Final 2023 rankings: Last-chance stock risers

An awful lot can happen in four years. That's the span of a player's high school career and the lifecycle of the Prep Girls Hoops rankings process for an individual graduating class of players. Today we mark the official end of our evaluation of the Class of 2023, this year's graduating seniors. It's always difficult at this time of year as high school teams are eliminated from championship contention and players come to the harsh realization that this segment of their life is done. Ample tears and heartfelt hugs are par for the course. For us it means one last update of the rankings to recognize those players who have improved over the course of the winter and deserve a final bump up the list.   We're adding 15 players now, bringing the total number of ranked prospects in the Class of 2023 to 240. Although there have been plenty of changes from top to bottom since these players were first rated as freshmen in the fall of 2019, what's remarkable is how little has shifted in the Top 25. Of the first 25 rated players on that initial ranking in 2019, 20 of them are still in the Top 25. Given that this isn't a science, we think 80% is a pretty good evaluation rate through nine update cycles all things considered. In the Top 10, there are eight of the originals still present. The only two who weren't there back at the beginning were Illinois State commit [player_tooltip player_id='108307' first='Savannah' last='McGowan'] (#9) of Robbinsdale Armstrong, who was #11, and Xavier commit [player_tooltip player_id='108321' first='Aby' last='Shubert'] (#7) of Kasson-Mantorville who started at #25. Guess we missed on Aby way back when!   Among the elite prospects who didn't make that first ranking were #16 [player_tooltip player_id='302256' first='Avery' last='Koenen'] of Montivideo (North Dakota State), who came out of nowhere in the summer of 2021; #17 [player_tooltip player_id='148340' first='Shannon' last='Fornshell'] of Wayzata (Drake), who found her coordination and confidence in 2020; and #18 [player_tooltip player_id='302254' first='Vanessa' last='Saidu'] of Robbinsdale Cooper (undecided), who appeared on our radar for the first time in 2021 and made her debut at #25.   There are just two changes in the Top 50 in this final update as Maple Grove post [player_tooltip player_id='108336' first='Audrey' last='Kormann'] rises from #37 to #34 and Austin forward [player_tooltip player_id='302283' first='Olivia' last='Walsh'] improves from #52 to #49. Audrey has had an outstanding senior season for the Crimson. She'll play Division 1 basketball next season for the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Walsh, who is one of the most athletic prospects in the class, has improved every year and will be a great collegian. She's heading to the University of Minnesota-Crookston in the D2 Northern Sun Conference.   THE TOP STOCK RISER   +47 [player_tooltip player_id='436101' first='Lily' last='Peper'] – forward, Roseville   It's never too late to make a great impression. Lily is a classic late bloomer, a long, athletic forward who didn't rise to prominence until this winter. Last year at this time she was basically unknown to college coaches and had played a minor role on varsity. We let a few of them know they should be paying closer attention. Fast forward to this season and Peper has been an absolute beast for Roseville. She's shown so much next-level potential and has had a ton of schools in pursuit over the last couple of months. Lily has size, length, rebounding ability and can shoot the three with a high degree of success. She rises 47 positions to #116.   THE BIG CORRECTION   +37 [player_tooltip player_id='339135' first='Elizabeth' last='Wagner'] – forward, Luverne   Let's issue a big Mea Culpa right now. We definitely missed the boat on Liz until the past couple of months. Perhaps you can cut us some slack because the Wagner sisters play in Luverne, which isn't exactly a high profile high school program. (Thanks to a greatly enhanced presence on social media that is now changing in a big way.) We also didn't see enough of Liz in AAU. No excuses. That's on us. Thank goodness head coach Tom Webb over at Southwest Minnesota State was on the ball. He signed Wagner some time ago and there's no doubt that the 6'1 all-state forward will do well in Marshall. We're late to the party here but are now moving Wagner up 37 spots to #63.   5 CONSISTENT PERFORMERS   +32 [player_tooltip player_id='186129' first='Kayla' last='Kallenbach'] – guard, Orono   We have always loved Kayla's game but she stopped playing AAU a long time ago and let it be known that she wasn't planning to play college basketball. In those cases we like to keep a player in the rankings in case they change their mind but they are ranked lower than would otherwise be the case. In Kayla's situation, if she announced today she wanted to play in college she would immediately jump up another 30 spots. The crafty, competitive guard is just really, really good. We're bumping her up to #103 because she deserves it.   +32 [player_tooltip player_id='302269' first='Jada' last='Bierschbach'] – guard, Rocori   Jada is a fierce performer with fast feet, quick hands and a competitive streak that runs really, really deep. This kid plays with passion every time she steps on the floor. Not the biggest player on the court, Jada plays larger than her size on a regular basis, and there's no arguing with her ongoing production. This girl can score the basketball and has north of 1,275 career points to show for it. Bierschbach will get the opportunity to prove herself at the next level when she enrolls this fall at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. She moves to #104.   +32 [player_tooltip player_id='339225' first='Taylor' last='Sodeman'] – forward, St. James   The versatile 5'11 guard/forward offers a real physical presence and can play the game with pace, score the basketball in large numbers, and compete with top players on a consistent basis. That was enough for Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa to find a roster spot for Sodeman, who has the skillset to excel at the NAIA level. If continuous improvement is a measuring stick that matters – and it does! – then Taylor has met expectations and more. That's why she rises 32 spots to #105.   +32 [player_tooltip player_id='302277' first='Kendyl' last='Queensland'] – guard, Grand Meadow   Plenty of attention has been directed this winter at sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='550004' first='Lauren' last='Queensland'] in Grand Meadow thanks to her marked improvement. Not to be overlooked, however, is her senior sister Kendyl who continues to lead the Superlarks with poise and consistency. Kendyl is a well-rounded, highly versatile performer with length, athleticism and IQ. We've had her too low on our list for a long time – sorry Kendyl – but are moving the elder Queensland up to the Top 150 before she heads off to Gustavus in the fall.   +30 [player_tooltip player_id='186114' first='Keeley' last='Steele'] – guard, Stewartville   Every winning team has a player like Keeley in their lineup, the under-appreciated grinder who shows up early, stays on late and plays the game with the kind of grit and tenacity coaches love. She's got speed and skill and is capable of scoring as necessary. Stewartville is loaded with talented players, but we can say with confidence that the Tigers would not be in the position they're in to get to State without Steele's immeasurable contributions. That's why we're bumping her up 30 places to the Top 100. It's a promotion that is long overdue.   OTHERS OF NOTE   Here are a few more players in the Top 100 who have raised their stock:   +20 [player_tooltip player_id='186134' first='Jenna' last='Kluxdal'] – The 6'0 forward from Jordan rises 20 positions to #62. She'll play at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa   +15 [player_tooltip player_id='302260' first='Tori' last='Miller'] – The 6'0 forward from Goodhue is a beast on the boards and a 1,000-point scorer. Her potential at the next level is immense. Miller moves up 15 places to #61.   +15 [player_tooltip player_id='474481' first='Abby' last='Berge'] – The versatile guard/forward from Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa made a name for herself on the State Tournament stage. She rises 15 spots to #68 and will play at MSU-Moorhead.   +15 [player_tooltip player_id='302263' first='Pearla' last='Teko-Folly'] – The 6'0 forward from Rosemount has flourished in her final season of Class 4A high school basketball. Wait ‘til next year when she's at Iowa Wesleyan. Pearla moves up 15 places to #80.   +13 [player_tooltip player_id='339134' first='Christina' last='Wagner'] – The 6'0 forward from Luverne has grown her game over time and will continue to improve with her sister at Southwest Minnesota State. She rises from #99 to #86.   +7 [player_tooltip player_id='436099' first='Zhane' last='Singer'] – The big post player from St. Paul Como Park continues to improve. Committed to North Iowa Area Community College, Zhane moves up to #94.

An awful lot can happen in four years. That's the span of a player's high school career and the lifecycle of the Prep Girls Hoops rankings process for an individual graduating class of players. Today we mark the official end of our evaluation of the Class of 2023, this year's graduating seniors. It's always difficult at this time of year as high school teams are eliminated from championship contention and players come to the harsh realization that this segment of their life is done. Ample tears and heartfelt hugs are par for the course. For us it means one last update of the rankings to recognize those players who have improved over the course of the winter and deserve a final bump up the list.