Ashley MacCalla, the No. 15 women's basketball prospect in the 2027 SC Next 100, has committed to Rutgers, she announced Saturday.
The 5-foot-10 guard from The St. James Performance Academy in Springfield, Virginia, chose Rutgers over Oklahoma, Cal, Miami and Virginia. MacCalla gives first-year coach Gary Redus a high-energy perimeter player with experience against elite national competition at both the high school and club levels.
"I chose Rutgers because I felt like that was the best place for me to grow and develop," MacCalla told ESPN. "I also felt like I would have the best chance to get on the floor early as a freshman and be able to continue to build confidence in myself. I want the ability to make a direct impact and the room to make mistakes. And I just had the best connection with the coaches all around."
MacCalla averaged 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds across 25 games during her first season at St. James, helping the first-year program earn a berth in the 2026 Chipotle High School Nationals. Playing for Exodus NYC on the Nike EYBL circuit, MacCalla averaged 15.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
MacCalla excels at pressuring the paint, both in transition and in the half court. While it's an unorthodox style, MacCalla effectively combines patience, footwork and ball fakes in the paint. Her shooting range and pull-up jumper are trending in the right direction, but she could become a more complete guard with more reliable 3-point shooting.
An active defender, MacCalla often guards her opponents' top perimeter player. She rebounds near the rim better than most guards in her class and rotates well to block shots; that was on display against IMG Academy at the 2026 Hoophall Classic when she rejected 10 shots.
MacCalla is Rutgers' second 2027 commit, joining No. 77 Emily Forrester. The Scarlet Knights don't currently have a backcourt presence like MacCalla, who should make an immediate impact thanks to her dynamism, length, defensive activity and rebounding.
