Winter Rankings Review: 2025 Front-Liners
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Thursday we released the Winter rankings update for the Class of 2025. There were more than 25 new additions, plus a few players who raised their “stock”, so to speak, so subsequently there was some movement throughout the list. I…
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Continue ReadingThursday we released the Winter rankings update for the Class of 2025. There were more than 25 new additions, plus a few players who raised their “stock”, so to speak, so subsequently there was some movement throughout the list. I wanted to take this time to circle back and address all of the ranked prospects, position by position. Below is a look at 39 power forward and center prospects who make up 26.0% of the rankings this time around, with analysis on a handful to “keep an eye on” detailed at the bottom.
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NEW ADDITIONS:
Zion Belcher-Arill Zion Belcher-Arill 6'2" | PF Campbell Hall | 2025 CA , South Bend Washington – Recent move-in from Michigan; has size, strength, skill, and athleticism.
Andrea Benefield Andrea Benefield 6'0" | PF Westville | 2025 State IN , Westville – Put together a solid Freshman campaign; can score inside or in the mid-post.
Brynlee Clarke Brynlee Clarke 6'0" | PF Northview | 2025 State IN , Northview – Long, wiry-strong, fluidly athletic forward, can play both inside and out.
Nina Garner Nina Garner 6'0" | SF Munster | 2025 State IN , Munster – Long, bouncy, and active front-liner. More of a rebounder/defender type.
Claire Payne Claire Payne 6'1" | C NorthWood | 2025 State IN , NorthWood – Skilled front-liner, can play with her back to the basket or shoot it to 15-feet.
Alivia Peoples Alivia Peoples 5'11" | C Anderson Prep | 2025 IN , Anderson Prep – Athletically strong frame, physical/likes contact, and good scoring it around the block.
Alyson Peters Alyson Peters 5'11" | PF Batesville | 2025 State IN , Batesville – Nice all-around ballplayer; saw quality minutes as a Freshman. Can play in or out.
Sophia Saucerman Sophia Saucerman 6'1" | C Eminence | 2025 IN , Eminence – Extremely long and wiry, some bounce as well. Working on skill away from the basket.
Rylea Wetz Rylea Wetz 5'10" | PF Seeger | 2025 IN , Seeger – Tipton transfer plays with skill and versatility at all three levels. Nice all-around athlete.
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KEEP AN EYE ON:
Not many people on a statewide level are familiar with Ava because of her lack of grassroots play, but she is a nice talent who continues to improve. She has a great frame, with length, strength, and nice bounce. She has good hands and establishes position around the block with relative ease. She can finish at the basket consistently, and she has developed multiple scoring moves this year. Defensively, her height, length, and ability to get off the floor make her a great rim-protector. The next step for Ava is to continue developing her jump-shot in the mid-post and short corners.
Olivia started as a Freshman, but with the graduation of a number of 2022 prospects, she has found herself in a much bigger role offensively. In half of a season, she has already taken as many shots as last year, and she’s averaging nearly double her scoring average from her rookie year. She has good strength, a great motor, and she’s a solid all-around athlete. She can knock down the 15-footer or post smaller defenders on the block, plus she does a nice job on the boards and can come out on the floor a little and defend most forwards effectively.
Highlights
I realize it’s a little redundant to suggest keeping an eye on the top post prospect in this class, but Avery just continues to improve each week. Not only does she have immense size and strength, but she has good hands and length, she keeps the ball high, and she is really grasping the skill it takes to score around the block at the next level. She has already acquired a number of high-major Division-I offers, and she has several more schools interested. If she continues developing at this trajectory, she could be a real nightmare by her Senior year, and even at the next level.