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By Kendrick E. Johnson



With a dominant post and perimeter game, Lauren Cox has been considered the best player in the class of 2016 since her sophomore year.



Cox a 6'4" senior forward/center (Flower Mound/Flower Mound, Texas), has consistently been the best on the court since becoming a starter her freshman year. The versatile Cox has averaged a double-double and improved her scoring average every year of her high school career.



By owning both ends of the court, Cox has been ranked the No. 1 player of the 2016 class according to ESPN's HoopGurlz for the last three seasons. During this timeframe, Cox has helped USA Basketball's Junior National Team win two gold medals while leading her high school to the playoffs every season.



“It’s a huge honor; there are a lot of great players out there, and to be named 'the best' is awesome,” Cox said after a recent workout.



The versatile Cox leaves the high school ranks as Flower Mound's and the school district's all-time record holder in every major statistical category.



“I’ve been blessed -- four years of having Lauren has been a blessing,” Cox’s high school coach Sherika Nelson said. “She’s gotten better every year, and that’s what I love about her. Some kids start off the best in the nation, but for three years she has been the best in the nation and that means she’s been putting in work and I’ve been very blessed and honored to coach her for the last four years."





By averaging 21.8 points a game and 12.9 rebounds per game her senior season, Cox finished her career with 2,354 points and 1,652 rebounds.



In addition to her ESPN accolades, she was named the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year for the second consecutive season while receiving the prestigious honor of being named a McDonald's and Jordan Brand All-American.



After putting on another solid performance in the McDonald’s game this past week by scoring 10 points and grabbing 8 rebounds, Cox is now looking forward to the Jordan Brand game, which takes place in two weeks in Brooklyn, New York.



“It’s a good feeling to know that all of my hard work has paid off,” Cox said. “It’s a huge honor to be on a team with other great players from around the country so I’m super excited.”



Despite having UConn, Tennessee, Louisville and Notre Dame in her top five options, the highest-ranked girls' basketball recruit from the state of Texas in recent memory decided to stay in the Lone Star State and play for Baylor University.



At Baylor, she will team up and room with fellow McDonald’s and Jordan Brand All-American Natalie Chou. With college ball slowly moving to her front burner, Cox is focused on doing everything in her power to help bring legendary coach Kim Mulkey and Baylor their first national title since 2012.



“I’m going to have to work even harder than I did in high school,” Cox said. “They have great post players there now, so I’m really going to have to work hard.”

