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Blue Devils Sign Four to 2024 Class
11/9/2023 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM – Duke women's basketball and head coach Kara Lawson unveiled its 2024 freshman class Thursday morning as the Blue Devils announced the signings of Louann Battiston, Jenessa Cotton, Toby Fournier and Arianna Roberson during the NCAA's early signing period.
Duke once again makes a splash on the recruiting trail as the Blue Devils land a top-10 prospect for the second consecutive year and their seventh top-30 prospect in the past three.
Battiston will enroll at Duke early and join the Blue Devils in January of 2024 to be on campus with the team. The trio of Cotton, Fournier and Roberson are slated to step foot in Durham later in 2024.
Toby Fournier | 6-2 | Forward | Toronto, Ontario | Crestwood Prep
Fournier, an agile five-star forward, checks in at No. 9 in the espnW 2024 class rankings. She is very aggressive, versatile and athletic with a great work ethic and brings energy to both ends of the floor. She can defend every position on the floor, has great tenacity when rebounding and dunks the ball with regularity in live competition.
Notables:
Lawson on Fournier – "Toby is one of the most dynamic players in the 2024 class. I've been watching her for a long time. She is very competitive. A lot of the discussion around Toby is her dunks and I understand why. She's an unbelievable athlete and she makes it look so easy. It's effortless. Her regular dunks are things people would only be able to do in practice and she's able to do them in-game. That's what separates her as a dunker – her in-game dunking and her ability to do it pretty much at any moment.
But Toby is so much more than dunking. She's a relentless rebounder. She's a really good defender who we feel like will really fit into our system and our schemes on defense. She's someone who attacks the paint. She's a great teammate and someone that's had all of these experiences already. She's had a ton of international experiences – from playing for Canada's age group teams to being in camp with their senior team. She's been with FIBA for a while and played in high-value games, games that matter, games for medals, games for elimination.
That [experience] intrigued me as much as the dunks did. We've built a really strong relationship with her. Recruiting her for as long as we did, we got to know her really well and built a great trust amongst each other about what her goals are and what she wants to achieve. I'm really looking forward to coaching her. Toby is somebody I think is going to just change the energy in our building every night when she runs out for warmups."
Fournier on 'Why Duke' – "I chose Duke because it's a great school, an amazing atmosphere and I immediately connected with the coaching staff who felt like family. I'm so excited to join The Sisterhood and play alongside so many talented women!"
Arianna Roberson | 6-4 | Center | San Antonio, Texas | Clark HS
Ari is a five-star center who checks in at No. 19 in the espnW Class of 2024 and No. 2 in the state of Texas. She comes from an extremely athletic family, with both parents and all six of her siblings playing collegiately.
Notables
Lawson on Roberson – "Ari was the center in this class I really, really wanted. I knew early on that she was one of the players who I really couldn't see myself not coaching. Really thankful she chose to play at Duke, and I get the chance to spend time with her daily for the next four years. We connected pretty early on the phone, and we have a lot of similarities in terms of independence and focus. There's a lot of things we had in common. We were able to connect deeply on a personal level and I'm glad she made the decision to come here.
Ari is everything you'd want in a player. She is a great teammate. She's someone who is improving rapidly. Watching her over the past year and a half, every time I saw her, she got better. As competition rose, she was able to match that level. There's a lot of upside to her. She's not even close to being the player that she's going to be. She's got tremendous size and length and athleticism. Her ability to protect the rim is something we are going to need.
Her versatility athletically is crucial. She can switch and guard smaller players. Offensively, over the last year she started to work on her three-point shot. I feel really good about what type of player she's going to be in the Duke uniform."
Roberson on 'Why Duke' – "I chose Duke because the three things that mattered most to me were coach, campus and culture. From my first visit here, I knew this is where I wanted to be. Coach Kara — she's amazing. I'm sure you guys all know that. But we have a special relationship. She's been recruiting me for a while now, and I felt a special bond with her. I trust her a lot. She trusts me. I love being around her. I love talking to her, being in her presence. It's just very consistent and it feels natural. So that's why I'm really excited to start playing for her."
Jenessa Cotton | 6-2 | Forward | Orange, Calif. | Mater Dei HS
Cotton, a four-star forward, is rated as a top-100 prospect by espnW. A powerfully-built versatile forward, she brings a strong, physical presence on the court and a smooth face-up game to the floor. Her best assets are her ability to score from beyond the arc and inside the paint against an opponent of any size.
Notables
Lawson on Cotton – "Jenessa came onto our radar later in the recruiting of the 2024 class this summer. She had a really good summer. The more that I watched her, the more our staff watched her over the course of the summer in April, May, June and July, the more she just kept getting better and better and better. We wanted to address frontcourt needs in this class. We're graduating a couple of really talented frontcourt players this year.
Jenessa's improvement throughout the summer was something that stood out. Her ability to play with other really good players, and then playing for a winning high school and AAU programs stood out as well. All of that added up to someone who we felt could really help our program and could really help our team on both ends of the floor."
Cotton on 'Why Duke' – "I chose Duke for a lot of reasons. I love the competitiveness the coaches and players bring on the court. I love how I have so many opportunities laid out for my future. And I love Kara's passion for the game. I love how she loves her players and wants the best for them. I truly believe Duke is the place for me. With Kara's experience and the staff behind her, I can go really far on my basketball journey. I'm excited to see what Duke brings out in me!"
Louann Battiston | 5-5 | Guard | Belgium | Liege Panthers
Battiston currently plays for the Liege Panthers in the Belgian League. She started her basketball career playing for Olimpic De Mont Sur Marchienne Club in Charleroi, Belgium competing against both girls and boys, and had a stint with Spirou Ladies Charlero.
Battiston most recently played four seasons for ESBVA-LM in France and in 2023 helped lea her team to the LFB Championship. During her last season with ESBVA-LM, she netted a career high of 25 points, eight assists and two steals. In July of 2023 Louann was one out of only 40 girls and women invited to the first ever Basketball Without Borders Women's Global Camp where she earned the Most Valuable Player award.
Lawson on Battiston – "Louann came onto our radar in the summer. She's had a lot of experience playing internationally for Belgium and also with clubs over in Europe. Even though she's young, she's had a lot of experience playing in FIBA events. She had a standout performance at the NBA Academy in Las Vegas and was named MVP of the camp. She shot the ball really, really well. We felt like her ability to run a team, her ability to make three-point shots…she just has a good feel for the game. She's competitive. She wants to grow. She wants to be challenged. All of that fit what we were looking for in a guard.
We're excited for Louann to get here. One unique thing about her is that she's going to be able to start with us in the spring semester of this year. It will be good to get acclimated a little bit earlier with her coming to a different country and leaving her family. We really look forward to having her with our group this season."
Battiston on 'Why Duke' – "I am very excited to be a part of the Duke Blue Devil family! Duke University offers the best of both worlds where I can compete at the highest level both athletically and academically. I can't wait to play for Coach Lawson and get to work with my teammates!"
To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB."
#GoDuke
Duke once again makes a splash on the recruiting trail as the Blue Devils land a top-10 prospect for the second consecutive year and their seventh top-30 prospect in the past three.
Battiston will enroll at Duke early and join the Blue Devils in January of 2024 to be on campus with the team. The trio of Cotton, Fournier and Roberson are slated to step foot in Durham later in 2024.
Toby Fournier | 6-2 | Forward | Toronto, Ontario | Crestwood Prep
Fournier, an agile five-star forward, checks in at No. 9 in the espnW 2024 class rankings. She is very aggressive, versatile and athletic with a great work ethic and brings energy to both ends of the floor. She can defend every position on the floor, has great tenacity when rebounding and dunks the ball with regularity in live competition.
Notables:
- 2023 FIBA World Championship Bronze Medalist (U19)
- 2023 FIBA World Championship Tournament All-Star (U19)
- Averaged 16.1 points and a tournament-best 13.7 rebounds at the U19 FIBA Women's World Cup
- Scored 23 points to lead Crestwood to the 2023 OSBA High School Championship, receiving Finals MVP honors
- 2023 Pool A Regular Season MVP award winner
- 2022 OSBA Defensive Player of the Year
- 2022 OSBA First Team All-Star
- Averaged 19.0 points, 15.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steal while leading her squad to an appearance in the quarterfinals of the 2022 OSBA Final 8 Championship.
Lawson on Fournier – "Toby is one of the most dynamic players in the 2024 class. I've been watching her for a long time. She is very competitive. A lot of the discussion around Toby is her dunks and I understand why. She's an unbelievable athlete and she makes it look so easy. It's effortless. Her regular dunks are things people would only be able to do in practice and she's able to do them in-game. That's what separates her as a dunker – her in-game dunking and her ability to do it pretty much at any moment.
But Toby is so much more than dunking. She's a relentless rebounder. She's a really good defender who we feel like will really fit into our system and our schemes on defense. She's someone who attacks the paint. She's a great teammate and someone that's had all of these experiences already. She's had a ton of international experiences – from playing for Canada's age group teams to being in camp with their senior team. She's been with FIBA for a while and played in high-value games, games that matter, games for medals, games for elimination.
That [experience] intrigued me as much as the dunks did. We've built a really strong relationship with her. Recruiting her for as long as we did, we got to know her really well and built a great trust amongst each other about what her goals are and what she wants to achieve. I'm really looking forward to coaching her. Toby is somebody I think is going to just change the energy in our building every night when she runs out for warmups."
Fournier on 'Why Duke' – "I chose Duke because it's a great school, an amazing atmosphere and I immediately connected with the coaching staff who felt like family. I'm so excited to join The Sisterhood and play alongside so many talented women!"
SIGNED: Toby Fournier is a Blue Devil. pic.twitter.com/Up02aa1jiL
— Duke Women's Basketball (@DukeWBB) November 9, 2023
Arianna Roberson | 6-4 | Center | San Antonio, Texas | Clark HS
Ari is a five-star center who checks in at No. 19 in the espnW Class of 2024 and No. 2 in the state of Texas. She comes from an extremely athletic family, with both parents and all six of her siblings playing collegiately.
Notables
- 2023 San Antonio Express-News Player of the Year
- Averaged 15.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 2.0 steals as a junior while helping lead Clark to a 34-3 overall record, including a 16-0 mark in District 28 action
- Named MVP of the UIL Class 6A Tournament after posting a double-double of 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead Clark to its first state title
- 2023 District 28-6A Defensive Player of the Year
- 2023 TABC 6A All-State and TGCA 6A All-State honoree
- 2021-22 San Antonio Express-News Co-Newcomer of the Year
- Averaged 11.1 points and 9.0 rebounds as a sophomore and aided Clark to a 35-3 overall record
Lawson on Roberson – "Ari was the center in this class I really, really wanted. I knew early on that she was one of the players who I really couldn't see myself not coaching. Really thankful she chose to play at Duke, and I get the chance to spend time with her daily for the next four years. We connected pretty early on the phone, and we have a lot of similarities in terms of independence and focus. There's a lot of things we had in common. We were able to connect deeply on a personal level and I'm glad she made the decision to come here.
Ari is everything you'd want in a player. She is a great teammate. She's someone who is improving rapidly. Watching her over the past year and a half, every time I saw her, she got better. As competition rose, she was able to match that level. There's a lot of upside to her. She's not even close to being the player that she's going to be. She's got tremendous size and length and athleticism. Her ability to protect the rim is something we are going to need.
Her versatility athletically is crucial. She can switch and guard smaller players. Offensively, over the last year she started to work on her three-point shot. I feel really good about what type of player she's going to be in the Duke uniform."
Roberson on 'Why Duke' – "I chose Duke because the three things that mattered most to me were coach, campus and culture. From my first visit here, I knew this is where I wanted to be. Coach Kara — she's amazing. I'm sure you guys all know that. But we have a special relationship. She's been recruiting me for a while now, and I felt a special bond with her. I trust her a lot. She trusts me. I love being around her. I love talking to her, being in her presence. It's just very consistent and it feels natural. So that's why I'm really excited to start playing for her."
Arianna Roberson is a Blue Devil! pic.twitter.com/HT0u21JmcU
— Duke Women's Basketball (@DukeWBB) November 9, 2023
Jenessa Cotton | 6-2 | Forward | Orange, Calif. | Mater Dei HS
Cotton, a four-star forward, is rated as a top-100 prospect by espnW. A powerfully-built versatile forward, she brings a strong, physical presence on the court and a smooth face-up game to the floor. Her best assets are her ability to score from beyond the arc and inside the paint against an opponent of any size.
Notables
- Averaged 12.4 points and 6.1 rebounds as a junior at Mater Dei while helping lead the Monarchs to the semifinals of the Open Division playoffs
- 2023 Cal-Hi Sports Second Team All-State
- 2023 OC Register Girls Basketball First Team
- 2023 All-Trinity League First Team
- 2023 First Team All-CIF SS Open Division
- Averaged 8.8 points and 7.2 rebounds as a sophomore
- 2022 All-Trinity League Second Team
Lawson on Cotton – "Jenessa came onto our radar later in the recruiting of the 2024 class this summer. She had a really good summer. The more that I watched her, the more our staff watched her over the course of the summer in April, May, June and July, the more she just kept getting better and better and better. We wanted to address frontcourt needs in this class. We're graduating a couple of really talented frontcourt players this year.
Jenessa's improvement throughout the summer was something that stood out. Her ability to play with other really good players, and then playing for a winning high school and AAU programs stood out as well. All of that added up to someone who we felt could really help our program and could really help our team on both ends of the floor."
Cotton on 'Why Duke' – "I chose Duke for a lot of reasons. I love the competitiveness the coaches and players bring on the court. I love how I have so many opportunities laid out for my future. And I love Kara's passion for the game. I love how she loves her players and wants the best for them. I truly believe Duke is the place for me. With Kara's experience and the staff behind her, I can go really far on my basketball journey. I'm excited to see what Duke brings out in me!"
OFFICIAL. Jenessa Cotton is locked in with The Sisterhood! pic.twitter.com/CN6XpthDve
— Duke Women's Basketball (@DukeWBB) November 9, 2023
Louann Battiston | 5-5 | Guard | Belgium | Liege Panthers
Battiston currently plays for the Liege Panthers in the Belgian League. She started her basketball career playing for Olimpic De Mont Sur Marchienne Club in Charleroi, Belgium competing against both girls and boys, and had a stint with Spirou Ladies Charlero.
Battiston most recently played four seasons for ESBVA-LM in France and in 2023 helped lea her team to the LFB Championship. During her last season with ESBVA-LM, she netted a career high of 25 points, eight assists and two steals. In July of 2023 Louann was one out of only 40 girls and women invited to the first ever Basketball Without Borders Women's Global Camp where she earned the Most Valuable Player award.
Lawson on Battiston – "Louann came onto our radar in the summer. She's had a lot of experience playing internationally for Belgium and also with clubs over in Europe. Even though she's young, she's had a lot of experience playing in FIBA events. She had a standout performance at the NBA Academy in Las Vegas and was named MVP of the camp. She shot the ball really, really well. We felt like her ability to run a team, her ability to make three-point shots…she just has a good feel for the game. She's competitive. She wants to grow. She wants to be challenged. All of that fit what we were looking for in a guard.
We're excited for Louann to get here. One unique thing about her is that she's going to be able to start with us in the spring semester of this year. It will be good to get acclimated a little bit earlier with her coming to a different country and leaving her family. We really look forward to having her with our group this season."
Battiston on 'Why Duke' – "I am very excited to be a part of the Duke Blue Devil family! Duke University offers the best of both worlds where I can compete at the highest level both athletically and academically. I can't wait to play for Coach Lawson and get to work with my teammates!"
Duke fans you're gonna love Louann Battiston!! pic.twitter.com/kLeVo2RNfa
— Duke Women's Basketball (@DukeWBB) November 9, 2023
To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB."
#GoDuke
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