Class of 2022 rankings update: Meet the stock risers

The votes are in. The comments have been scrutinized. The debating is done. Now we’ve reached the final update in the Prep Girls Hoops fall rankings reboot – the Class of 2022. This year’s seniors are well-established. Some 36 of the top 37 prospects in the class have already made college commitments – only #16 [player_tooltip player_id="57914" first="Ronnie" last="Porter"] of St. Paul Como Park remains – and the pecking order is relatively static.  Among the Top 25 prospects, just four players moved up and only by one position apiece: <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="147443" first="Lizzie" last="Holder"] of Stillwater (Colorado) (#16 to #15)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57914" first="Ronnie" last="Porter"] of Como Park (#17 to #16)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="30143" first="Katie" last="Hurt"] of Rochester John Marshall (Lehigh) (#18 to #17)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57928" first="Amber" last="Scalia"] of Stillwater (St. Thomas) (#19 to #18)</li> </ul> That doesn’t mean there haven’t been changes overall. As usual there has been a significant amount of movement outside of the Top 50 with a handful of major stock risers and 23 newcomers added to the list. These are the biggest stock risers in the Class of 2022. <strong>+43 –</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="109193" first="Madi" last="Herkenhoff"] <strong>– forward, Albany</strong> The big 6-footer has grown her game in a big way over the past year or so and even more so since we first scouted her in 2018 with DTA Academy in 8th grade. Herkenhoff played a major role last spring in Albany’s run to a Class 2A state high school championship. Over the summer with the Minnesota Comets she showed even more growth which is why Madi rises 43 positions from #112 to #69. Herkenhoff committed recently to St. Cloud State and will do very well at the next level. <strong>+43 –</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="298802" first="Keiara" last="Anderson"] <strong>– guard, St. Cloud Apollo</strong> The 5’9 combo guard made a strong impression in the early part of the AAU season which is how she earned her way into the Top 150 in June. Over the course of the summer with the Comets she looked better and better throughout which is why she has now risen from #146 to #103. Keiara is long and athletic. She is a quality ball handler, has nice court vision, and rebounds well and consistently. All of that impressed NIACC coach Brad Vaught and Anderson said ‘yes’ when he made an offer. Her ceiling continues to grow. <img class="wp-image-208526 size-thumbnail alignnone" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/26_Alyssa-Stamer_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> <strong>+36 –</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="147455" first="Alyssa" last="Stamer"] <strong>– point guard, Hutchinson</strong> It’s about time Alyssa moved up in the rankings. I believe now that we have undervalued the 5’7 senior for a long time as a prospect in this class. She is way better than we have given her credit for and she just keeps on improving. Stamer now rises 36 spots from #93 to #56 which puts her in good company with other strong and somewhat similar point guards such as [player_tooltip player_id="109171" first="Zoie" last="Centers"] of Mahtomedi (Southwest Minnesota State) and [player_tooltip player_id="147454" first="Abbie" last="Riederer"] of Minnesota Valley Lutheran (Upper Iowa). Like those two, Stamer made a D2 commitment by signing on the dotted line with St. Cloud State where she will do very, very well. <strong>+28 –</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="109151" first="Maddie" last="Thorfinnson"] <strong>– guard, Minnewaska</strong> The first time we saw Maddie play with DTA Academy in 8th grade we were super impressed. Sure she was raw but you could see the possibilities ahead. Thorfinnson was ranked in the Top 50 that fall when we first stratified the Class of 2022 on a scale of 1 to 50. Then she kind of dropped off the map and disappeared from AAU competition. Eventually she returned standing 6’1 with a big frame and a whole lot more game which we saw over the course of this summer. That has earned Maddie a rise from #100 to #72 and a commitment to Southwest Minnesota State where she should be an impact player at the next level. <strong><img class="wp-image-187470 size-thumbnail alignnone" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/07/Lily-Niebuhr1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>+28 –</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="109203" first="Lily" last="Niebuhr"] <strong>– center, Chaska</strong> The 6’3 post has put in a ton of work on her game over the years and it’s all coming together now. Her improvement is palpable. Lily had a strong summer with 43 Hoops. In September we wrote that Lily was a candidate for a breakout season and our projection still stands. Obviously Indiana State coach Chad Killinger believes that, as well, because he signed her to a D1 scholarship. As a result of all that, Lily has earned a big jump in her prospect ranking. She rises 28 positions from #95 to #67 and she’s not done yet. <strong><img class="wp-image-209231 size-thumbnail alignnone" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/165_Aliyah-Robran_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>+26 –</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="223914" first="Aliyah" last="Robran"] <strong>– forward, Rockford</strong> The evolution of Aliyah continues as the 5’11 forward raises her stock from #141 to #125. Way back in May we cited Robran’s stock raising performance at the Lake Slam event, which really caught our attention. Over the course of the summer, she kept up that level of play with Stars Vogelsberg, revealing a higher level of potential and earning an opportunity for next year with the University of Jamestown. Robran is a track athlete with a big body and plenty of athletic ability. We like her physicality and aggressiveness but she is also playing more under control now, making better decisions and being more even-keel. <strong><img class="wp-image-209206 size-thumbnail alignnone" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/155_Katelyn-Diegnau_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>+24 –</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="223915" first="Katelyn" last="Diegnau"] <strong>– forward, Granada-Huntley-East Chain</strong> Way back in June Katelyn was among our five biggest stock risers in the Class of 2022 (+48 places), and now she’s done it again. I’m not sure that’s ever happened before. After moving up from #148 to #99 in June, Diegnau now jumps 24 more places, going from #99 to #75. Katelyn is eager to learn and this summer she learned an awful lot about the little details of the game from veteran coach Dan Wolfe of the Minnesota Rise. Katelyn continued to play with the same passion and energy we’ve seen over time and she has a strong desire to be successful at the next level. The 6’1 forward will get that chance thanks to a scholarship from Augustana. <strong>5 MORE NOTABLE STOCK RISERS</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109156" first="Natalie" last="Mikrot"] – guard, Moose Lake-Willow River (UM-Crookston) (+13)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="147446" first="Faith" last="Morris"] – forward, Eastview (+12)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="147450" first="Grace" last="Massaquoi"] – forward, Holy Angels (+5)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109171" first="Zoie" last="Centers"] – guard, Mahtomedi (Southwest Minnesota State) (+5)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="147451" first="Nevaeh" last="Hughes"] – guard, White Bear Lake (Rock Valley CC) (+4)</li> </ul>