NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion women’s basketball has received its first two commitments for 2026 as Ar’jayla Elder and Journee Hampton have chosen the Monarchs to continue their development, ODU head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones announced on Tuesday.
Hampton is the 30th ranked player and Elder is the 38th ranked women’s basketball high school players in Texas.
“Elder and Hampton are two of the best high school guards in the highly coveted state of Texas girls high school basketball,” said ODU Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach Roland Jones Jr. “The projection of these two players are an instant impact to the ODU women’s basketball program.”
“In landing Hampton and Elder, head coach Delisha Milton-Jones and her staff continue to show their strong recruiting ties in the fertile recruiting grounds of the state of Texas,” said Premier Basketball and ESPN affiliate Jason Key. “Hampton and Elder both come from elite high school and club programs and have each played in dozens of elite games at both levels helping prepare them for success at ODU.”
AR’JAYLA ELDER | 5-10 | G | DALLAS, TEXAS | LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL
A native of Dallas, Texas, Elder attends Lincoln High School and has been a four-year varsity player for the Tigers. She saw action in nine games as a freshman and scored 30 points against North Dallas on Jan. 6, 2023 in her third career game.
The guard has played nine games this season and averages 9.1 points per game. Elder’s highest scoring game was a 16-point outing against Ryan High School in a 68-62 win. Her second highest scoring game this season was 14 points against Dallas HSAA in a 60-40 victory.
Elder took a big leap in playing time in her sophomore campaign with 34 games played and scored 10+ points in 20 of them. Her sophomore season high was a 22-point outing against Carter High School on Jan. 19 2024.
She is coming off her junior year campaign where she averaged 13.7 ppg in 38 games. Over her three years at Lincoln she has been a consistent scorer, averaging 12.4 ppg. The incoming freshman guard scored 50 points on Nov. 30, 2024 against DeSoto High School. Elder had four 20+ point games her junior year with 24 10+ point games.
“Elder is an athletic 5-10 knockdown shooter and scorer from Dallas Lincoln (TX), Elder has put up huge numbers on one of the state’s premier high school girls’ basketball programs,” said Key. “Elder’s ability to score along with her elite length and competitiveness will be an immediate fit for HC Delisha Milton-Jones’ program.”
JOURNEE HAMPTON | 5-7 | G | LANCASTER, TEXAS | LANCASTER HS
Hampton is a guard from Lancaster, Texas and is playing varsity basketball at Lancaster High School. She ranks 98th in the nation with 65 field goals made, 16th in Texas, and first in 6A Region II District 11. The incoming freshman is playing her senior season at Lancaster High School.
This season she has played in all eleven of the Tigers’ games and is averaging 15.6 points, 4.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks. She was named Player of the Game three times in a seven-day span when she received the honor on Nov. 8, Nov.13, and Nov. 15 this season.
She played varsity basketball as a freshman for Colleyville Heritage High School where she averaged 10.6 points, 1.7 assists, and three steals in 22 games played. She returned to Colleyville for her sophomore season and played 33 games. Hampton averaged 16.6 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.1 steals.
“Hampton is a dynamic playmaking 5-7 guard out of the powerhouse program at Lancaster HS (TX),” said Key. “Hampton’s ability to create for both her and others as well as make shots will fit nicely into HC Delisha Milton-Jones’ offensive style. A fiery competitor, Hampton has an elite motor and defensive instincts.”
“Both are high level athletes that can score on a high level but will come in and play defense at a high level too,” said Jones. “With high school players, there is always a transition going into college that we see both coming in, making our practices competitive as ever, and getting on the floor providing a spark where it is needed. We are truly blessed to have both in our early signing class.”