Lincoln – For the second consecutive season, Nebraska has signed the best recruiting class in school history, according to ESPN. Coach Connie Yori’s four-player recruiting class has been ranked No. 8 nationally by ESPN and features the highest profile recruit in Husker basketball history – two-time state Gatorade High School Player of the Year Jessica Shepard.
Shepard, who is a member of the USA Basketball U18 National Team, is ranked as the No. 3 overall player and the No. 1 post in the country by ESPN.
Lanie Page, a 2014 Kansas Player of the Year selection, joins Shepard in the ESPN Top 100 at No. 82 and has been ranked as high as No. 19 nationally over the past year. She is set to join her older sister, Kaylee, who is freshman for the Huskers this season and was a top-100 player in Nebraska’s No. 9 recruiting class by ESPN last year.
While Shepard and Page headline the class, Lincoln native Maddie Simon and Kansan Rachel Blackburn add size, strength and potential as top-150 recruits to a four-player class that is set to replace the most successful class of seniors in Nebraska history – Emily Cady, Hailie Sample, Tear’a Laudermill and Brandi Jeffery. Four years ago, the current class of Husker seniors formed a top-25 recruiting class that has gone on to average 25 wins per season and three straight NCAA Tournament trips for the Big Red.
“Our coaches have done another great job in identifying young women who can come in, fit into our culture and make an impact while also continuing to develop their skills as college players and grow as students and citizens at Nebraska,” Yori said. “We have waited a long time for Jess Shepard’s signing day, and it is an exciting day for everyone around Husker women’s basketball. What makes it even more exciting is that Lanie Page, Maddie Simon and Rachel Blackburn give us a well-rounded class of great young women.
“I think the things that stand out about this group is they are great young players, who have shown excellent character, who are from great families. They also have proven themselves as strong students with all four of them carrying better than a 3.6 GPA. They have all been competitors and winners at the high school level, and we’re excited to give them a chance to keep proving themselves as college student-athletes here at Nebraska.”
Jessica Shepard
6-4, Forward, Fremont, Neb. (Fremont)
The highest ranked recruit in the history of Nebraska women’s basketball and arguably the best high school player the state has ever produced, Jessica Shepard will join the Huskers as a true freshman in 2015-16. Shepard, who competed on the gold-medal winning USA Basketball team at the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championships, is the No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2015, according to ESPN. The 6-4 forward heads into her senior season at Fremont High School as a two-time Nebraska Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year (2013, 2014) and three-time first-team Super-State (Lincoln Journal Star) and All-Nebraska (Omaha World-Herald) pick.
Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said Shepard has the talent and skills expected of one of the top high school players in the nation, but it is her character and competitive drive that makes her even more special.
“It’s no secret that Jess is the youngest player I’ve ever offered a scholarship to as a head coach. We knew Jess was a very special player, even at a young age, and it feels like this day has taken a long time to arrive,” Yori said. “Jess has a rare combination of size, skill, athleticism, versatility and a high basketball IQ. She is a skilled ball-handler who has the ability to take defenders to the basket. She has spent most of her high school career being double- and triple-teamed, so she has become an outstanding passer with both vision and poise. She is also developing her three-point game to complement the other ways she can score.
“What I love most about Jess is that in spite of all of her accolades, she has remained very humble and she isn’t satisfied. She continues to work on every aspect of her game. That says a lot about her character and competitiveness.”
Shepard, who committed to Nebraska in the summer of 2011, said it has always been her dream to play for the Huskers.
“I chose Nebraska because I grew up in Nebraska and have always wanted to represent my school, community and state at the University playing for Coach Yori and the great staff,” Shepard said. “I committed to Coach Yori and the University of Nebraska prior to my freshman year in high school.”
As a junior in 2013-14, Shepard averaged a Class A state record 30.4 points per game to go along with 15.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in leading the Tigers to a 22-4 record and a state tournament berth for Coach Tony Weinandt. It was just Fremont’s second bid to state since 1985. Her performances included a career-high 43 points against Lincoln East and 40 points against Kansas High School power Bishop Miege and a top-10 ranked Papillion-LaVista team.
The honorary captain of both the Lincoln Journal Star Super-State and Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska teams, Shepard’s junior season scoring average surpassed her 24.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.8 steals per game as a sophomore at Lincoln Southeast. She powered the Knights to the 2013 Class A state title, before moving with her family to Fremont in the summer of 2013.
As a freshman, Shepard earned her first Super-State and Class A honors by averaging 17.8 points and 9.1 rebounds in leading Lincoln Southeast to a state runner-up finish.
A three-time first-team All-Heartland Athletic Conference selection, Shepard is on track to finish among the top players in Nebraska high school history in both points and rebounds.
As a member of the USA Basketball U18 Team at the FIBA Americas Championship, Shepard averaged 12.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while helping the team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal. She hit 66.7 percent of her shots from the field in the tournament.
Shepard played her club basketball for the All Iowa Attack under Coach Dickson Jensen in 2013-14. She also played her first season of high school volleyball for Fremont as a senior in 2014.
She is also an outstanding student, carrying a 3.90 grade-point average. She has earned academic all-state and all-conference honors, as well as a spot in the National Honor Society. She is a four-year honor roll selection.
The daughter of Mark and Kim Shepard, Jessica comes from a basketball family. Her older sister, Taylor, and older brother, Clayton, both play college basketball for Midland University in Fremont. She also has three younger sisters, Samantha (15), Emma (13) and Sarah (11).
Lanie Page
6-2, Guard, Alma, Kan. (Wamego)
Lanie Page joins fellow 2014 signee among ESPN’s top 100 recruits in the 2014 signing class, coming in at No. 82 overall as the No. 11 wing in the nation. She was also ranked as the No. 76 player in the nation by Blue Star Basketball. As a junior at Wamego High School, Page averaged 17.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 2.7 blocked shots alongside her older sister, Kaylee, in helping the Red Raiders to a Class 4A state runner-up finish with a 24-1 record. Kaylee is a freshman at Nebraska this season. The sisters also helped Wamego to a state championship under the direction of their father and coach, Jim, in 2013. As a sophomore, Lanie averaged 16.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 3.4 steals and 2.4 blocks.
Page was also a varsity starter as a freshman, despite being just 13 years old after testing out of eighth grade to go straight from seventh grade to high school. She averaged 12.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.8 blocks despite sometimes going up against girls five years older than her.
Page enters her senior season with 1,137 points, 462 rebounds, 199 assists, 230 steals and 198 blocks in her career. She has hit 94 career threes and has connected at a 35 percent rate during her career, including going 36-of-81 (.444) as a junior. Last season against Marysville, Page erupted for a career-high 40 points in a 65-34 win.
Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said Page’s versatility could help the Huskers for years to come.
“Lanie has great size to go along with an excellent skill-set that goes beyond her age,” Yori said. “She’s has good length, and she can score from the mid-range or shoot the three. She is a versatile athlete who has the potential to be able to play inside and outside for us. Lanie plays with an edge that I really loved during the recruiting process. We are thrilled she is a Husker.”
As a junior in 2014, Page was the Sports in Kansas Player of the Year across all classes. She was the Kansas Sports.com Sophomore of the Year in 2013. She is a two-time first-team Class 4A pick by the KBCA. She was also a three-time letterwinner in tennis for Wamego, earning a state runner-up finish in 2013. In the classroom, Page carries nearly a 3.8 grade-point average and has been an honor roll student all four years.
“I chose Nebraska because of the education, facilities, resources and the people in Lincoln are good Midwestern-type people, and those are the kind of people I love to be around,” Page said. “Everyone is so supportive and polite, and it’s just a great atmosphere.”
Lanie is the daughter of Jim and Wendy Page. She has an older sister, Kaylee, and an older brother, James. Kaylee is a freshman wing at Nebraska in 2014-15. James is a 6-6 sophomore at Grinnell College. Lanie’s father played college basketball at Johnson County Community College and Pittsburg State. Her mother played collegiately at Emporia State.
Page chose Nebraska over Texas Tech and Kansas State, although she only visited Texas Tech.
Maddie Simon
6-2, Guard, Lincoln, Neb. (Pius X)
An emerging player with the coveted combination of size, speed, strength and skill, Maddie Simon joins Jessica Shepard as Nebraska natives in the Huskers’ 2014 signing class. Simon was ranked as the No. 22 player in the nation at her position by ESPN, while being ranked No. 149 overall by Blue Star Basketball.
As a junior at Lincoln Pius X in 2013-14, Simon led the Thunderbolts to a 21-3 record and a Class B runner-up finish by averaging 19.8 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal per game. She joined Shepard as a first-team Lincoln Journal Star Super-State and Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska selection for Coach Bill Rice in 2013-14. She was also a first-team All-Class B pick as a junior. Her top performance came with a 35-point, 13-rebound eruption against Omaha Gross.
Simon was a second-team Class A all-stater as a sophomore after averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 2012-13. She hit 48 percent of her shots from the field and 74 percent of her free throws.
Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said Simon’s athleticism and continual development give her the chance for an outstanding career.
“Since we first saw Maddie at our basketball camp when she was a freshman, she has improved some aspect of her game each time we’ve watched her,” Yori said. “She has developed into a very good passer and shooter who will fit well in our offensive system. Maddie can get out and run, drive in transition, hit mid-range jumpers and hit the three. She has been a three-sport star in high school, and we think that athleticism will translate into being a versatile defender for us. I think she is a recruiting steal, and we couldn’t be happier that she has decided to stay in Lincoln and play for the Huskers.”
Simon said she has grown up feeling close to the Nebraska program and is excited she can continue her career as a Husker.
“I love the coaches and players. The facilities and fan support for women’s basketball are also great, but most of all Lincoln is my hometown,” Simon said. “I have grown up watching and wanting to play here my whole life.”
Simon played her club basketball for the Nebraska Lasers for Coach Allen Simpson. She averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists for the club.
A tremendous all-around athlete, Simon expects to be a four-year letterwinner in both basketball and track and field, while adding three letters in golf. She was the Class A state runner-up in both the 100 and 300 hurdles in 2014. She also finished third in the 100, while adding a runner-up finish in the 300 in 2013. She was also a member of Pius X’s All-Class gold medal-winning 4×400 relay in 2013. She also qualified for the state tournament in golf in 2013. Simon owns better than a 3.6 GPA and has been an honor roll student for four years at Lincoln Pius X.
The daughter of Doug and Nicole (Ali) Simon, Maddie has two older brothers, Bennett and Zach, who both graduated from the University of Nebraska. Maddie’s mother was a hurdler and a CoSIDA Academic All-American during her college career at Nebraska.
Simon chose Nebraska over Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Creighton.
Rachel Blackburn
6-3, Forward, Easton, Kan. (Leavenworth)
Rachel Blackburn filled in the final piece of a talented four-player Nebraska signing class in 2014. The 6-3 power forward out of Leavenworth High School in Kansas was ranked as the No. 63 player in the nation by Blue Star Basketball and No. 69 by Prospects Nation. She was also the No. 17 post in the country according to ESPN.
Blackburn averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds as a junior for the 2014 Class 5A state champions, while also leading the Sunflower League in the number of charges drawn for Coach Derek Zeck.
Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said Blackburn’s toughness and energy could make her a fan favorite for years to come.
“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 said Nebraska’s winning tradition and family atmosphere were important factors in her decision to become a Husker.
“I chose Nebraska because of the success of the program and the fan base,” Blackburn said. “Family is very important to me, and I feel like the Nebraska coaches and players are a close-knit family.”
Blackburn, who was an honorable-mention Class 5A all-state selection as a junior by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, owns the Leavenworth career record with her .675 career field goal percentage. She owns a career-high 36-point performance. Blackburn played her club basketball for Coach Derek Zeck and the MoKan Eclipse.
A talented all-around athlete, Blackburn set the Leavenworth school record with a javelin throw of 125-7 as a sophomore in 2013. She won the Sunflower League title and qualified for the state meet in the event.
Blackburn is also an excellent student, carrying a 3.8 grade-point average as a senior. She has been an honor roll selection all four years of high school
The daughter of Col. David (Ret.) and Lisa Blackburn, Rachel has an older sister, Rebecca, and a younger sister, Katelyn. Blackburn chose Nebraska over Arizona, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Iowa State and Wake Forest.
