 2020 Class A state title, set school single-season records for points (560) and rebounds (315) before being named the honorary captain of the Class A All-State team. The 6-3 Markowski also tied the Class A tournament scoring record with 80 points over three games, matching Nebraska Athletics Hall of Famer Maurtice Ivy’s record.

Kendall Moriarity, Guard, Wheaton, Illinois (Benet Academy)

• U.S. U16 National Team Trials Participant (2019)
• No. 74 Player in the Nation (Prospects Nation, 2021)
• No. 100 Player in the Nation (All-Star Girls Report, 2021)
• No. 100 Player in the Nation (Prep Girls Hoops, 2021)
• Illinois Class 4A All-State (Second Team, 2020)

The first commit to Nebraska’s top-25 recruiting class, Kendall Moriarity announced her decision in November of 2019. The 6-1 Moriarity hit 43.1 percent of her three-pointers while also leading Benet Academy in steals and deflections as a junior 2019-20. She led her high school team to a No. 1 ranking in Illinois and a No. 23 team rank nationally at one point as a junior. In 2019, Moriarity was invited to the USA 16U National Team trials, advancing to the top 68.

Tatiana Popa, 6-5, Center/Forward, Parkersburg, West Virginia (Brewster Academy)

• No. 263 Player in the Nation (All-Star Girls Report, 2021)

Tatiana Popa comes to Nebraska as a four-star recruit before entering her senior season at Brewster Academy. She closed her junior year at Parkersburg High School in West Virginia. She previously played at IMG Academy and Montverde Academy (2018-19) in Florida. Popa’s father, Constantin, was a second-round NBA Draft choice of the Los Angeles Clippers in 1995 after playing basketball collegiately at the University of Miami. He is a member of the Miami Sports Hall of Fame, and played professionally overseas in Israel.

Allison Weidner, 5-10, Guard, Humphrey, Nebraska (Humphrey St. Francis)

• No. 80 Player in the Nation (ESPN, 2021)
• No. 32 Guard in the Nation (ESPN, 2021)
• Nebraska Super-State (First Team, Lincoln Journal Star, 2020)
• All-Nebraska (First Team, Omaha World-Herald, 2020)
• Nebraska Class D2 Basketball All-State (2018, 2019-Captain, 2020-Captain)
• Nebraska Class D2 Basketball All-Tournament (2018, 2020)
• Nebraska Class D2 Volleyball All-State (First Team, 2019; Honorable Mention, 2018)
• Five-Time Nebraska State Track & Field Gold Medalist

Allison Weidner joins Alexis Markowski as two of the top basketball players the state of Nebraska has produced in recent years. One of the top multi-sport athletes the state has produced, Weidner led the Cornhusker State in both assists and steals as a sophomore in 2018-19. As a junior, she averaged 25.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists and a whopping 7.3 steals per game to power St. Francis to a Class D2 state runner-up finish.