Butler High School senior Jaelynn Penn, a top contender for Kentucky’s 2017 Miss Basketball award, announced she has decomitted from the University of Dayton.
Penn said her decision was based on last week’s announcement that Dayton’s Jim Jabir was stepping down after 13 seasons as head coach. Shauna Green, a former assistant at Northwestern, was named the Flyers’ new coach on Sunday.
Penn, a 5-foot-9 guard, originally committed to Dayton last September. Last season she averaged 14.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in helping the Bearettes win their second state title in three seasons. She shot 59.3 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 71.3 percent from the free-throw line, was named the MVP of the Sweet 16 and earned first-team All-State honors from The Courier-Journal.
Penn said “I don’t have a list right now,” but added that, “I’ll probably go out of state.” She said she will continue to consider Dayton and that Indiana and South Carolina are other schools that have expressed interest in the past.
“I’m just taking my time right now,” Penn said. “I’m not sure if I’ll sign in the fall or the spring. If I sign early, it will happen. But I’m not pushing to sign early.”
Butler likely will enter the 2016-17 season as the No. 1 team in the state after losing just two seniors from last season’s 31-5 squad.