An All-American in the minds of many experts last season, Vanderbilt women’s basketball player Mikayla Blakes is starting her sophomore year in the same fashion.
Blakes was Tuesday named to The Athletic’s preseason All-American first team, an honor that came one day after the sophomore guard scored 40 points against Memphis in a Vandy preseason exhibition game victory.
The No. 19 Commodores open the regular season at 1:30 p.m. CT Nov. 3 against Cal, a game that will be played overseas in Paris at Oui-Play Paris. The contest will air on ESPNU.
In addition to Blakes, The Athletic’s All-American preseason team included UCLA’s Lauren Betts, Texas’ Madison Booker, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and UConn’s Sarah Strong.
Blakes, a guard, was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Year last season, making her the first Commodore to win a national freshman of the year honor from any publication.
Blakes’ 23.3 points per game average ranked first among all NCAA Division I freshmen, and the New Jersey native led all freshmen nationally in seven different categories.
In Monday’s 104-68 exhibition victory over Memphis, Blakes shot 60 percent from the field, making 12-of-20 attempts. Blakes made 5-of-10 three-point shot attempts and also totaled eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Blakes’ 40-point performance against the Tigers marked the most points scored by a player at the FedExForum since NBA star Steph Curry’s 52-point effort on April 1, 2024, vs. the Memphis Grizzlies.
Two other Commodores produced double figures against Memphis, as forward Sacha Washington registered 22 points and 11 rebounds, with Justine Pissott scoring 11 points.
The game was Washington’s first since March 2023, after she missed last year due to a medical condition.