Class of 2022 Breakdown, Analysis

Several sophomores put themselves on the map over the course of this season, paving the way to continue individual and team success in the years to come. A class that is defined by potential, there is also an influx of talent among sophomores in the Mountain State. All of the players on the list have worked and continue to work to refine their skills. There is plenty of room in this class for other players to break in and also for players already ranked to continue to move up. Here is a look at the class and some players to watch this summer and beyond. <h3>Perimeter Production</h3> While the 2020 and 2021 Classes are largely defined by post players, the 2022 Class is heavily defined by its guards. The entire top five, 12 of the top 13 and 16 of the top 18 players play around the perimeter and it starts at the top with Fairmont Senior’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153370" first="Marley" last="Washenitz"]</strong>. A product of the West Virginia Thunder, Washenitz introduced herself to the state with a strong state-tournament appearance a year ago as the Polar Bears claimed a Class AA crown. After losing the bulk of that roster, Fairmont Senior is back in the state tournament this season, thanks in large part to the continued development of Washenitz. At 5-foot-9 and equally as comfortable slashing to the rim as she is spotting up for 3, Washenitz’s offensive game is well rounded and her defensive tenacity has been there since her first minutes under coach Corey Hines. The top five in this class have already produced at a high level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153371" first="Dionna" last="Gray"]</strong> of St. Joseph (No. 2) is a 5-3 guard playing on a nationally-ranked squad and should be ready to take over more responsibility when <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153270" first="Bailee" last="Adkins"]</strong> (No. 1, Class of 2020) graduates this spring. Logan’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153372" first="Peyton" last="Ilderton"]</strong> (No. 3) averaged 21.2 points per game this season after a huge freshman year, and has already shouldered a heavy load in her two years in high school. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153373" first="Amya" last="Damon"]</strong> of Greenbrier East, ranked fourth in this class, is the tallest of this group at 5-9 and her length combined with solid ballhandling skills as well as a knack for getting to the rim allows her to take over games for the Spartans. Finally <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153374" first="Leslie" last="Huffman"]</strong> (No. 5) has already started in a state championship game for Parkersburg Catholic. Standing at 5-8, she’s already the leading scorer for the Crusaderettes at 18.8 points per game. <h3>Players to Watch</h3> With a large number of these players just beginning to find roles on varsity squads, some may not quite have a reputation befitting their skill level just yet. This is especially true in the Mountain State, where schools tucked in rural areas can also be a bit overlooked. However, there are plenty of players in this class that may not be stealing front-page headlines just yet, but could be in the very near future. Here are a a few such players. <strong>No. 13 [player_tooltip player_id="153382" first="Kaylea" last="Baisden"] -- Tug Valley -- G</strong> Stuck in a region with St. Joseph and Parkersburg Catholic, Tug Valley’s strides over the past couple seasons have been largely below the radar as the top two teams in Class A have eliminated it before the state tournament. Baisden took a massive leap as a player this season, pushing her scoring average to 19.8 points per game as the Panthers won 18 games. Next season, classification realignment will move St. Joseph to Class AAA, freeing up Tug to start garnering more deserved, statewide attention. Here’s guessing Baisden will do the same. <strong>No. 14 [player_tooltip player_id="153383" first="Olivia" last="Ziolkowski"] -- Woodrow Wilson -- F</strong> At 6-0 and plenty athletic, Ziolkowski has all of the physical tools to be a difference maker. With seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153281" first="Liz" last="Cadle"]</strong> (No. 12, Class of 2020) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153289" first="Victoria" last="Staunton"]</strong> (No. 20, Class of 2020) set to graduate, plenty of production will be up for grabs and Ziolkowski is a safe bet to assume some of that. Her measurables have already garnered college attention and with a little further development and more opportunity, Ziolkowski could be poised to make a giant leap in the next year. <strong>No. 24 [player_tooltip player_id="153393" first="Hollie" last="Blair"] -- Chapmanville -- F</strong> Blair will also be the beneficiary of a team losing a significant amount of scoring production, in this case, four senior starters. That leaves Blair as the lone returning starter but at 6-0, she’s strong enough to shoulder the load. After a bit of a slow start, Blair scored in double figures in 13 of the Tigers’ final 15 games and remained a force on the glass where her offensive rebounding helped give Chapmanville extra possessions. The Tigers have a lot of questions to answer next season, but power forward isn’t one of them. <strong>No. 27 [player_tooltip player_id="153396" first="Abbie" last="Myers"] -- Logan -- PG</strong> Myers herself was a Tiger at the beginning of the year but transferred to Logan after just a couple of games, ending her season due to transfer rules that require players to sit out a year. Myers is one of the best ballhandlers in this class, but is largely unknown after being largely stashed on the deep bench at Chapmanville behind the aforementioned large group of upperclassmen. Along with Ilderton, Myers will help give Logan one of the best backcourts in all of Class AA next year and while Ilderton’s is already a name well known in West Virginia girls basketball, Myers’ may soon be as well.