Mikayla Blakes, an American college basketball player, grew up in an athletic household where her parents and brother played basketball.
She plays guard position for the Vanderbilt Commodores of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and defeated Tennessee in the second round of the 2025 SEC Tournament.
Highlights
- Mikayla Blakes’s father, Monroe, played college basketball for Saint Michael’s in the NCAA Division II and was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
- Her parents reside in New Jersey but attend most of their children’s games, no matter how far.
- Her brother, Jaylen, who plays for Stanford, assured her she was making the right decision in basketball.
Mikayla Blakes began playing basketball at the Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset, New Jersey, and helped her team to reach three straight New Jersey Non-Public B state finals.
During her senior season, she was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game and rated as a five-star recruit.
Later, she committed to playing college basketball for Vanderbilt over offers from Wisconsin, Indiana, UCLA, Stanford, Rutgers, and Tennessee.
On January 2, 2025, Mikayla set a new Vanderbilt single-game record for 36 points by a freshman in a winning match against Georgia. Likewise, she set single-game scoring records for the SEC and Vanderbilt in a game against Florida.
Since Elena Delle Donne of Delaware in 2010, she has the most points in a game by an NCAA Division I freshman and broke her record with 55 points in a winning match over Auburn.
Mikayla Blakes’s Parents Supported Her Athletic Career
Mikayla Blakes, the daughter of Monroe and Nikkia Blakes, was born on December 29, 2005. She undoubtedly comes from a basketball household.
Her athletic background and the family’s support have played a significant role in her success on the basketball court.
Happy birthday to my bestfriend🖤 Thank you for everything and for always supporting me! pic.twitter.com/6yIAQ7pV6s
— Mikayla Blakes (@mikaylablakes) June 16, 2022
Monroe was a high school legend in Philadelphia and played college basketball for Saint Michael’s in the NCAA Division II. He was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
Nikkia Blakes has supported Mikayla’s life, although little public information is available about her.
The Blakes always wished her the best, and they visited several universities until she finally decided on her recruitment. Although they reside in New Jersey, they attend most of their children’s games, no matter how far.
I love watching film. I’ll show film to my brother and my dad and go through the whole game. I love it. I think it has a huge impact (on the court). Just being able to make reads better and seeing our plays.
Mikayla Blakes
Moreover, her parents supported her physically and emotionally when she missed four games in late December with a sprained MCL.
Later, she made a strong comeback and finished the season with 20.5 points per game, 4.63 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 3.7 steals.
We battled through some adversity and some injuries, but our team never lost the fight. We fought through every game and fought through some adversity, and we still had the same goal of ending up in the state championship (game) this year, which is what we did. It’s (unfortunate) that we couldn’t pull it out, but just to even be there with this team was incredible.
Mikayla Blakes
Mikayla Blakes’s Brother Helped Her In Recruitment
Monroe and Nikkia Blakes raised Mikayla alongside her brother, Jaylen, and instilled in them the value of sportsmanship.
Jaylen played three seasons with Duke before joining Stanford after graduation. His experiences assured his little sister was making the right decisions in basketball.
Mikayla was into tap dance, ballet, jazz, and hip-hop for eight years before finding her true passion in basketball.
She had the ultimate role model, her older brother, Jaylen, who had already gone through everything she would soon face, like the recruitment process, visits, phone calls, and finding the right fit.
She kinda started a little late. I know she started in middle school, before she was into band, dance and did track. Once she started going to basketball, she looked at my father and I and our work ethic and what we did.
Jaylen Blakes
Mikayla used to tag along with his brother and father at the court and started growing a passion for basketball. She continued to follow them and ended up working it out.
Her hard work paid off, and she emerged as one of the top high school players in the nation. She used to go to the gym at 6 A.M almost every day at Rutgers Prep.
Mikayla witnessed her brother undergo the recruitment process before she was recruited but was unaware of how difficult it was. She didn’t fully understand the extent until her junior year when coaches could start calling her.
Jaylen was determined to help his sister find the right fit, so he often joined her Zoom calls to listen to the coaching staff. They have a great bond and frequently watch each other play.
Being able to see each other like that, support each other, cause we’re each other’s support system through thick and thin. We’ll go to each other for anything. Just to be able to see all the hard work he’s put in the whole summer, and to just see his confidence and mindset change, to be that best player in the ACC, which he is right now, I’m just so proud.
Mikayla Blakes
Jaylen’s support for Mikayla is unconditional and reciprocated her pride.
She scored the game-winning basket for Vanderbilt with 0.8 seconds left to take down Tennessee just 24 hours after Jaylen scored the game-winning basket for Stanford to earn the Cardinal’s first victory over North Carolina.
They have made their parents proud with her accomplishments in basketball.
It was a beautiful experience. To be able to have both of us there and to play back-to-back, especially with our family there during Thanksgiving, which is a symbol of gratitude, I’m grateful that was the experience. It was meant to happen. I watched her play from the tunnel, and when she came on the court before my game, it was a special moment.
Jaylen Blakes
Additional Information
- Mikayla Blakes is a freshman at Vanderbilt majoring in medicine, health, and society.
- She scored the game-winning shot in a 71–70 win over Tennessee on January 19, 2025.
- She stands 5 feet and 8 inches tall and represented Team USA at the second annual Nike Brand Hoops Summit.
