2023 Rankings Update: What’s new in the Top 25?

When we revamped the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2024 rankings last week, the Top 25-30 spots got a complete makeover and there was a ton of movement. It was a lot. If you have had a gander at the revised 2023 rankings since they were released yesterday, however, then you know how far you had to scroll down the list to see any changes at all. In fact, positions 1 through 11 are completely unchanged. Led by [player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"] of St. Michael-Albertville, the standouts are still the standouts among the best 2023s. This is what the Top 10 looks like. <strong>THE TOP 10</strong> <ol> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"] – guard, St. Michael-Albertville</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108298" first="Taylor" last="Woodson"] – forward, Hopkins</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108348" first="Nunu" last="Agara"] – forward, Hopkins (Stanford)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108301" first="Kennedy" last="Sanders"] – guard, Chaska (Colorado)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108304" first="Maren" last="Westin"] – guard, Becker (UW-Green Bay)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108306" first="Kennedy" last="Klick"] – guard, Maple Grove</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108302" first="Molly" last="Lenz"] – guard, Eden Prairie (Illinois State)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108307" first="Savannah" last="McGowan"] – forward, Robbinsdale Armstrong</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108321" first="Aby" last="Shubert"] – guard, Kasson-Mantorville</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108300" first="Clara" last="Glad"] – wing, Rogers</li> </ol> Although the Top 10 remains unchanged – #11 [player_tooltip player_id="108312" first="Abby" last="Krzewinski"] of Wayzata is still in place, as well – that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been some significant movement in the rest of the Top 25. Today we’ll give you a rundown of what’s happened at the north end of the list. On Friday we’ll tell you about the biggest stock risers, including monumental move-ups from the likes of [player_tooltip player_id="302286" first="Audrey" last="Jakway"] (Mounds Park Academy), [player_tooltip player_id="302273" first="Abby" last="O’Reilly"] (Plainview-Elgin-Millville) and [player_tooltip player_id="148339" first="Bre" last="Frazier"] (Robbinsdale Cooper). And on the weekend we’ll bring you all of the pertinent info about the 32 newbies who find themselves in the rankings for the first time with the list now expanded to 180. <strong>MOVING UP IN THE TOP 25</strong> <strong>#12</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="108315" first="Sophi" last="Hall"] – The 6’1 guard/wing from Holy Family rises four positions from #16 to #12. Sophi has been a very nice player for a long time, but this year the long and lanky Hall raised her game to a whole other level. She played with more intensity, with a greater commitment to defense, with a lot more confidence on offense, all while having that same deep burning desire to win. Hall had a stellar summer with Fury 2024 UAA, and plenty of college coaches around the country took notice. Sophi said ‘yes’ to Providence College of the Big East and the basketball fans of Rhode Island will most definitely be glad that she did. <strong>#14</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="108309" first="Ella" last="Johnson"] – The 6’2 forward from Elk River, who has committed to Montana State, moves up one position from #15 to #14. Ella has been hovering around just outside the top dozen or so athletes in the class from the first time we ranked this group back in the fall of 2019. Over the course of two years, however, Ella’s game has grown by leaps and bounds and so has she. Johnson is very, very long. Now she’s smooth and faster than you think. She is more physical, makes better decisions, plays through contact more effectively and guards players of all descriptions. Having proved herself against the best players in the country, Johnson has made it obvious why we put her so high in the first place. Potential has become reality. <strong>#16</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="108316" first="Taryn" last="Hamling"] – The 5’9 guard from Grand Rapids rises one position from #17 to #16. She was the first player in the Class of 2023 to announce her verbal commitment. It wasn’t surprising when she said ‘yes’ to North Dakota State where her sister <strong>Heaven Hamling</strong> is a star attraction. It wasn’t surprising when she landed in Division 1, either, because she has always been a gifted athlete. And it wasn’t surprising over the past couple of years to see Taryn’s star continue to rise, because that potential has always been there and she has put in the work. Even better, we get to watch Taryn do more of the same for an additional two seasons, and that never gets old. <strong>#17</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="302254" first="Vanessa" last="Saidu"] – The 6’2 forward from Park Center has been one of the most pleasant surprises of 2021. The uber-athletic junior burst onto the scene last winter with the Pirates, often showing flashes of brilliance that made everyone stand up and take notice. By summer she was turning heads across the region, enough to earn her way into the prospect rankings for the first time, all the way up at #25. Vanessa’s growth has continued into the fall everywhere we have watched, and her ceiling continues to rise. Now Saidu takes an 8-position jump to #17 and the Division 1 opportunities are looming. Players of her height, leaping ability, willingness to learn and desire to improve simply don’t come around very often. <strong>#19</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="108317" first="Shantell" last="Harden"] – While Saidu may have emerged out of nowhere during her sophomore season there was no such surprise out of Shantell. Much like our wait for the emergence of Johnson, we have seen this level of greatness coming from Harden for a long, long time, and have been patiently awaiting its arrival. Consistent improvement has been the modus operandi for the 5’11 forward from St. Louis Park. Every year she has gotten better, more confident and more effective. Shantell is subtle. She’s smooth. She’s gifted. And she’s graceful. Now she is also a Top 20 prospect having risen 5 positions to #19. There’s no telling just how high Harden can go now. <strong>NEW TO THE TOP 25</strong> <strong>#25</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="302256" first="Avery" last="Koenen"] – Just one player enters the Top 25 for the first time, and she travelled a long, long way up the ladder to do it. If you have been following along the past few months then it will not come as a shock to learn that the 6’2 forward from Montevideo has earned a spot with the best of the best. Avery has been one of the great stories of the year. From unknown commodity to intriguing player to quality prospect to Division 1 commit. It has been quite the ride. Koenen recently accepted an offer from North Dakota State. Avery entered the rankings for the first time in June at #54 and now makes a monumental 29-position leap to #25. Unlike most of the name prospects, however, Koenen has relatively limited experience playing with and against elite level talent so we’re still not sure how she will fare long-term against the country’s best. Time will tell, though, and we will definitely be watching. <strong>OH SO CLOSE</strong> One player who didn’t quite make it into the Top 25 is 6’1 forward [player_tooltip player_id="148340" first="Shannon" last="Fornshell"] of Wayzata, who has had a stellar autumn. Shannon has put it all together this year and continues to impress with her improvement. Prep Girls Hoops offers a lot of opportunities for players to showcase their talents and Fornshell is among those prospects who have made the absolute most of it in 2021. Her performance at the Top 250 Expo in October was outstanding. Her play at the Fall Exclusive over the past month offered more of the same. The lengthy forward is brimming with confidence and we are fired up more than ever about what is possible with her size, skill and physical presence. That’s why Shannon moves up 16 places from #42 to #26 and there’s still plenty of room for improvement.