Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Countdown to Craziness on October 3, 2025 at 7 p.m.
/
7 p.m.
Women's Basketball
vs Countdown to Craziness
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Lawson Adds Three in Early Signing Period
11/10/2021 2:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM – Duke University women's basketball head coach Kara Lawson announced the signing of three standout recruits in the early signing period on Wednesday. Joining the Blue Devils for the 2022-23 campaign will be Shay Bollin of Raynham, Mass., Ashlon Jackson of China, Texas and Emma Koabel of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada.
The class features two players ranked in the top-30 of the class of 2022 -- Jackson (9) and Bollin (26) -- and one of the top Canadian players in her class (Koabel).
A look at the signees –
Shay Bollin
6-3 l Forward l Raynham, Mass.
Bridgewater – Raynham Regional H.S.
• Ranked as high as No. 26 overall in the class of 2022
• All-Southeast Conference First Team (2020)
• Boston Globe Super Team, Boston Herald Dream Team, Brockton Enterprise & Taunton Daily Gazette All-Scholastic (2020)
• Three-time Captain at Bridgewater – Raynham Regional H.S. (2022, 2021, 2020)
• Averaged 18.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.5 blocks and 2.2 steals as a sophomore
• USA Basketball U18 3x3 Invitational (2019)
• Averaged 16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 2.3 blocks as a freshman
• Boo Williams Nike Invitational Champion (2019, 2018)
• Old Colony League Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference (2019)
Lawson on Bollin:
"The best thing I can say about Shay Bollin is that she just oozes Duke. She grew up wanting to play here. She grew up wanting to be a part of this school. She loves it here. She's been on our campus many times. She's a Blue Devil through and through. When you look at how she plays, she's a perfect fit for how we want to play. At her size, the way she shoots the ball — she's one of the best shooters in this class — the competitiveness that she plays with, how talkative she is on the court, that's all huge for us. We love our players talking on offense and defense, communicating with one another. I think every coach likes that and Shay brings that. She also has great versatility as well. She's somebody that's comfortable with the ball in her hands, she's comfortable setting screens for her teammates, she's comfortable in transition and she's comfortable in the half court. Shay has a big personality and I think Blue Devil fans are going to fall in love with how she plays."
Ashlon Jackson
6-0 l Guard l China, Texas
Hardin-Jefferson H.S.
• Ranked as high as No. 9 overall in the class of 2022
• Super Gold Player of the Year (2021)
• SETCA Player of the Year (2021)
• 22-4A District MVP (2021)
• Averaged 22.6 points, 5.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 steals and 1.3 blocks as a junior
• Three-time All-Region and All-State honoree (2021, 2020, 2019)
• Regional MVP and 22-4A District Newcomer of the Year (2019)
Lawson on Jackson:
"The first thing that stands out to me about Ashlon Jackson is she plays the game with such joy. She loves to compete and she loves being a part of a team. That competitiveness and team-oriented style is what drew me to her. Ashlon loves people, she loves her teammates. She is somebody that makes people around her better. That's why we wanted her here. She can do everything on the court — she's a versatile guard. She can defend, she can pass, she can score. She's somebody that brings toughness to the game. We really feel like she is one of the most complete guards in this class. We can't wait to get Ashlon to Durham."
Emma Koabel
5-11 l Guard l Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada
Niagara Prep
• Ranked as high as No. 79 overall in the class of 2022
• Member of U19 Canadian National Team (2021)
• Currently averaging 23.4 points, 4.3 assists, 3.8 steals as a senior at Niagara Prep
• Juel Prep League Champion (2019)
• Juel Prep League First Team All-Star & All-Defensive Team (2019)
• Canadian Junior NBA Champion – Tournament MVP (2018)
• World Junior NBA Semifinalist (2018)
• No high school games as a junior at Niagara Prep
• Averaged 13.7 points, 2.1 assists, 4.1 steals as a sophomore at Niagara Prep
Lawson on Koabel:
"Emma is always going to hold a special place in my heart, because she was the first player to commit to me as a head coach here at Duke. We have a great relationship and we connected really early in the process. We see the game and the skills needed for a guard to be successful, similarly. She is someone who can make plays, she's someone who can score, she's someone who can defend. She just brings the versatility that we talk about a lot — it's something that we value highly here. I think she will be a great fit in the Duke community and I think she will be a great fit with our team. I'm really excited to have her come to Duke."
"Emma has a lot of international experience playing for Team Canada. That's something I hope she'll continue to have the opportunity to do. I think players that play internationally have great experience and have faced really tough teams from other countries and hopefully those opportunities will help her game continue to grow."
#GoDuke
The class features two players ranked in the top-30 of the class of 2022 -- Jackson (9) and Bollin (26) -- and one of the top Canadian players in her class (Koabel).
A look at the signees –
Shay Bollin
6-3 l Forward l Raynham, Mass.
Bridgewater – Raynham Regional H.S.
• Ranked as high as No. 26 overall in the class of 2022
• All-Southeast Conference First Team (2020)
• Boston Globe Super Team, Boston Herald Dream Team, Brockton Enterprise & Taunton Daily Gazette All-Scholastic (2020)
• Three-time Captain at Bridgewater – Raynham Regional H.S. (2022, 2021, 2020)
• Averaged 18.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.5 blocks and 2.2 steals as a sophomore
• USA Basketball U18 3x3 Invitational (2019)
• Averaged 16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 2.3 blocks as a freshman
• Boo Williams Nike Invitational Champion (2019, 2018)
• Old Colony League Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference (2019)
Lawson on Bollin:
"The best thing I can say about Shay Bollin is that she just oozes Duke. She grew up wanting to play here. She grew up wanting to be a part of this school. She loves it here. She's been on our campus many times. She's a Blue Devil through and through. When you look at how she plays, she's a perfect fit for how we want to play. At her size, the way she shoots the ball — she's one of the best shooters in this class — the competitiveness that she plays with, how talkative she is on the court, that's all huge for us. We love our players talking on offense and defense, communicating with one another. I think every coach likes that and Shay brings that. She also has great versatility as well. She's somebody that's comfortable with the ball in her hands, she's comfortable setting screens for her teammates, she's comfortable in transition and she's comfortable in the half court. Shay has a big personality and I think Blue Devil fans are going to fall in love with how she plays."
Ashlon Jackson
6-0 l Guard l China, Texas
Hardin-Jefferson H.S.
• Ranked as high as No. 9 overall in the class of 2022
• Super Gold Player of the Year (2021)
• SETCA Player of the Year (2021)
• 22-4A District MVP (2021)
• Averaged 22.6 points, 5.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 steals and 1.3 blocks as a junior
• Three-time All-Region and All-State honoree (2021, 2020, 2019)
• Regional MVP and 22-4A District Newcomer of the Year (2019)
Lawson on Jackson:
"The first thing that stands out to me about Ashlon Jackson is she plays the game with such joy. She loves to compete and she loves being a part of a team. That competitiveness and team-oriented style is what drew me to her. Ashlon loves people, she loves her teammates. She is somebody that makes people around her better. That's why we wanted her here. She can do everything on the court — she's a versatile guard. She can defend, she can pass, she can score. She's somebody that brings toughness to the game. We really feel like she is one of the most complete guards in this class. We can't wait to get Ashlon to Durham."
Emma Koabel
5-11 l Guard l Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada
Niagara Prep
• Ranked as high as No. 79 overall in the class of 2022
• Member of U19 Canadian National Team (2021)
• Currently averaging 23.4 points, 4.3 assists, 3.8 steals as a senior at Niagara Prep
• Juel Prep League Champion (2019)
• Juel Prep League First Team All-Star & All-Defensive Team (2019)
• Canadian Junior NBA Champion – Tournament MVP (2018)
• World Junior NBA Semifinalist (2018)
• No high school games as a junior at Niagara Prep
• Averaged 13.7 points, 2.1 assists, 4.1 steals as a sophomore at Niagara Prep
Lawson on Koabel:
"Emma is always going to hold a special place in my heart, because she was the first player to commit to me as a head coach here at Duke. We have a great relationship and we connected really early in the process. We see the game and the skills needed for a guard to be successful, similarly. She is someone who can make plays, she's someone who can score, she's someone who can defend. She just brings the versatility that we talk about a lot — it's something that we value highly here. I think she will be a great fit in the Duke community and I think she will be a great fit with our team. I'm really excited to have her come to Duke."
"Emma has a lot of international experience playing for Team Canada. That's something I hope she'll continue to have the opportunity to do. I think players that play internationally have great experience and have faced really tough teams from other countries and hopefully those opportunities will help her game continue to grow."
#GoDuke
Women's Basketball Season Ticket Holder Tailgate
Sunday, September 07
Duke WBB: Kara Lawson - 13 Gold Medals. One Standard
Thursday, August 14
Duke WBB Postgame: NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
Sunday, March 30
Duke WBB Postgame: NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
Friday, March 28
