2024 Rankings Update: Meet the newcomers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>12/12 UPDATE: Due to a clerical error (my bad!) we forgot to include [player_tooltip player_id='520282' first='Olivia' last='Kesti'] in our rankings update. She has been added to the list as intended and a profile has been added below. Sorry Olivia!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much like a bottle of fine wine, it can take basketball prospects some time to age properly, transforming themselves over the months and years into something worth waiting for. This is particularly true when it comes to size extra large post players. Take [player_tooltip player_id='478913' first='Anna' last='Stromberg'], for example. No, she hasn't been stashed away in an oaken barrel in some nondescript warehouse in Napa Valley. Rather, Stromberg has been hidden in plain sight over at Legacy Christian Academy honing her game, growing into her 6'3 frame and adding to her skill set piece by piece. Today we are pleased to welcome Anna as the highest-ranked newcomer among the 12 fresh faces being added to the Prep Girls Hoops prospects rankings for the first time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just a reminder that the PGH rankings are a measure of a player's stature as a college basketball prospect, not their current level of performance. There's a big difference between the two things and it plays out in many different ways every time we update the rankings. Keep that in mind as we unveil the updated Class of 2024 rankings. We are pleased to introduce you to the dozen newcomers including the top overall additions in more detail.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":563702,"width":450,"height":450,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/12/Anna-Stromberg-Graphic.jpg?w=900" alt="" class="wp-image-563702" width="450" height="450" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: <a href="https://x.com/LCA_GBB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter/LCA_GBB</a></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#74</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='478913' first='Anna' last='Stromberg'] <strong>– forward, Legacy Christian Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Want to know how to get better? Put up some shots. Lots of shots. Hour after hour. Day after day. Week after week. Do that until it adds up to 28,113 shots taken over the course of the summer. As the Legacy Christian graphic/photo above illustrates, that's what Anna did. Has it paid off? You bet it has. The Anna we see today has come so far from the player of a year or two ago. It's remarkable really. At 6'3, with a wingspan that's even longer, Stromberg has the dimensions that cause every scholarship-level college coach to perk up and take notice. And now she is developing the skills and confidence to match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Legacy Christian coach Nate Lindholm is impressed by how much Stromberg has improved over the past 9 months. “She has grown to a legit 6'3” now, and her coordination and confidence is starting to catch up to her drive and height,” he said of his star attraction, who had AAU opportunities for 2023 with some of Minnesota's top programs. “She literally had coaches raving about her after tryouts and contacting me to get a feel on how to recruit her for their programs.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest improvement we've seen from Stromberg is probably her footwork in the post. Her touch around the basket has also gotten better. She's getting up and down the floor at pace, crashing the glass for rebounds, and using her exceptional length to deflect and block shots. “Her work ethic is unmatched,” Lindholm said, “and she will only continue to grow as she extends her range out to three and continues to get stronger in the weight room.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As a result of her efforts, Stromberg has seen a big spike in recruiting interest, all the way to the Division 1 level. “I couldn't be more impressed with her work ethic and her passion to improve,” Lindholm said. “She is a true under-the-radar prospect.” Not anymore!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anna's high school season has certainly started off right. In the Lady Saints' first game she put up 30 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks. She followed that with a 31-point, 22-rebound performance. Simply put, most small Class A programs have nobody who can match up with Stromberg. Not even close. Granted, the opposition wasn't the most difficult. Can she produce similar results against higher quality opponents? We'll find out next spring and summer when Stromberg joins the top 2024 squad at Legacy Hoops, the rebranded 43 Hoops program led by Demondi Johnson, who appears to have landed himself another gem. Anna will get plenty of opportunities to prove herself on a much bigger stage and we look forward to seeing the fruits of her labor in action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are four more newcomers of note.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":563727,"width":400,"height":263,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/12/Ella-Duevel-2-crop-3226x2118-1670618847.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-563727" width="400" height="263" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#86</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='563248' first='Ella' last='Duevel'] <strong>– forward, Foley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ella's story is somewhat similar to Anna's. At a legit 6'4 Duevel is even bigger. When we watched her this summer with the Minnesota Comets, Ella was matched up against big <strong>Jaiden Haile</strong> from West Fargo, ND, who made a name for herself in AAU with Starks Elite. Haile is an elite prospect, and certainly a good measuring stick for other big posts. Duevel did well. The pair battled hard and Ella demonstrated just how far her game had come since we saw her last Christmas at the Granite City Classic. Like Stromberg, Duevel has improved her footwork in the paint, her touch around the rim, and her overall skill set. She still has a ways to go but Ella will definitely garner a lot of interest in the year ahead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":522757,"width":512,"height":384,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/10/Olivia-Kesti-scaled.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-522757" width="512" height="384" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#94</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='520282' first='Olivia' last='Kesti'] <strong>– forward, Spring Lake Park</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Olivia made quite an impression this summer and fall. The improvement in her level of play was palpable. At the Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo she was nothing short of outstanding. Kesti's skills have certainly improved, a testament to the time and effort invested on her part. She handles it better, shoots it better and is making much better decisions on the court. While Olivia's defending has always been good, her offense is now catching up. The biggest (and best) change, however, is the exponential increase in Olivia's confidence level. At 6 feet tall with a big frame, Kesti is clearly a college prospect. How high she can go remains to be seen but we suspect she may soon find herself in scholarship territory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":522227,"width":512,"height":341,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/10/113-Cady-Davis-scaled.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-522227" width="512" height="341" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#125</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='520264' first='Cady' last='Davis'] <strong>– guard, Minneapolis Roosevelt</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are plenty of players who have used the high-profile platform provided by the Prep Girls Hoops national circuit as an opportunity to test themselves against good competition and raise their stock in the process. Count Davis among them. The feisty 5'7 guard from Minnesota Diamond Elite has a solid frame, a ton of strength for her size, and a motor that does not quit. She demonstrated that again at the Top 250 Expo where we saw her ball handling, poise under pressure and defensive tenacity. Cady can put the ball in the basket and was among her Diamond Elite team's leading scorers and rebounders this summer. Like her fellow Teddies [player_tooltip player_id='339197' first='Olivia' last='Wren'] and [player_tooltip player_id='461348' first='Jaida' last='Walker'], Cady earned All-City honors last winter. If you like old-school, hard-nosed guards who have passion and presence, Davis needs to be on your watch list.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#134</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='563249' first='Samantha' last='Johnson'] <strong>– forward, Wayzata</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wayzata Trojans have one of the deepest rosters in the state making it tough to work your way into the varsity rotation. That also means that Wayzata's JV could win a varsity conference championship pretty much anywhere in the state. That's thanks to players like Johnson, a highly-skilled 6-foot wing with tons of length, nice touch and the ability to make three-point baskets from pretty much anywhere. In summer ball we've seen her light it up from beyond the arc for Minnesota Stars Zabel. She comes from a big basketball family – her sister is <strong>Jenna Johnson</strong> of the University of Utah – and Sam has a nice feel for the game. When Johnson's commitment to defense and physicality catch up to her offensive skills, she will no doubt rocket up the rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>THE REST OF THE NEWCOMERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#178 [player_tooltip player_id='339211' first='Atlantis' last='Brown'] – 5'7 guard, Park Center</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#179 [player_tooltip player_id='563250' first='Autumn' last='Lanari'] – 5'8 guard, Maranatha Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#180 [player_tooltip player_id='563251' first='Ruby' last='Massie'] – 5'7 guard, St. Louis Park</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#181 [player_tooltip player_id='563252' first='Halle' last='Winjum'] – 5'6 guard, Crookston</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#182 [player_tooltip player_id='563259' first='Maddy' last='Mitchell'] – 5'9 guard, Holdingford</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#182 [player_tooltip player_id='563260' first='Isabel' last='Larson'] – 5'9 guard, Pequot Lakes</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#184 [player_tooltip player_id='563261' first='Brooklyn' last='Sturm'] – 5'9 guard, Springfield</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> #185 [player_tooltip player_id='563262' first='Josie' last='Schmidt'] – 5'7 guard, Belle Plaine</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->