McKenzie Mathurin decided early — the Nebraska women’s basketball team was the right fit for her college career.
When she made her verbal commitment to coach Amy Williams in May, the 5-foot-10 guard from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was still a sophomore in high school.
She committed even before the recruiting rules changed and coaches could contact players in her class directly. Prior to June 1, college coaches went through the recruits’ coaches to set up a phone call.
And of ESPN’s top 60 players in the 2025 recruiting class, only eight are known to have made a college commitment already. That includes Mathurin, a four-star recruit who is ranked No. 55 by ESPN.
But for Mathurin, it doesn’t feel like she made her decision early. She’s been doing this for a while. When she was in seventh grade, she got noticed while playing in a tournament in Tulsa, and the Oklahoma Sooners and their coach at that time, Sherri Coale, found out about her.
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“I was in seventh grade when I got my first offer, from OU,” Mathurin said. “I was on the phone with Sherri Coale. She was really nice about it. I was nervous as all out. My mom was right there listening to the phone call. It was just a really great experience.”
At Broken Arrow, Mathurin was a starter on the varsity as a freshman and sophomore.
Last season for the Tigers, Mathurin averaged 20.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 27 games.
Mathurin is known for her ability to drive to the basket and score, and her rebounding. She helped her team reach the state tournament for the first time in six years.
The Husker coaches had been watching Mathurin since she was in eighth grade. She’s made two unofficial visits to Nebraska, and one more trip just to check out the campus on her own.
“I’ve been in the recruitment process for four years now,” Mathurin said. “It’s been a long time, and I felt like this was the right time to go ahead and commit before my junior season so I can continue to play and get better for Nebraska.”
Mathurin was also considering Purdue, Creighton, Kansas State, Missouri and Oklahoma State.
For Nebraska, she was recruited by assistant coach Tandem Mays. Mathurin thinks the Nebraska coaches were a little surprised that she committed when she did, but she had told the Nebraska staff they were in her top eight.
This summer she’s playing basketball six days per week, both with her AAU team and her high school team. On June 22, she’ll be at Nebraska’s Elite Camp.
With her AAU team, Oklahoma Swift, she’s coached by her mom, Amber, who played college basketball in Oklahoma.
Today in sports history: June 9
1914: Honus Wagner becomes first player in modern baseball to get 3,000 hits
1934: Olin Dutra edges Gene Sarazen by one stroke to win U.S. Open
1973: Secretariat wins Belmont Stakes in record time to capture Triple Crown
1978: Larry Holmes scores split decision over Ken Norton for heavyweight title
1985: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leads LA Lakers to NBA championship over Boston Celtics
1991: Jim Courier beats Andre Agassi in first all-American men’s final at French Open
2001: Jennifer Capriati wins her second consecutive Grand Slam title
2007: Rags to Riches outduels Curlin in breathtaking stretch run to win Belmont Stakes
2008: Ken Griffey Jr. becomes sixth MLB player to reach 600 homers
2010: Patrick Kane’s OT goal lifts Chicago Blackhawks to first Stanley Cup title since 1961
2013: Rafael Nadal becomes first man to win 8 titles at same Grand Slam tournament
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