Meier Signs Top-10 Recruiting Class
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami women’s basketball coach Katie Meier signed the highest-ranked class of her coaching career Wednesday morning, inking the ninth-ranked class, according to the espnW early recruiting class rankings.
A trio of guards–Ahnay Adams, Leah Harmon and Simone Pelish–all signed National Letters of Intent Wednesday to play for the Hurricanes in 2024-25.
“I am so proud of my staff for finding such great young ladies, who are perfect fits for our program,” Meier said. “This class helps continue the momentum from our recent postseason successes in the last few seasons. All three of these young ladies play with competitive joy and absolutely love the game of basketball.”
Adams, a native of New Bedford, Mass., is the No. 10 point guard in the class of 2024, according to ProspectsNation.com, and the No. 37 overall player, according to espnW HoopGurlz.
Adams, earned back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and was named the New Hampshire Player of the Year by MaxPreps after averaging 21.4 points, 6.7 assists, 6.4 Rebounds and 4.1 steals as a junior.
She was named the NEPSAC Player of the Year in 2021-22 and is a two-time NEPSAC All-Star and three-time Lakes Region League champion.
Adams eclipsed the 1,000-point mark as a junior and is on pace to break the Tilton School scoring, assists and steals record
“When you watch Ahnay play, you quickly decide she is your favorite player on the court,” Meier said. “She is a leader, a fierce competitor and a great teammate. Every coach who has been fortunate to coach her claims they are incredibly blessed by her presence. She has a motor with a tremendous amount of fuel in the tank and she spent the last summer showing everybody why we were so crazy about her.”
A 5-foot-6 point guard from Washington, D.C., Leah Harmon checks in as the No. 25 and No. 30 prospect in the nation, according to ProspectsNation.com and espnW HoopGurlz, respectively. ESPN rates Harmon as a five-star guard, while ProspectsNation.com ranks her as the No. 9 point guard in the class of 2024.
Harmon led Sidwell Friends to back-to-back DCSSA State Championships, including the first in school history in 2022. She was the leading scorer in 2021-22, helping the program to a No. 1 ranking in the nation and a perfect 30-0 season.
In 2022-23, Harmon averaged 14.4 points, 4.2 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. She earned All-Met First Team honors in 2023 and was a First Team All-State DCSAA selection in 2022 and 2023.
Off the court, Harmon served as a youth representative of the Social Justice Champion selection committee for the NBA in 2022-23.
The point guard plans to finish her final year of high school at IMG Academy in Florida.
“Leah Harmon is a quintessential point guard, who can beat you in all phases of the game,” Meier said. “She has continually pushed herself and challenged herself throughout her high school and AAU career. She’s played on the top teams in the country, on the big stage, and has continually emerged as one of the best players in the nation. We are so excited to have her impact our program.”
Pelish, 6-foot guard from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is a three-time Upstate Player of the Year and a Section 1 First Team selection in 2022-23.
A four-star recruit according to espnW HoopGurlz, Pelish averaged 25.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and shot 40 percent from 3-point range in 2022-23, leading Our Lady of Lourdes to the Section 9 Class AA final.
Pelish was named the Poughkeepsie Journal Player of the Year for the second straight season as a junior. She has totaled 1,500-plus points in her high school career and is a member of the National Honor Society.
“Simone is a tremendous shooter with a high basketball IQ,” Meier said. “She is also not afraid to mix it up and be physical on the defensive end. She is one of those quiet killers on the court who has a great game, but you only realize that after you’ve seen her fill up a stat sheet. Simone is extremely versatile and will fit in perfectly here at The U.”
A four-star recruit in the class of 2024 according to espnW HoopGurlz, Aurora Almón reclassified to enroll at Miami for the 2023-24 season. In 2022-23, Almón helped The Webb School to its third straight Division II-A state championship.
Almón, a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, will sit out the 2023-24 season due to an offseason injury.
“When you consider adding Aurora to this class, you realize that Miami scored big,” Meier said. “Aurora is one of those players that changes the game with her intensity, her athleticism and her determination. She is a defensive stopper who runs the floor and competes for every inch of the basketball court. If there is a loose ball, Aurora is going to get it; if there is a rebound, Aurora is going to get it. We love players like Aurora and she will truly help elevate this program.”
