’22 Rankings Update: Watchlist Players on My Radar

Bash Hudson

June 12, 2021 @ 07:00 AM

Prospects outside of the top 100 have had moments this spring that stood out to me and have me excited to continue to watch them this summer. These players, as of late, have shown development in their game that can help elevate their team in July and could potentially have them included in the September Rankings update. Below are just a few players I will be keeping my eye on in the next couple of months.   [player_tooltip player_id="263817" first="Teagan" last="Curran"] - Bay State Jaguars/Tabor - 6’0’’ - SG/SF <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-296825" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/01/IMG_8666-crop-408x268-1623460371-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Curran was battling an injury all spring, so I did not get a chance to see her play until the New England Showcase 2 weeks ago. Last weekend at the Zero Gravity Nationals, I thought Curran played well and showed her versatility on both sides of the floor. Curran has good instincts on defense and reacts well when the ball moves. She is quick to get in help side position, can switch and defend inside and out, and has active hands using her wingspan to cut off passing angles. I like what Curran brings on offense, too. She seems comfortable handling the ball and initiating offense for the Jaguars and makes good decisions when moving the ball. Curran has a reliable jump shot with range extending beyond three that she shoots confidently. As the summer progresses and Curran gets more games under her belt and into her rhythm, she can be a top 50 caliber player because of her size and versatility on both sides of the ball. https://x.com/teagancurran21/status/1399897729715916801 [player_tooltip player_id="263940" first="Tatiannah" last="Fevry"] - Evolution/Dracut - 5’6’’ - CG <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-296828" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/06/IQHyqE4jQGqDmkqoYp3Bg-scaled-crop-1457x957-1623460931-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Fevry has the potential to be a game-changing lockdown defender. She is a tremendous athlete who makes up for her lack of size with lateral quickness. Her ability to stay in front of guards and alter shots is why you can slide her over at the 2 from time to time. Fevry’s impact on defense goes beyond just her on-ball defense, as she has shown consistency on the glass. She is relentless rebounding the basketball, and her eye-popping vertical leap is displayed when she skies for boards. The past few weekends, I have noticed her aggressiveness on offense when creating her own shot. Fevry looks more fluid and confident shooting off the dribble, and as that part of her game continues to develop, she can become a very solid two-way combo guard.   [player_tooltip player_id="263948" first="Libby" last="Harris"] - Team Saints/Brewster Academy - 5’3’’ - PG <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-296829" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/05/26740864_Unknown-crop-964x633-1623461056-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> I am a huge fan of Harris because she is an unselfish player who digs in on defense. Harris is undersized, so to make up for that, she gives maximum effort on every possession and makes the most of her minutes on the floor. She has a high IQ on offense, moves the ball well, and makes quick decisions. I like how the ball never sticks with Harris and, after she passes, isn’t stagnant. During the Zero Gravity Nationals, Harris was lights out from three. She was sniping from all around the arc, and it is an encouraging sign for the Saints because Harris is another flamethrower on the team you have to account for every possession. She was efficient and had good shot selection. So if she can consistently knock down perimeter shots moving forward, it increases her stock. https://x.com/hannah_smith_20/status/1399081911088209926 [player_tooltip player_id="266760" first="Anna" last="Stone"] - MT Elite Ducks/Whitman Hanson - 5’10’’ - PF <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-296830" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/eb0W3tfmTRaIzJ8PWvRZQ-scaled-crop-1204x791-1623461082-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Stone’s progression this spring is sneaky and flying well under the radar. During the New England Showcase, three plays involving Stone caught my attention and had me intrigued to watch her this summer. Against the Bay State Jaguars, on three consecutive possessions, point guard [player_tooltip player_id="263929" first="Riley" last="Griffin"] and Stone ran handoff action on the wing that ended positively. The first time Stone caught the ball inside the arc on the wing, she handed off to Griffin and popped for a three that she buried nothing but net. They ran the same action the next possession, but Stone faked the handoff, turned, and attacked the paint with her off-hand. She got called for a travel on the play, but I loved how assertive Stone was and how well she read the defense, and made a smart, aggressive basketball move. On the next offensive possession Stone handed off and popped, which resulted in another three. Why were these plays significant? Because all spring long, I have viewed Stone as a defensive specialist. She is very physical and is valuable to muscle up bigger forwards, but I was unfamiliar with her offensive game. What I saw at the New England Showcase was a player who has earned the trust of her point guard to be a reliable option to run plays through, a confident three-point shooter, and an athlete who is starting to get a good feel for the game on offense. Suppose those three plays can be building blocks for her development. In that case, Stone can turn into an extremely valuable forward that defenses have to respect, ultimately making the Ducks a stronger team.