Meet SLAM’s 2018 High School All-Americans. We spent an afternoon with the top seniors — Christyn Williams, Charli Collier, Destanni Henderson, Aquira DeCosta, and NaLyssa Smith — for our annual photo shoot.
For a complete breakdown of each player, see the bios below.
Christyn Williams
Central Arkansas Christian Schools (North Little Rock, AR)
SG, 5-11
UConn
Williams, a three-time Gatorade State Player of the Year, helped lead her squad to a 36-1 record and the Class 4A state title this past season. She averaged 26.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Recognized by many as the top-ranked prospect in the Class of 2018, the 5-11 guard also claimed the Naismith and Morgan Wootten Player of the Year awards.
Charli Collier
Barbers Hill (Mont Belvieu, TX)
F, 6-5
Texas
Collier tallied 3,539 points and 1,406 rebounds during an amazing prep career, averaging a monster double-double this past season while leading her team to a 38-3 record and a trip to the Class 5A, Region 3 tournament semifinals. She averaged 30.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game. The 6-5 forward had originally committed to UConn before deciding to take her talents to Texas.
Destanni Henderson
Fort Myers High (Fort Myers, FL)
PG, 5-9
South Carolina
Henderson helped lead the Green Wave to a third straight state title after claiming the Class 7A state championship this spring. She averaged 15.2 points, 6.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game for Fort Myers (14-15), who only finished under .500 because the team had to forfeit 11 wins. Nonetheless, the 5-9 guard heads to South Carolina with multiple titles under her belt.
Aquira DeCosta
St. Mary’s (Stockton, CA)
F, 6-3
Baylor
DeCosta is a walking double-double and she proved it this past season when she averaged 18.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks per game as a senior. She’s part of a monster recruiting class for Baylor that will feature five incoming freshmen all ranked among the top 30 players in the Class of 2018, including fellow 2018 SLAM All-American NaLyssa Smith.
NaLyssa Smith
East Central (San Antonio, TX)
F, 6-2
Baylor
Smith helped the East Central Hornets make their first appearance in the regional tournament since 1997 this past season. She averaged 23.4 points, 13.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. Aside from the impressive numbers, the San Antonio area native is also known for having been throwing down dunks since her sophomore year. Only a matter of time before she starts banging on the rim at Baylor.
Photos by Ricky Rhodes.
RELATED
Introducing SLAM’s 2018 High School All-American Boys 💯
