Five Underrated 2023 Forwards

With Prep Girls Hoops New Jersey’s 2023 prospect rankings out, it’s time to talk about all of the names on the list, not just those at the top. That means showing some much-deserved attention to those players who have snuck up the rankings this season. Here are five underrated forwards in the 2023 class you should keep an eye on. <strong>No. 40: [player_tooltip player_id="397076" first="Iriona" last="Gravley"] - PF, Williamstown</strong> Gravley built off a solid sophomore season with Williamstown and put together a tremendous junior year that included a 13/8 average and strong defensive numbers. She’s become a force among forwards in the Tri-County Conference and has found a solid niche for herself as the go-to playmaker for the Lady Braves. We’ll watch her development when it comes to her defensive presence as her blocks per game declined this season. She has become a more mobile player overall, so hopefully, she’ll find her groove back and get to shots more consistently. <strong>No. 53: [player_tooltip player_id="321597" first="Shannon" last="Tighe"] - SF, Wayne Hills</strong> Tighe had a massive increase in production as a junior, averaging 11.0 PPG, nearly 3.5 PPG more than her highest scoring output thus far in her career. That shows just how much better she’s become as a player overall, especially her shot selection mixture. Roughly 18 percent of Tighe’s offense comes from three and 70 percent is from inside the arc. She really found her stride in the paint and in her midrange game. While she doesn’t need an increase in three-point production simply because of her ability to create space with her size. That’s the key to her success moving forward on Wayne Hills. <strong>No. 31: [player_tooltip player_id="321564" first="Nia" last="Scott"] - 6-1 PF, Shawnee</strong> We had the ability of seeing Scott numerous times during conference and postseason play, and she’s really turned the corner as an agile forward. Shawnee as a whole has become one of the best teams in the region, thanks to production from players like Scott. She’s active in the lane on both sides of the ball and attacks the rim as well as any forward in the region. Scott, off the pick-and-roll, is an impressive watch and we’ll be looking to see if she can tweak her game more in the summer. <strong>No. 65: [player_tooltip player_id="404221" first="Haley" last="Higgins"] - SF, Monroe</strong> Higgins benefits from playing on one of the best teams in the central/northern part of the state in Monroe. It’s also important to mention that her playing time this season has increased dramatically, allowing her to shine from beyond the arc. Higgins has turned herself into a reliable three-point shooter and from that, she’s established herself quickly on the floor. She hit nearly 1.5 threes a game as a junior and with her quick feet and smooth release, she’ll be getting much more open next season to boost that total up. <strong>No. 25: [player_tooltip player_id="321596" first="Julia" last="Schutz"] - 5-11 SF, Immaculate Heart</strong> In one season, Schutz was able to more than double her scoring output from the two years prior and made three-times as many three-pointers as those two seasons combined. Those kind of stats show quite a progression in a player, one that we saw especially with her three-point shooting, something she worked on in the offseason. She showcased that she could expand her game to allow for another dimension in her game to manifest itself. Additionally, her inside game improved tremendously and she used her height to her advantage often. That brought with it a much better approach on the glass and a large increase in steals.