‘23 Post Winter Rankings Top 10: Mack-11, Fully Loaded

With the winter season coming to a close, it is now time to look at who are the top players heading into the spring! The last few months were very competitive, and many prospects performed at the highest level. The players were ranked based not only on their individual success but also on how their season translated to their teams’ overall performance. Let’s look at the top ten players from the class of 2023.   #1 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405615" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/A2669892-E8DB-4231-BE89-FED8164D9E15-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1648505653-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="266716" first="Mackenzie" last="Nelson"] | St. Luke’s |5’9’’| CG The Connecticut Gatorade Player of the year averaged 22 points, and 6 steals for St. Luke’s and capped off the season with one of the best individual performances I saw in person by anyone in the ’23 class. Nelson went off for 45 points against Brooks in the Championship Game and came within seconds of taking down the best team in New England. Her combination of size, elite athleticism, handle, court vision, and slashing ability on top of her Championship Game performance, made this an easy choice. Also, Nelson competes hard, plays with an edge, and walks around with the swagger like she is the best and owns the court.   #2 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405613" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/3BC0B7A4-FC61-4562-B674-E473B547FC25-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1648505617-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="266805" first="Sophia" last="Vital"] | Tabor| 5’3’’ |PG Vital was the engine to Tabor’s NEPSAC AA Championship run this winter. I have always regarded Vital as the best point guard in the ’23 class, and she again proved it with an excellent season. Vital is special because she doesn’t need to score a ton to be the best player. She conducts the offense at a high level, controls the games’ tempo, and sees the floor beautifully. Vital is also one of the best defenders on and off the ball. Everyone knows how elite she is at pickpocketing opposing guards, but she also is a valuable help-side defender who takes charges.   #3 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405612" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/B65EC9BE-7FA6-44A0-AFBE-FD0E232B0DB7-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1648505546-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="266795" first="Kendall" last="Eddy"] | Brooks| 5’7’’ |CG Eddy solidified her top 3 status in the Nickerson Tournament back in December, where she averaged 27 points against some of the best teams in New England. Eddy’s best performances came against the iron of NEPSAC and some of the top prospects in the region. She completely dominated Tabor on the road by scoring 25 points (20 in the 1st half), scored over 30 points on multiple occasions, and capped off the season by helping Brooks capture the NEPSAC B Championship. On both sides of the ball, Eddy can be the difference-maker, and her efforts this winter were crucial to Brooks’ undefeated season.   #4 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405610" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/48A411AE-C08A-45C7-8F3B-C7DAB86B7AD4-scaled-crop-1290x847-1648505461-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="266710" first="Aoibhe" last="Gormley"] | Thayer | 5’8’’| PG Gormley was another prospect who saved her best performances for the best competition. The NEPSAC Class A Player of the Year was unstoppable towards the end of the regular season as she led Thayer to the #1 seed in the class. Her 31 points against Worcester Academy was her Mona Lisa game. Gormley scored 25 2nd half points and hit the go-ahead three to seal the victory to come from behind and win the game. Intangibly, there aren’t many players better than Gormley. She just knows how to win, and when it is time to take her game up a notch and make big plays, she delivers repeatedly.   #5 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405609" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/704D23E9-C960-4991-90AE-9DEA1DF22AAF-scaled-crop-1706x1121-1648505395-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="267052" first="Oluchi" last="Okananwa"] | Worcester Academy| 5’10’’| CG Okananwa continued to prove that she was the most dangerous slasher in her class this winter. She makes getting to the basket look effortless, and teams had difficulty staying in front of her and keeping Okananwa away from the rim. Her athleticism and quickness are too much for a defense to overcome. Okananawa’s perimeter shooting keeps improving, and she was shooting the three confidently throughout the year. With Okananwa’s defense being one of her biggest strengths, she should be in for a monster spring with her offensive game evolving the way it has.   #6 [caption id="attachment_405608" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/8F48FD11-7304-4B79-84B3-4C65D809E7D3-crop-1537x1010-1648505344.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-405608" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/8F48FD11-7304-4B79-84B3-4C65D809E7D3-crop-1537x1010-1648505344-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: JT Shotz[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="184116" first="Lizzy" last="Gruber"] | Gardiner | 6’4’’| PF Gruber put up astronomical numbers at Gardiner over the winter, which should not surprise anyone. She has consistently dominated the past year since I have covered her and is a no-brainer #1 big in ’23. There is no one in Gruber’s class when it comes to anchoring the defense, post offense, and she also can snipe threes at a high clip. Her size wears teams down, and she is a relentless competitor who keeps attacking.   #7 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405606" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/355718B9-0DE7-48CB-A570-8B7C6FD178AD-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1648505230-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="263910" first="Carys" last="Baker"] | Loomis Chaffee | 6’2’’| SF Baker is arguably the best isolation scorer in the class, and at 6’2’’, is there anyone who can stop her one on one? She is a lefty who can shoot it from the parking lot and handles the ball like a small guard. She has had some big-time scoring performances throughout the year, but her most impressive stretch of games was during the NEPSAC A playoffs. Loomis Chaffee had to go on the road against Choate and Thayer, who were the top 2 seeds in the class, and Loomis won both games. Baker won MVP of the tournament after her 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists against Thayer, which was the icing on the cake; she had season averages of 20 points and 7 rebounds.   #8 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405605" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/A716AC00-565E-4C94-909A-1782AA4FB029-crop-1115x732-1648505196-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="267455" first="Mia" last="Mancini"] | New Hampton |5’7’’ | PG Before the season started, who picked New Hampton to be a top #5 seed in NEPSAC AA? The answer is not many. [player_tooltip player_id="267455" first="Mia" last="Mancini"]’s top 3 points guard play throughout the seasons made everyone believers, and she led New Hampton to the #5 seed and a road playoff win vs. Northfield Mount Hermon. Mancini’s play was remarkable all year long, and she led her team to big wins over Tabor, Dexter Southfield, Proctor Academy, and Worcester Academy, just to name a few. Her leadership, clutchness, and playmaking in these games were incredible, and only two other players at her position played at the same level she did this winter in ’23.   #9 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405601" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/CD6CFE5F-F668-45FD-83ED-BC9362FE0804-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1648504989-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="183924" first="Nina" last="Minicozzi"] | Rivers | 5’8’’ | CG Minicozzi put up big numbers for Rivers and had them on the cusp of a playoff berth in the super-competitive NEPSAC AA. Rivers has one of the youngest cores in their class, so Minicozzi being able to guide them to the brink of a berth, I find impressive. She is one of the best guards when breaking downhill, and her patience and shot selection are admirable. Minicozzi rarely takes bad shots and controls the pace of the game well. She also competes harder than anyone, regardless of class, and her motor is nonstop, which shows when she crashes the glass relentlessly.   #10 [caption id="attachment_405534" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-405534" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/84386645-8622-4814-BF6F-715B23C79D79-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1648495233-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Produced4Soul[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="266787" first="Yirsy" last="Queliz"] | St. Mary’s | 5’5’’| PG Queliz ended the season hoisting an MIAA D3 Championship after hitting the go-ahead bucket to claim victory. St Mary’s goes as Queliz goes, and when she has everything clicking, the team can destroy you. Her shot creation and shot-making are unique, especially at her size. She isn’t a big guard but always finds a way to the rim and is an excellent in traffic finisher. Once Queliz gets in the open court, and the opposing team sees her speed and quickness, it is game over. It takes a special kind of defensive unit to stop Queliz when she is dazzling on the break, and she proved to be unstoppable in that aspect of the game.