Ankeny Centennial junior Jaeden Pratt is enjoying another outstanding volleyball season.
Her future, though, is on the basketball court.
Pratt has verbally committed to play that sport at Illinois State, beginning in 2025. She announced her decision via social media on Thursday.
“I visited a lot of schools that were around the Midwest, but something was always drawing me back to Illinois State,” Pratt said. “Illinois State stood out to me because of the environment that they have created. The coaches there are some of the best and really prioritize women’s basketball. The campus and basketball community was everything I was looking for.”
Pratt is a versatile player who can play multiple positions. She averaged 9.6 points and 7.7 rebounds as a sophomore, when she also recorded a team-high 25 blocks.
Pratt helped the Jaguars to an 18-7 record and a Class 5A semifinals appearance. She was named to the Class 5A all-tournament team.
Pratt was selected to the Class 5A all-state second team by the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association and was a third-team pick by the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association. She was also named to the CIML Conference first team and to the Class 5A West all-district team.
Last fall, Pratt was selected to the all-tournament team after leading the Centennial volleyball team to the Class 5A semifinals. In the spring, Pratt elected to go out for track and captured a state title in the Class 4A long jump.
Pratt has racked up 152 kills this season for the Jaguars, who are ranked second in Class 5A with a 17-3 record. But basketball is the sport that she decided to pursue at the next level.
“I had a total of 14 DI offers,” she said. “It was a hard decision for the coaches I had created close relationships with, but overall this is the best decision for me and I’m so excited to be a Redbird!”
