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We continue our series looking at 2020 Sun Devil recruiting classes that will begin their careers in Tempe this fall.
Up next, we break down Charli Turner Thorne’s signing class for women’s basketball - a group that consists of six players from all over North America and even Australia.
Maggie Besselink, Guard, Holy Cross High School
One of two Canadians on the 2020-21 Sun Devil roster, Maggie Besselink joins guard Taya Hanson as ASU players who hail from north of the border.
Besselink is a 6-foot-3 guard from Kingston, Ontario, and she is ranked 23rd at her position by ESPN.com.
In her high school championship game at Holy Cross, she scored 33 of her team’s 63 points. As for some intangibles, Besselink adds length and versatility as a guard, as she’s capable of playing any position on the floor.
She’ll look to make an immediate impact in Turner Thorne’s rotation, and she is the fourth Canadian player to don the maroon and gold for CTT in the last eight years.
Sydney Erikstrup, Guard, Beaverton High School
Sydney Erikstrup has been an all-league performer in every full season she has played in Portland, Oregon.
After two years at Lake Oswego High School, the 6-foot-1 backcourt player transferred to Beaverton High School for her junior campaign, where she was among league leaders in both steals and assists.
ESPN.com ranks Erikstrup No. 31 at her position, and in her 2018 semifinal matchup, she dropped the second highest point total in the entire postseason by putting up 23 points. She also added 11 rebounds.
Jaddan Simmons, Guard, Green Bay Southwest High School
Arizona State runs in the blood for Jaddan Simmons, as both her mom and dad went to school in Tempe.
Furthermore, Simmons is the daughter of former Sun Devil football safety Jason Simmons, who was a part of ASU’s historic 1997 Rose Bowl team and went on to later play, and coach in the National Football League.
Jaddan Simmons averaged over 21 points and seven rebounds during conference play in the Fox River Classic Conference in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Simmons was named 2019 Player of the Year, and she is Green Bay metro’s all-time women’s basketball leading scorer with over 1,000 points.
Simmons high school career-high was 35 points in a matchup where she nearly had a triple-double, falling just two assists shy of the feat. Simmons averaged over 19 points per game in her career, and as a sophomore was named Defensive Player of the Year.
The 5-foot-9 guard is ranked No. 30 at her position by ESPN.com, and Turner Thorne has compared Simmons’ ability as a two-way player to that of former Sun Devil great Briann January.
Keeli Burton-Oliver, Forward, Eastlake High School
Hailing from the Northwest, Keeli Burton-Oliver will be a post presence for Turner Thorne. She averaged a double-double (16.8 PPG, 11.9 RPG) at Eastlake High School in her first three seasons, leading to recognition as the Associated Press Class 4A Player of the Year after her junior campaign.
Burton-Oliver put up 22 points and 12 rebounds in her high school’s state championship game as a junior, giving Eastlake its first women’s basketball title in school history.
Turner Thorne describes Burton-Oliver as a “point post” type of player, as she is physical inside but can also step out and shoot from distance. The Sun Devil head coach compares the Seattle native’s game to former ASU great Melody Johnson.
Burton-Oliver also comes from basketball pedigree, as her mom, Cindi, played collegiately at both the University of Texas El Paso and Seattle Pacific University.
Katelyn Levings, Forward, Edmond Memorial High School
Katelyn Levings has garnered first-team Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference honors each of the past two years.
The Oklahoma City native has been invited to USA Basketball camps multiple times, and she averaged a double-double in her last three years with her Oklahoma Swarm AAU team, including 20.5 PPG and 11.2 RPG in 2019.
Turner Thorne has credited Levings for her perimeter play as a 6-foot-3 athlete, noting her versatility and three-point shot as weapons moving forward.
A multi-sport athlete at Edmond Memorial, Levings also holds three state championships in track, and she’s spent offseasons attending summer mission trips through her church.
Imogen Greenslade, Center, MLC School
Imogen Greenslade is making her way to Tempe all the way from Sydney, Australia.
The 6-foot-4 post player was the Sydney Basketball Institute’s MVP in 2018, and Greenslade was a member of the New South Wales U20 Team, where she took home a silver medal in last year’s National Championships.
Greenslade was a 2018 NSBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2018, and she has competed in the U20 Australian Championships as well as the Sydney Basketball Institute’s New Zealand Tour Tournament.
Playing under Turner Thorne, Greenslade can expect to have an immediate impact after both of ASU’s centers graduated this past season.
Another player who wasn’t in the November signing class, but who is joining the Sun Devil roster next season is 5-foot-7 junior guard Gabriela Bosquez, who is coming from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas.
In 2020, Bosquez averaged 11.9 points, 3.2 assists, and 4.8 rebounds. She recorded double-digit scoring performances 21 times, and received Region XIV honors after playing in 31 games.
For more information on next season’s freshmen in different sports, check out the rest of our “incoming devils” recruiting articles below. We will have more stories soon.