2023 rankings update: Who raised their stock the most?

A player’s junior year of high school is a big one when it comes to recruiting. In a perfect world, the summer before 11th grade will have been solid, the hard work will be paying off, the athlete will be getting noticed, and the process will be playing out the way they want it to. For the 10 athletes profiled here, that is exactly what’s happening. That’s why they are among the biggest stock risers in our update of the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2023 rankings. Six of the 10 girls weren’t even ranked one year ago and did not enter the list until June. The work they’ve done since that time is particularly impressive, which is why [player_tooltip player_id="302286" first="Audrey" last="Jakway"], [player_tooltip player_id="302273" first="Abby" last="O’Reilly"], [player_tooltip player_id="302257" first="Taylor" last="Johnson"], [player_tooltip player_id="302263" first="Pearla" last="Teko-Folly"], [player_tooltip player_id="302283" first="Olivia" last="Walsh"] and [player_tooltip player_id="302260" first="Tori" last="Miller"] have risen between 17 and 68 positions apiece in this latest update. Here’s the scoop on all 10 big stock risers. <strong>TOP 10 BIGGEST STOCK RISERS</strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-338622 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/247-Audrey-Jakway-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> <strong>+68</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="302286" first="Audrey" last="Jakway"] – Any way you slice it no player in Minnesota has improved more in the past year than Jakway. The 6’0 forward from Mounds Park Academy has been a workhorse, attending every tryout, every showcase, every workout available, and the growth in her game that has resulted from that is nothing short of remarkable. She is now a legit stretch-4 who can hammer it out with the best of the them down low and step outside to knock down shots with ease. Her foot speed, quickness and mobility are all much better than one year ago, too. That’s why she rises an incredible 68 places from #149 to #81 in just four months. <strong>+55</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="302273" first="Abby" last="O’Reilly"] – Like a lot of big forwards, it took some time for things to come together for the 6’1 junior from Plainview-Elgin-Millville. Last summer you could see the potential; this summer you could feel the progress. That’s why O’Reilly entered the rankings at #139 in June and why she takes a 55-step leap forward now to #84. Abby has a big body with wide shoulders and a solid stance. She can be a commanding presence inside and has now stretched her abilities significantly beyond that. We loved what we saw from Abby at the Minnesota Rise Invitational. So did they, apparently, because she has signed on with the club for 2022. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338639 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/266-Taylor-Johnson-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> <strong>+42</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="302257" first="Taylor" last="Johnson"] – Of all the big stock risers this time around, none has improved her status more than Johnson. A year ago she was a complete unknown who spent the summer with her horses. In the spring she was a big girl with a Division 3 skillset. Today Taylor is a bonafide Division 1 prospect with a roster spot on the North Tartan EYBL squad for the summer of ‘22. It’s all quite remarkable, but Taylor’s commitment to improvement, focus on skill development, and willingness to listen and learn and travel the countryside in search of opportunities is going to pay off in a big way. Johnson entered the rankings in June at #75 and now rises 42 spots to #33. At 6’3 the world is her oyster. <strong>+41</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="148339" first="Bre" last="Frazier"] – The agile 5'7 point guard from Robbinsdale Cooper rises an impressive 41 positions from #83 to #42. This adjustment was long overdue and that’s on us. Bre is a talented floor general with terrific handles, nice feet, a quick first step and high on-court intelligence. This move puts her in the same ballpark with a lot of similar guards ranked in the 40 to 50 range, including [player_tooltip player_id="108320" first="Kelly" last="Boyle"], [player_tooltip player_id="108325" first="Sydnee" last="Nelson"], [player_tooltip player_id="108331" first="Nicole" last="Lillard"], [player_tooltip player_id="108330" first="Karlee" last="Fisher"], [player_tooltip player_id="148325" first="Emily" last="Bowron"] and [player_tooltip player_id="108329" first="Jhanae" last="Green"]. All are next-level prospects with a ton of potential. College coaches can pick and choose based on the specifics they are seeking. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338628 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/255-Maraya-Wiltrout-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> <img class="alignnone wp-image-338625 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/251-Evelyn-Wiltrout-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> <strong>+27</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="220837" first="Maraya" last="Wiltrout"] &amp; [player_tooltip player_id="220838" first="Evelyn" last="Wiltrout"] – The Wiltrout twins are a package deal and what a package they are delivering to our doorstep now. We like the term ‘all-in’ to describe players who are 100 percent committed to the process, who live and breathe the nuts and bolts of the long, hard journey to college basketball. There’s no question the Wiltrouts are ‘all-in.’ The 6’2 Maraya (left) and 6’1 Evelyn (right) have worked so hard on their individual skill development and the improvement is palpable. By combining that work ethic with substantial size, strength, physical presence, and competitiveness, the power forwards from Cambridge-Isanti have earned a rise from #112/113 up 27 spots to #85/86. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338588 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/205-Pearla-Lynn-Teko-Folly-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> <strong>+27</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="302263" first="Pearla" last="Teko-Folly"] – At 6’2, with a ton of length and a substantial infusion of athletic ability, there is no reason why Teko-Folly should not excel at basketball. And that is exactly what she is doing! Her improvement over the past six months has been remarkable. Over the course of the summer a lot of people came to watch 43 Hoops McCoy to see the now 17th-ranked [player_tooltip player_id="302254" first="Vanessa" last="Saidu"] do her thing. They no doubt ended up, as we did, being impressed by her teammate. Pearla is a quality rebounder and shot blocker whose footwork and shooting improved a lot this year. She really made a positive impression at the Top 250 Expo. Now rising from #133 to #106, there’s a ton of room for growth in the near future. <strong>+24</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="302283" first="Olivia" last="Walsh"] – The buzz around Olivia has been building gradually over the past year or so, both with her high school team in Austin and then over the course of the summer when she played up a year for Keefe Zelinkski’s Southern Minnesota Fury 2022. Every time we watched the 5’10 junior play she was better than the time before. She may have been the most athletic player on the team which is how she blocked shots, committed steals, forced turnovers, grabbed rebounds and constantly attacked the basket. Walsh is now a much-more polished player and her rise from #146 to #122 reflects that. We would expect her progress to continue at a rapid clip. <img class="alignnone wp-image-208570 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/183_Ayla-Brown_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> <strong>+20</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="186119" first="Ayla" last="Brown"] – What a year it has been for the energetic guard from Becker. After watching her emerge as a solid varsity contributor in the 2019-20 high school season, Brown had a very strong summer of 2020 with Comets Elite. Last winter, in the abbreviated high school season, she got even better and capped the year with her team winning state. What we saw from Alya this summer, though, was a whole different deal. Over the past year she’s gone from unranked to #82 to #70 to #59 and now into the Top 40 at #39. Today, Ayla is a legit scholarship-level prospect with plenty of suitors and a well-deserved reputation for consistent excellence. <strong>+17</strong> – [player_tooltip player_id="302260" first="Tori" last="Miller"] – Our final big-time stock risers is the 5’10 forward from Goodhue who left an indelible impression on us week after week all summer long. Tori consistently led her Minnesota Rise team in scoring. She was usually up there in rebounding, too. She was a constant source of energy, both on the floor the and on the bench. And she used her big, athletic body to make life miserable for opponents of all descriptions. Tori was an honorable mention for our AAU Newcomer of the Year Award. She made her debut in the rankings at #100 in June and now she rises 17 more positions to #83. The best is yet to come.