Skip to main content

Long before she played her first varsity minute in the Arlington High School girls basketball program, Jenna Villa had a major scholarship offer in her back pocket.

And on Friday, she decided to cash it in.

Villa, a 6-foot-1 guard who is listed as the No. 63 recruit in the country in the 2023 class by ESPN.com, announced on social media she would sign with the Washington State Cougars.

"Washington State was my first offer in eighth grade," Villa said. "They never wavered in their belief in me."

Villa appears to be the type of guard the Cougars prefer - long, rangy with unlimited shooting range.

As part of the 2022 class, they signed two more in-state shooters with deep range - Raymond's Kyra Gardner and Mount Si's Lauren Glazier.

And yet, Villa admitted it wasn't an easy decision among WSU and her other co-favorites, Gonzaga and Utah.

"Academically, Utah was a better path," Villa said. 'But fit of family, and the basketball side was more important."

The reigning 3A/2A Wesco player of the year arrived home Tuesday after her final AAU tournament with Tree of Hope's top team where she led the squad in scoring.

"I needed to figure this out, so I just began to look inside myself, and sat with my parents - and we kind of decided together," Villa said. "But ultimately, that decision is on me."

Villa averaged 21.0 points and 9.5 rebounds last season as a junior, and was named to SBLive WA's all-classification, all-state second team.