Class of 2021 — A Further Look

Several players in the 2021 Class have already left their marks on West Virginia high school basketball and beyond. This crop of players may be about to enter the most important year of their careers as the focus will quickly shift from finishing up their junior seasons to preparing for one last opportunity to impress college scouts. Like in all classes beyond seniors, there is plenty of room for movement and still time to garner higher-level college attention. This class is full of talent and potential and both will be further examined below as we take a deeper look. <h3>The St. Joseph Tradition</h3> No program in the state has come close to what St. Joseph Central has accomplished over the past dozen years. The school has won 10 Class A titles and has produced a number of Division I players, including Mychal Johnson, who finished a four-year career at Notre Dame in 2018. With the Irish’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153270" first="Bailee" last="Adkins"]</strong> ranked atop the 2020 heap, there’s plenty of St. Joseph players to be found in this class as well, starting at the top with 5-foot-10 forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153320" first="Grace" last="Hutson"]</strong>. Hutson won the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year Award this season and leads the nationally-ranked Irish in scoring at 19.5 points per game. But 6-0 center <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153326" first="Hannah" last="Roberts"]</strong> and 5-7 guard <strong>Lainey Whitmore</strong> can both be found in this class’s top 10 as well at seventh and eighth respectively. All three also play with the West Virginia Thunder, a club team based out of Huntington that is annually the strongest such team in West Virginia. <h3>What a Difference a Year Can Make</h3> Several players on the list have been making a name for themselves since they stepped onto high school campuses as freshmen. That isn’t the case for them all however, and strong seasons this year helped catapult several not only into the rankings, but in some cases, into the upper echelons of it as well. One such player is 5-5 guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153336" first="Lindsey" last="Garrison"]</strong> of Wheeling Park, ranked 17th in this class. Garrison emerged as yet another dependable 3-point threat for the Patriots this season and with point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153280" first="Shanley" last="Woods"]</strong> (No. 11, Class of 2020) graduating this year, the show could be Garrison’s next year, providing an opportunity for further advancement. North Marion’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153342" first="Karlie" last="Denham"]</strong>, a 5-6 guard ranked 23rd in this class, is another player who emerged while playing in the shadow of a senior -- in this case, the Huskies’ <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153284" first="Taylor" last="Buonamici"]</strong> (No. 15, Class of 2020). Like Garrison, Denham can light it up from the outside and fits right into coach Mike Parrish’s up-tempo, full-court pressing style. A final player who made significant gains in her junior season is Cabell Midland’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153335" first="Autumn" last="Lewis"]</strong> (No. 16). The 5-10 forward led a balanced, young Knights team in scoring (12.5 points per game) and led the squad to its first state tournament appearance since 2014. <h3>The Center of it All</h3> Five of the top 12 players in this class have played center with four of them calling it their primary position. Most notably among these is No. 2 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153321" first="Kaitlyn" last="Ammons"]</strong>, a 6-3 post for Morgantown who plays her club ball for the Philadelphia Belles. Ammons has an arsenal of low-post moves and can also hit outside jump shots when needed, making her a highly-coveted prospect. Parkersburg’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153324" first="Tatianna" last="Popa"]</strong> (No. 5) is the tallest player in this class at 6-5 and has already been drawn interest from the likes of Texas Tech. Defensively, Popa is a nightmare, making drives to the rim nearly impossible for shorter guards. After Roberts at seven, Parkersburg Catholic’s<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="153328" first="Aaliyah" last="Brunny"]</strong> is found at No. 9 and is the most diverse of this group, playing largely at guard despite her 6-1 frame. Brunny can do a little bit of everything and her 3-point range, ball handling ability, size and rebounding instincts make her one of the more intriguing prospects in this class. Finally, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153331" first="Mady" last="Winters"]</strong> of Magnolia (No. 12) has flashed the extent of her potential before, perhaps most notably a performance of 45 points and 12 rebounds in the Class A state tournament a year ago. She’s likely the strongest of this group and though injuries have hampered her at times during her career, she possesses plenty of ability to translate at the next level.