By Carson Vercoe | Sports Writer
Baylor women’s basketball announced three signings on Wednesday. The class of 2027 commitments include two five-stars and one four-star, putting the Bears in the No. 3 recruiting class according to 247Sports.
This is Baylor’s first time ranking in the top five for recruiting classes in head coach Nicki Collen’s era. The last time the Bears were ranked in the top five was in 2018, when the “Fierce Five,” which featured NaLyssa Smith, Queen Egbo, Aquira DeCosta, Honesty Scott-Grayson and Caitlin Bickle.
Headlining the class is five-star Miciah “Mimi” Fusilier. Fusilier is from Bradenton, Florida, and is ranked 19th by 247Sports and the No. 1 player in Florida.
“Baylor essentially felt like home the first time I took an unofficial [visit],” said Fusilier. “I loved Coach Nicki and Coach Tez Dumars, and knowing all the other coaches who had been recruiting me at previous schools made it a lot better because I already had relationships with them.”
Fusilier played at IMG Academy and on the USA Basketball 2026 FIBA U18 AmeriCup team. Fusilier helped Team USA go 5-0 and win gold, averaging seven points and eight rebounds. Fusilier was named to the 2026-27 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Girls’ High School of the Year Watch List.
Inking Fusilier was the culmination of a multi-year process for Collen, who had been connected with the five-star for half a decade.
“We have been actively recruiting Mimi for five years, so this is a special day to have her officially a part of the Baylor family,” said Collen. “Mimi is a highly skilled forward with tremendous length and a high basketball IQ. She can make the 3, attack off the bounce, and feed her teammates on offense. Defensively, she wreaks havoc with her length and feel for the game.
Fusilier is one half of a pair of five-stars, as Ogechi Okeke joins Baylor from Missouri City as Texas’s No. 3 recruit and the third-ranked center. She ranks as the 25th player in the nation according to 247 Sports, and espnW ranks her 19th.
She is also named to the 2026-27 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Girls’ High School Player of the Year Watch List. She received offers from Rutgers, Ole Miss, Duke and Notre Dame before committing to Baylor.
Okeke presents a strong force near the hoop on both sides of the floor, standing at 6-foot-4.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ogechi to the Baylor family,” Collen said. “Ogechi is a high-energy, highly athletic, rim-running, rim-protecting forward/center, and we are so excited about how she can develop in our program. She is elite on the low block and will be an explosive screener in our ball-screen system.”
Okeke attends Hightower High School in Fort Bend ISD. She averaged 18 points with 10.7 rebounds in her junior season.
Okeke helped the Hurricanes reach a UIL Class 6A Division II state runner-up in her junior year. She scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the championship game.
Four-star Samari “Cee-Cee” Holmen is the 49th-ranked recruit in espnW’s 2027 class out of Duncanville. She is the seventh-ranked player in Texas and the 10th-best point guard in her class.
“I chose Baylor because of the environment, the program, and the coaching staff,” said Holmen. “I feel like Baylor’s playing style fits me well, and it’s always good to be close to home.
Holeman helped Duncanville reach the UIL Class 6A Division I Region II final with her 16.5 points per game, before being sidelined for the rest of the season. In her freshman season, Holmen was part of the Duncanville team that would become state champions.
“We are excited to welcome Cee-Cee to the Sic ‘Em family,” Collen said. “One of my favorite things about Cee-Cee is that she is a connector on and off the court. She has confidence and swag when she steps on the court and is another in a long line of elite players from Duncanville, Texas.”
The three top-50 players will join a talented Baylor women’s basketball team next winter and look to make an impact as freshmen.
