PROVO, Utah – Six outstanding athletes signed scholarship agreements with BYU women’s basketball and will join the Cougars for the 2021-22 season.
“It has been a crazy year for recruiting, but we feel really good about this class,” said BYU women’s basketball head coach Jeff Judkins. “To be able to add six really talented athletes makes us excited about the future of the women’s basketball program. We can’t wait to see how they’ll fit with each other and how they add to our returning team.”
The states of Utah, Arizona, Maryland as well as New Zealand, are represented in the 2020 class of signees. Lealani Falatea (Salt Lake City), Amber Kartchner (Logan) and Emma Calvert (Farr West) are from Utah. Amanda Barcello is from Arizona (Chandler), Rose Bubakar from Maryland (Frederick) and Arielle Williams-Mackey joins the Cougars from New Zealand (Hamilton).
Below is some information about each member of the 2020 signing class, as well as quotes about each student-athlete from Coach Judkins.
Amanda Barcello
Chandler, Arizona | Seton Catholic Prep | Guard | 5-11
“Amanda is tough, intelligent and very versatile. Can play and guard multiple positions. A true gym rat that has a nose for the ball. She is a very lengthy defender that always wants to guard the opposing team’s best player. She has a smooth shot especially shooting the three, and she competes on every play.”
- 2020 AIA 4A State Champions
- 2020 Conference Defensive Player of the Year
- 2020 first-team All-Conference
- 2019 AIA 4A State Runner-Up
- 2019 Conference Defensive Player of the Year
- 2019 first-team All-Conference
- 2018 AIA 4A State Champions
Rose Bubakar
Frederick, Maryland | Frederick High School | Forward | 6-0
“Rose is an athletic player with a high ceiling. She can play inside and outside. She’s got a long wingspan and rebounds really well. She can handle the ball and get to the basket. We also expect her to be an excellent defender in her career at BYU. She comes from a winning program and only wants to win.”
- 2020 Maryland 3A State Championship Finalist
- 2020 second-team All-State
- 2019 Maryland 3A State Champion
- 2018 Maryland 3A State Champion
- Passed the 1,000-career point mark as a junior
- 2019 1st Place High Jump at the FSK Relays
- 2019 Maryland State Finalist in the High Jump
- 2018 Frederick County Lacrosse Champion
- 2018 17th place, Frederick County Cross Country Championships
Emma Calvert
Farr West, Utah | Fremont High School | Forward | 6-4
“Emma is one of the best players in Utah. She comes from a great program and is used to competing for championships. She is a complete player- she can shoot it and she is physical inside presence. She has a great feel for the game.”
- 2020 ESPN Four Star Recruit
- 2020 6A Deseret News MVP
- 2020 6A Deseret News All-State first team
- 2020 Region 1 Defensive MVP
- 2020 Standard Examiner 6A All Area MVP
- 2020 6A State Tournament, All Tournament Team
- 2020 Set State Record Field Goal Percentage in a Season (66.1%)
- 2020 scored 1,000th career point
- 2019 Standard Examiner Star
- 2019 Insurance Center Athlete of the Month (January)
- 2019 John Watson Chevrolet High School Basketball Player of the Week
- 2019 6A Region 1 MVP
- 2019 Deseret News All-State Girls Basketball 6A first team
- 2019 Standard Examiner 6A All Area MVP January
- 2019 USA Today Utah High School First Team
- 2019 6A State Tournament, All Tournament Team
- 2018 6A Women’s State basketball champions
- 2018 6A Deseret News MVP
- 2018 6A Deseret News All-State first team
- 2018 6A State Tournament MVP
- 2018 6A State Tournament, All Tournament Team
- 2018 Girls Basketball All-Tribune Team
- 2018 6A All Coaches Salt Lake Tribune first team
- 2018 Standard Examiner All Area first team
- 2018 USA Today Utah High School second team
- 2018 Region 1 MVP 2018 Standard Examiner Star
Lealani Falatea
Salt Lake City, Utah | East High School | Guard | 5-9
“Lealani is a very versatile player. She can play either guard position and is very explosive, especially from deep. She can create for herself and her teammates. She is a strong physical player that can get to the basket, sees the court well, and is not afraid to take the big shot.”
- Started varsity as a freshman, sophomore and junior
- 2020 Utah 5A first-team All-State
- 2019 Utah 5A State Champions
- 2019 Utah 5A MVP
- 2019 Utah 5A first-team All-State
- 2018 Utah 5A State Champions
Amber Kartchner
Logan, Utah | Logan High School | Guard | 5-9
“Amber is a great shooter with deep range, is explosive in transition, and moves well without the ball. She will be great in our motion offense. She is a very athletic defensive minded guard. She plays hard and is very coachable.”
- 2020 Nominee for McDonald’s All-American Team
- 2020 Utah 5A first-team All-State
- 2020 Utah first-team All-Region 12
- 2019 Utah 5A first-team All-State
- 2019 Utah Region 12 MVP
- 2019 Herald Journal All-Valley Player of the Year
- 2018 Utah Region 12 Champions
- 2018 Utah 5A first-team All-State
- 2018 Utah Region 12 MVP
- 2018 Herald Journal All-Valley Player of the Year
- Logan High School career scoring leader
- Logan High School record in the long jump (17-7)
- Utah 4A State Championships – places 5th in long jump; 6th in high jump
Arielle Mackey-Williams
Ngati Porou, New Zealand | Tai Wanaga Ki Ruakura HS | Guard | 5-9
“Ari is another great player coming to us from New Zealand. She is very crafty offensively and defensively. She is strong and physical with an aggressive mindset. She is also a very good rebounding guard with a knack for setting up herself and teammates."
- Representative teams for Queensland, New Zealand
- National Performance Program – Australia
- Netball Queensland, Melbourne Boomers Academy
- Multiple Championships — club, state and national