North Fulton Today

Georgia Tech women’s basketball head coach Nell Fortner on Dec. 15 announced that the program has signed forward Kayla Blackshear, a freshman transfer from Alabama.

According to a program-issued press release, the 6-foot-1 Blackshear will enroll at GT next month and will be eligible to play for the Yellow Jackets the fall of 2022.

Fortner’s familiarity with his team’s latest addition dates back to a few years ago.

“I’m so excited to have Kayla as a part of our team,” the coach said in the release. “We recruited Kayla out of high school and developed a strong relationship with her and her family.”

Blackshear, whom Alabama recruited out of Florida’s Lake Highland Prep, logged three games in which she averaged five points and three boards for the Crimson Tide.

“Everything works out how it is supposed to, and we’re excited to have her join our family at Georgia Tech,” Fortner said in the release. “Kayla is a high motor player and a hard-working student-athlete. We can’t wait until she is able to compete with us on the court.”

According to the release, Blackshear was ranked the No. 75 overall recruit in espnW’s 2021 class in 2020.

She averaged 11.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting nearly 42% from the field for the Highlanders.

A huge contributor in the frontcourt, Blackshear helped Lake Highland Prep win the Florida High School Athletic Association’s 4A State Championship in 2020, the release said.

Blackshear’s best game at Alabama was the Crimson Tide’s 109-32 blowout victory over Charleston Southern to open the 2021-2022 season on Nov. 9 in which she chipped in nine points and six rebounds in 16 minutes of action.

Basketball is a big part of the Blackshear family, according to the university.

Her parents played the game as students at Stetson and her two brothers had collegiate careers of their own.