‘24 Winter Rankings: New Energy

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Some new faces cracked the ’24 Rankings. A handful of them made it into the top 50. Below are some of the newcomers to the list. </span> &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="361079" first="Lana" last="McCarthy"] - Bedford - 6’3’’ - PF</strong> <strong>Rank: #16</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">McCarthy is different from most players in her class because she is the only prospect who can dominate a game with her back to the basket. Her footwork and finishing ability with either hand makes her unguardable down low. I saw McCarthy play once this fall, and she draws a lot of fouls when battling inside. She is an excellent free-throw shooter, enhancing her dominance in the paint. McCarthy is a strong rebounder who keeps the ball high when ripping it downoff the glass, and she rim runs well. Expect McCarthy to have a monster season at Bedford this winter.</span> &nbsp; <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-362960" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/41900140-C330-4815-A6A9-5B6543110576-crop-1537x1010-1639076500-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="352571" first="Keyvanna" last="Bennett"] - Suffield Academy. - 5’10’’ - SF</strong> <strong>Rank: #30</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">It took me watching Bennett play one time at the Connecticut Top 30 Showcase to know where she should be placed in these rankings now; but more importantly, I could gauge her ceiling moving forward. Bennett is a special kind of athlete. She runs the floor like a horse, has excellent vertical, plays inside/out, all while being a little undersized. Bennett is a prospect I will watch and learn more about this winter because if she shows the offensive repertoire that some of her peers ranked higher at her position, then Bennett will be a top 20 lock. </span> &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="282806" first="Avery" last="Romps"] - Portsmouth - 6’0’’ - CG</strong> <strong>Rank: #35</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Romps is the kind of player I like. Big guard, maximum effort every possession, runs the floor hard on the break, and can shoot the lights out. She is very efficient scoring in transition and has the size and athleticism to finish strong in traffic.  I’ve only seen Romps in person once this past fall, but I could tell by how she moves east to west and her hustle that she is a solid defender. My gut tells me that Romps should be higher on this list. Therefore, this winter, I’m going to keep an eye on her because I think she has the potential to be one of the best two-way players at her position. </span> &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="340757" first="Amelia" last="Polichetti"] - St. Mary Bay View Academy -  5’8’’ - CG </strong> <strong>Rank: #41</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Polichetti is an absolute workhorse. She arguably is one of the better-conditioned athletes I have seen. If you watch her off-ball, Polichetti will run her defenders to death. She never stops moving and, upon receiving the ball, is always aggressive, looking to score. Polichetti is a long and athletic guard who plays bigger than her 5’8’’ frame. She has also shown the capability of being a consistent scorer at all three levels. </span> &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="362015" first="Jayla" last="Comes"] - Minnechaug - 5’10’’ - SG</strong> <strong>Rank: #57</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Comes is an intriguing prospect who I got the chance to watch play at a showcase in Springfield a couple of weeks back. I thought she was one of the best players who participated and jumped out at me during the drills and stations. Physically, Comes has all the tools. Adding her tight ball handling to the size and strength creates a huge matchup advantage for her on the perimeter. I like Comes upside; she is one of the most underrated players in the ’24 class.  </span> &nbsp;