Vanderbilt women’s basketball coach Shea Ralph continues to carry the momentum from their historic season into the recruiting trail, landing a commitment from highly coveted 5-star prospect Lauren Hassell.
The versatile 6-foot-3 forward is the #10 ranked prospect from the 2027 class that local Vandy fans have had an eye on for a while now, crossing their fingers she would pick the Commodores. Her father, Trenton Hassell, was a legendary basketball player at Austin Peay who had a productive 10-year NBA career. Currently he is his daughter’s head coach at Clarksville Christian School. As a junior, Lauren averaged 25.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.2 blocks while shooting 60% from the floor for the Centurions.
Lauren’s relationship to Ralph along with the close proximity to the school were two of the biggest factors Vandy was able to hold off Louisville, North Carolina, UConn and others to secure her commitment.
“I chose Vanderbilt because it’s home. I love the direction that they are going, and Coach Ralph is amazing. They’ve been recruiting me since I was in 6th grade, and it’s been like a family ever since,” Lauren said, explaining why she chose the Commodores.
Hassell is Ralph’s first commitment from 2027 class, but hopefully not the last top 10 recruit to choose to stay home. Vandy is still very much in the mix for Haylen Ayers, the #6 ranked recruit of the 2027 class who plays at the University School of Jackson. As most Commodore fans are well aware, Ayers’ mother is former Vanderbilt star point guard Ashley McElhiney.
Shea Ralph and the Vanderbilt WBB program have landed their 1st high school commit of the 2026 cycle in 5 star guard Olivia Jones. Jones is from Long…
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