Top 2026 recruit Makayla Presser-Palmer commits to Arizona

Top 2026 recruit Makayla Presser-Palmer has committed to Arizona, she announced. The 5-11 guard from Springfield (PA) Northwestern High School chose the Wildcats over offers from Wake Forest, West Virginia, Marquette and more. 

“It was just everything, right?” Presser-Palmer told Rivals. “When I stepped on campus, I just felt home already, and just loved the coaching staff. I knew them for a long time, so they just were great. Just the feeling of just being there and the teammates and everything too – it was just great vibes.”

Head coach Becky Burke just took the Arizona job this offseason, but she recruited Presser-Palmer for a long time when she was at the helm of Buffalo. 

“That just really showed how much she wanted me and wanted to coach me,” Presser-Palmer said. “That was also a factor, just showing how much she cared and truly wanted me. The relationship that we built from just knowing each other for so long has been great, and that’s why it’s so easy to talk to her. It’s just like talking to a friend. It’s super easy to talk to her.”

While her relationship with Burke was a major factor, Arizona checked off all the boxes. 

“Academics is a big thing for me,” Presser-Palmer said. “Just learning and growing academically. Also growing from my freshman year to my senior year as a person and also as a basketball player. I feel like growth is very important for me and she has always grown players at Buffalo.” 

Arizona is getting a versatile, competitive player in Presser-Palmer. 

“I see myself as an all-around player,” she said. “I play wherever anyone needs me to. I feel like I’m very strong and compassionate and want to win. I’m a fast player, getting downhill and everything, and that’s definitely how Coach Burke likes to play. I feel like I’d fit right in. Definitely the toughness, because she’s such a tough coach, which is also great for me, because I need someone that wants to win and she definitely shows that she loves to win.”

While her arrival is still nearly a year away, there’s a lot to be excited about when Presser-Palmer gets to Tucson. 

“The most exciting thing is just the culture and the environment and meeting everyone,” she said. “Just hanging out with my teammates, making new friends there and making a family with my teammates, coaches, and everyone else on campus because when I was there, they seemed so nice.”