Previewing the PGH prospect rankings update

It’s that time again, time to update the Prep Girls Hoops prospect rankings. It has been awhile since we last did this – far too long! Normally we update the rankings three times a year: Once in the winter during the high school season, once in the spring during the early part of the AAU campaign, and once in the fall after the Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo. This year, thanks to a less-than-perfect storm of circumstances, there was no winter update. With the late start to the high school season, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across the community and on a personal level, we ended up delaying until now. It has certainly been worth the wait. The number of players who have grown their games since the last update eight months ago is remarkable. Ditto for the number of new players who have made their mark at a higher level for the first time. This has made the rankings process more laborious but we think the results will fairly reflect their improvement. Of course not everyone will be happy. That’s always the case. The ranking of prospects isn’t a science, after all, and everyone has a different opinion about a player’s abilities and potential. Some value one set of assets more highly than another. That’s why we try to involve a large number of people in the process. During every rankings cycle we draw on the opinions of basketball people from across the state, from high school and AAU coaches and club directors to college coaches at all levels, from basketball-smart observers and our own scouts. This year we welcome our new scouts/writers Rudy Ruffin and Tony Ragulen to the process for the first time. If you have been around the girls game in Minnesota for some time then you know how the process works. If not, here are a few important things to know about the Prep Girls Hoops rankings.

Players are ranked for the first time during the fall of their freshman year. Last week we released a watch list of 20 incoming freshmen. In the fall we’ll put out the Freshmen 50 which will rank the best 2025s for the first time. Mid-winter we’ll add another 25 names to that list and next June we’ll expand it to 100 players. By the time the players reach the end of their sophomore year the list will have expanded to 150 names. Because the depth of the talent pool has become so rich in Minnesota, we’ll be going beyond 150 juniors and seniors. Try as we might, there are simply too many good prospects out there now to hold it at 150.
You can’t pay your way into the rankings. Unlike some rankings of college prospects, there is no way to buy a spot in the rankings, no way to achieve a higher ranking by making a payment. It is strictly based on merit, not whether you signed up for a profile or paid for an evaluation.
Affiliation with a particular AAU club or shoe circuit won’t give you a leg up. Unlike other rankings websites, which are tied to an AAU club or clubs in one way or another, Prep Girls Hoops is wholly independent.
We try not to favor players from one AAU club over another. While playing for a more high-profile team will get you seen earlier, it won’t ultimately help you make it into the prospect rankings. We try to cover all of the teams, from the major franchises that have 30 squads to the one-off independents who may have just one real prospect on their roster.
We cover players from across Minnesota. With the vast expansion of online viewing options this season, we were able to watch more players from the farthest reaches of the state than ever before. Our network of observers has also expanded and we feel pretty confident that we are looking at the best players in Minnesota.
We watch a ton of basketball. Personally, I see more than 150 high school teams every year and more than 200 games. I spend at least 20 hours in the gym at every AAU event. We attend showcases, summer and fall league games, and other exhibition contests. I try to go to a lot of practices, as well, because you can learn an awful lot about a player in that setting. Although it is impossible to see everyone, we try.
AAU basketball is really, really important if you want to make the Prep Girls Hoops rankings. It is, after all, the place to see and be seen. Players who don’t participate in AAU are passing up the best exposure opportunity possible. If you really want to play at the next level you need to make every effort to participate in at least a few events. I always say that trying to get exposure by playing only on your local high school team is like shopping at the mom-and-pop store down the street while playing AAU basketball is like going to the Mall of America. It’s where the college coaches and scouts are, and they are shopping!
Everyone wants to know what we are looking for in a player who deserves to be ranked. It’s pretty simple really: 1. Athleticism, 2. Size, 3. Ball-handling skills, 4. Shooting ability, 5. Basketball IQ, 6. Defensive understanding, 7. Communication, 8. Effort level, 9. Toughness, 10. Intangibles such as body language and parental involvement. We should really write a separate piece about this and we will.
Finally, the most important point: The Prep Girls Hoops rankings are designed to identify the best COLLEGE PROSPECTS. They are NOT ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL This one is always challenging for readers to digest. We know it is difficult to understand how a guard who scores 15 or 20 points a game in high school can be ranked at #125 and a lanky forward toiling away on the junior varsity can be in the top 25. This scenario happens every year, and the reason is simple – the things that make a player successful in high school or not necessarily the same as what will make them successful in college. There are 5’8 and 5’9 power forwards in high school who average a double-double, but there is a very small market at the next level for that type of player. The same is true of 5’3 guards if they don’t have elite quickness and skill. A couple of years ago we had a player make the top 15 in the Freshmen 50 who had barely made her high school’s JV roster, but she was a 6’2 14-year-old with length, skill and athleticism. Today she holds Division 1 offers and will be getting many more. So let me repeat: this is about COLLEGE PROSPECTS, not high school players.

The 2021 rankings are final So that’s it. That’s how it works. Last week we posted our final rankings of the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2021. Most of this year’s graduates who are going to play collegiate basketball at the Division 1 level are now on campus. They’re taking classes and training with their teams and are no doubt having an eye-opening experience already. The Division 2 and 3 players will follow in August. In the final rankings, Utah commit of Duluth Marshall moved up from the #5 spot to #3, capping off a remarkable rise from #24 in her final two seasons of high school basketball. Also in the top 10, of Albany (South Dakota State) rose from #12 to #9. Among the other stock risers in the top 25 were of Becker (Eastern Illinois) from #21 to #19, of Glencoe-Silver Lake (Eastern Illinois) from #24 to #22, of Waconia (Iona) from #26 to #24 and of Rosemount (Oakland) from #28 to #25. A number of prospects had a great senior year which helped them make a sizeable jump. Some of these included:

Peyton Blandin Peyton Blandin 5'8" | SG Farmington | 2021 State MN of Farmington (Southwest Minnesota State) rose 8 positions from #44 to #36.
Macy Holtz Macy Holtz 5'7" | PG P-E-M | 2021 State MN of Plainview-Elgin-Millville (MSU-Moorhead) rose 13 places from #66 to #53.
Gina Stefferud Gina Stefferud 5'10" | PF Champlin Park | 2021 State MN of Champlin Park (Minot State) continued her remarkable rise with an 18-place jump from #83 to #65.
Haley Hawkinson Haley Hawkinson 5'8" | CG Hibbing | 2021 State MN of Hibbing (Minnesota-Duluth) rose 32 spots from #102 to #70.
Sarah Kingland Sarah Kingland 5'11" | SF Owatonna | 2021 State MN of Owatonna (MSU-Moorhead) improved from #142 to #71.

Coming up The Class of 2022 rankings update is complete and will be posted on Wednesday. We have expanded the list of elite incoming seniors to 160 players this time around. The current #1 player in the class is Arizona commit of Hopkins/FBC Real. We are down to the final decisions in 2023 where (St. Michael-Albertville/Metro Stars) currently holds the #1 position and well into the process for 2024 where (Benilde St. Margaret’s/Minnesota Fury), who just made the Team USA U16s, is #1. The first ranking of the Class of 2025 will take place this fall.