Husker Corner
Fansided

Husker Basketball Recruits (part 2): Rachel Blackburn

By Rosalie Suggs

facebooktwitterreddit

**Part 2 of the series, Part 1 on Shepard posted earlier ** Let’s me introduce you to Rachel Blackburn! On the day she signed her national letter of intent she said “I chose Nebraska because of the success of the program and the fan base. Family is very important to me, and I feel like the Nebraska coaches and players are a close-knit family.”

More from Nebraska Women's Basketball

Coach Connie Yori,  in commenting on Blackburn said the following: “Husker fans are going to love Rachel because she represents what we’ve built our program on,” Yori said. “She’s tough, hard-working, skilled and is a great energy player. Rachel comes from a program where she has competed at a high level and has had great coaching. She’s been pushed at the high school level, so she understands the consistent effort that it will take to be successful at Nebraska. Rachel also has natural leadership qualities. She’s a mature young lady who plays with both passion and intelligence.

Blackburn is a 6-3 power forward from Easton, Kansas. Attending Leavenworth High School in Kansas, she is ranked as one of the top 75 recruits in the nation by both Blue Star Basketball and Prospects Nation, (No. 17 prep post in the country by ESPN).

In her junior year, Blackburn averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds. Wearing royal blue and the number 43, she helped Leavenworth win the 2014 Kansas Class 5A State Championship. She currently holds the Leavenworth career record in field goal percentage of .675 career. Her career-high in scoring is 36 points. This Husker-to-be also took the most charges during the season. ESPN.com gave her an honorable mention all-state and rated as a four-star prospect.

In addition to playing basketball for her high school team, Blackburn also plays club basketball events. She played for the MoKan Eclipse under her former Leavenworth coach Derek Zeck. Jim Page, who coaches Blackburn’s AAU team said “Rachel is a neat kid. She is unselfish to a fault. She’d almost rather make the screen or the pass that leads to the basket than score.”

Blackburn is tough, too. Page said she drew 8 charges in 5 games in AAU play in Chicago. At a tournament in Tennessee, Blackburn was hit in the face and her tooth went through her lip. Page said she went to a dentist to get the problem fixed and was back on the court in no time.

Courtside at Devaney (photo credit Andrew B.)

As a senior, Rachel is hoping to lead her team to another successful season. Tied atop the Kansas 5A standings with Aquinas(Overland Park, KS), Leavenworth is considered the strongest team in their class and will undoubtedly make a run to repeat as Class 5A champions. While she is making headlines and setting records playing basketball, she is also an all-around athlete. In her “spare time” she participates in track and field, and set the Leavenworth school record with a javelin throw of 125-7 as a sophomore in 2013. That pretty much guarantees no air balls, right?

Mar 24, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Jordan Hooper (35) loses the ball against the BYU Cougars in the second half of a women

Following in the footsteps of former Husker greats Kelsey Griffin, Lindsey Moore and Jordan Hooper, Rachel appears poised to make a statement when she arrives in Lincoln. Her skills as a player, her dedication, her commitment to team, her toughness and a constant desire to achieve success make her a perfect fit for the Nebraska women’s basketball team. Husker Nation looks forward to welcoming her to Lincoln in August.

Part 3 on Maddie Simon coming soon! Looking forward to seeing her join up with the other recruits and Huskers who are in action Thursday night against Illinois on BTN Plus, as always, GO BIG RED!!!