2023 rankings update: Who are the biggest movers?

[caption id="attachment_209016" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-209016 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/166_Ava-Privet_1-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="186117" first="Ava" last="Privet"], Caledonia[/caption][player_tooltip player_id="186117" first="Ava" last="Privet"] made a big splash to begin the summer, thrusting herself into the spotlight down in Iowa at the end of June and making it obvious she was going to be a headline-worthy talent. Conversely, [player_tooltip player_id="186142" first="Nicole" last="O’Neil"] eased her way into the conversation, improving her performance steadily week after week over the course of the AAU season, gradually collecting believers along the way. Ultimately, they both ended up in a similar place as Privet and O’Neil launched themselves up the ladder and into the Top 50 in the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2023. As a result, we are pleased to report that Nicole and Ava are the two biggest stock raisers in the fall rankings update. The Prep Girls Hoops rankings are based on a player's potential in college basketball, not on their current performance, and both O'Neil and Privet have shown they are solid candidates for scholarship programs. Privet, an enticing point guard from Caledonia, moves up 46 spots from #80 to #34. O’Neil, a big guard from Rosemount, catapults 47 places up the rankings – the largest single jump in this update – as she rises from #97 to #50. Both will most likely play at the collegiate level but the skills and abilities that will get them there are very different. O’Neil is probably best-known for her shooting. She get it up in a hurry and scores at a good clip. Her older sister Larisa, now graduated from Rosemount, is one of the best three-point bombers we have seen in recent years, but Nicole’s game is quite different. The separator is size. Nicole is about 5’10. She has length and a solid frame. Big guards aren’t easy to find, but O’Neil is much more than a catch-and-shoot player and she can perform effectively in spots 2 through 4. Nicole can get to the rim and finish with either hand. She uses her length to defend and rebound well. She has nice court vision and is a good passer. Although O’Neil may not have blinding speed she is quick enough to get where she needs to be when she needs to be there. Minnesota Stars coach Josh Hersch calls O’Neil “a game changer.” Hersch recognized Nicole’s potential, recruiting the sophomore away from Fury 2023 Yellow for his top Stars squad where she joins fellow newcomers [player_tooltip player_id="108345" first="Brynn" last="Senden"], the top-30 guard from Wayzata, and [player_tooltip player_id="148335" first="Camryn" last="Smith"] of Spring Lake Park, who comes over from FBC North. You’ll note that both Senden and Smith are also included among our best stock raisers in this rankings update. The 5’9 Privet is a very different player from O’Neil. She is an outstanding combo guard. In high school to date she has largely been parked in the corner to launch rockets, a task she has executed rather well for the Warriors of Southeastern Minnesota. This summer she ran the point for the Playmakers, and that’s where her potential really showed. Ava has very light feet, among the lightest we have seen in the class. She practically floats around the offensive half of the court, picking and choosing her spots and directing the offense, all the while waiting patiently for the right opportunity to pounce. With a quick first step and a burst of elevation Privet gets airborne and the ball is more than likely heading for the cylinder. In June we named Privet one of our five breakout players at the Great 8 Showcase in Ames. In July she made her rankings debut at #80. At the Battle for Mom we watched her go head-to-head with 2024 talent [player_tooltip player_id="178266" first="Angel" last="Hill"] in one of the more intriguing one-on-one match-ups of the summer. She made our AAU All-Star Team for 2023s and was on the All-Expo Team at the Top 250 in October. Clearly the secret is out and the Wisconsin Playmakers guard is probably not done rising yet. <strong>Who else made a major move among the 2023s?</strong> While O’Neil and Privet were making meteoric progress among the class of 2023 college prospects, there were a total of nine players who rose by double digits in the rankings plus three more who moved up nine places. We already mentioned Smith, who had a standout summer. She now elevates 16 spots north, rising to #51. Also up 16 is forward [player_tooltip player_id="148338" first="Grace" last="Counts"] of Providence Academy and the Metro Stars. Here are the top 15 biggest stock raisers. Up 47 – #50 [player_tooltip player_id="186142" first="Nicole" last="O’Neil"] – 5’10 guard/forward, Rosemount (Stars 2023 Hersch) Up 46 – #34 [player_tooltip player_id="186117" first="Ava" last="Privet"] – 5’9 guard, Caledonia (Wisconsin Playmakers) Up 16 – #40 [player_tooltip player_id="148338" first="Grace" last="Counts"] – 6’0 forward, Providence Academy (Metro Stars) Up 16 – #51 [player_tooltip player_id="148335" first="Camryn" last="Smith"] , 5’7 guard, Spring Lake Park (Stars 2023 Hersch) Up 14 – #79 [player_tooltip player_id="186137" first="Kylie" last="Diaz"] – 5’10 forward, Spring Lake Park (FBC North) Up 12 – #60 [player_tooltip player_id="148340" first="Shannon" last="Fornshell"] – 5’11 forward, Wayzata (Metro Stars) Up 12 – #70 [player_tooltip player_id="186119" first="Ayla" last="Brown"] – 5’7 guard, Becker (Comets Elite) Up 11 – #64 [player_tooltip player_id="148342" first="Juliana" last="Ewald"] – 5’5 guard, Pillager (Stars 2023 Knight) Up 10 – #69 [player_tooltip player_id="186116" first="Ella" last="Hopkins"] – 6’1 forward, Rochester Lourdes (So. Minnesota Fury) Up 9 – #10 [player_tooltip player_id="108321" first="Aby" last="Shubert"] – 5’7 guard, Kasson-Mantorville (Fury 2023 UAA) Up 9 – #30 [player_tooltip player_id="108345" first="Brynn" last="Senden"] – 5’5 guard, Wayzata (Stars 2023 Hersch) Up 9 – #35 [player_tooltip player_id="108338" first="Dani" last="Nuest"] – 5’6 guard, Becker (Comets Elite) Up 6 – #29 [player_tooltip player_id="108330" first="Karlee" last="Fisher"] – 5’7 guard, Armstrong (Suns Blue Star) Up 6 – #41 [player_tooltip player_id="108341" first="Anna" last="Lenzen"] – 5’9 guard, Chaska (Fury 2023 Premier) Up 5 – #52 [player_tooltip player_id="148319" first="Olivia" last="Harazin"] – 5’7 guard, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial (MN Rise) <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: Minnesota Stars teammates [player_tooltip player_id="108345" first="Brynn" last="Senden"] (Wayzata) and [player_tooltip player_id="186142" first="Nicole" last="O’Neil"] (Rosemount) are moving up.</em></span>