No. 5 Vanderbilt didn’t give No. 4 Texas a chance. The home team beat the Longhorns 86-70, but the result appears somewhat deceiving. Midway through the third quarter, Vanderbilt led by 26. Texas mounted a late push to soften the margin, but from the opening tip, this game belonged to the Commodores — and to Mikayla Blakes, who tormented Texas with a game-high 34 points.
Blakes’ performance was electric. She sliced through defenders at all three levels – buried three-pointers, attacked the rim with confidence, and lived at the free-throw line, finishing 13-for-15.
That night, Blakes made history.
She became the first SEC player in the last 25 years to record four straight 30-plus-point games. Just another milestone in a resume that is growing at a staggering pace.
The five-foot-eight guard is just in her sophomore season at Vanderbilt, but she has been unstoppable. Spectacular. Sensational. And she took the NCAA by storm ever since she stepped on campus. Nearly two years ago, women’s college hoops had a huge void to fill after superstar Caitlin Clark graduated from the University of Iowa.
The new face of women’s basketball was up for grabs, and Blakes instantly stole the spotlight.
She grew up in Somerset, New Jersey, and was never a stranger to basketball – her father played at St. Michael’s College in Vermont, a Division II university. He is currently a member of the school’s Hall of Fame. Her older brother, Jaylen, played at Duke and Stanford before going to Israel to pursue a professional career.
The game was always around her. Yet basketball wasn’t her first love.
Blake used to fall asleep in gyms as her father was working out with her brother. “There were a lot of early-morning workouts with him,” she recalled. She would come with them, dribble around a little, then find a quiet corner to get away from the noise. And then fall asleep and rest until the practice was over.
A spark ready to burn bright
First, Blakes was a competitive dancer. Then, she turned her attention to track, and when she was 10 years old, she was a nationally ranked 800-meter runner. But the track didn’t fulfill her either.
“I was like, I want to do something instead of running in circles. Like, I want to do something with the running,” Blakes said.
In middle school, she finally gave basketball a chance. She possessed great athleticism but lacked skills.
“I was very uncoordinated at first,” Blakes said. “Like, really bad.”
One thing she did have, though, was tenacity. From the very first time she appeared on the hardwood, she played with burning passion and competitive spirit. It was her drive that helped her make up for the initial lack of talent.
“I was very much like a perfectionist,” said continued. “It would upset me when I missed the shot or turned the ball over. But I just worked on it.”
Gradually, skill caught up with effort. The longer she played, the stronger the bond got.
“With the other sports, I got a little burnt out,” she said. “But basketball was just joyful. I had a team behind me, and my coach made it fun.”
Her potential started emerging, so her parents decided to enroll her in Rutgers Preparatory School – one of the best high schools in the state to challenge her both academically and athletically - Blakes flourished.
She helped Rutgers Prep to a state title as a sophomore and averaged 20.4 points, 3.6 steals, and 3.2 assists per game as a senior.
“You knew she was different from day one,” said Rutgers Prep girls basketball coach Mary Coyle Klinger, who coached her all four years. “She was special in so many ways. She had elite athleticism, an elite work ethic, elite knowledge of the game, and it all showed through from the get-go.”
On to her next challenge
Blakes finished her high school tenure as the No. 8 recruit in the country, accompanied by national honors. She was named the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year, was named a McDonald’s All-American, and received an invitation to the Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit all-star games.
After Collegiate powerhouses lined up to get Blakes, she made her decision. The star guard chose to move to Nashville.
Blakes wasted no time adjusting to the style of college basketball. As a true freshman, she averaged 23.3 points per game, ranking second in the SEC. She was named SEC Freshman of the Year and earned All-SEC First Team and AP All-American Third Team honors.
On January 30, 2025, she erupted for 53 points against Florida — the most ever scored in a single game by a true freshman in NCAA history. Two weeks later, she surpassed that mark with 55 against Auburn, breaking a record previously set by Elena Delle Donne during her redshirt freshman season in 2009-2010.
"Mikayla Blakes is special,’’ Vandy coach Shea Ralph said recently. “She shines, and I just want everyone to appreciate it. There can be lots of arguments about who's the best player, but look at what that kid has done for our program and tell me there's a more meaningful player in the country, to this team.”
Even her extraordinarily consistent performances couldn’t prevent Vanderbilt’s first-round exit from last year’s March Madness as the Commodores fell to the Oregon Ducks. But the loss only sharpened expectations for what followed.
This season, the school from Music City is destined for greatness. Piloted by Blakes’ leadership, Vanderbilt has been nationally ranked since the beginning of the year. They started at No. 21 but climbed all the way to No. 5 as games progressed.
Vandy is set up to make a deep postseason run this time. They are currently sitting in the second place of the SEC – a conference that has ten nationally-ranked teams and is believed to be the best in women’s basketball right now.
Blakes regularly competes against the best, but she always finds a way. The star sophomore is a favorite to win the SEC Player of the Year as she leads the NCAA in points per game with 26.3.
In January, Blakes was named 2025 Female Athlete of the Year by USA Basketball. Last summer, she represented the United States women's national basketball team at the FIBA Women's AmeriCup, earning MVP honors while leading the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game en route to a gold medal.
The achievement was especially meaningful considering she had failed to make the U17 national team just two years earlier. Rather than dwell on the disappointment, she used it as motivation. Her growth since then has been exponential — and unmistakable.
Comparison is the thief of joy, a famous quote says, but in Blakes’ case, it feels inevitable.
In just two collegiate seasons, she has reshaped Vanderbilt’s trajectory and redefined expectations. She is not simply piling up points; she is transforming the program & college basketball.
Blakes has already established herself as a megastar. And there is no doubt she has a bright future in the sport.
And as Memorial Gym once again rises to its feet, there is a sense that this is only the beginning. She is just a sophomore. And she is only getting brighter.
