Rankings Updates and Evaluations Points to Know [Free]

A few months into year five for Prep Girls Hoops Kansas and the 2023 high school season and the first 2023 rankings updates are now in the rear view mirror. Ahead lays late spring and summer club ball events and basketball camps. Now is a brief window of opportunity to step back and revisit evaluations points and what goes into rankings decisions. But first, a little history.

In March, 2019, Steve Quattrocchi released a terrific post about what goes into ranking decisions for Prep Girls Hoops Kentucky.  Shortly thereafter I wrote a similar post to share, drawing upon his work, what goes into ranking decisions for Prep Girls Hoops Kansas. The following September I wrote about what had been learned over the previous months.  The topic has been revisited at times, including in 2020 and 2021.

Prep Girls Hoops' philosophy about rankings is reflective of where players are in their development, potential to play college basketball, and at what level. All Prep Network sites are about providing neutral, independently voices, and visibility to student-athletes.  Rankings are fluid. Much can change over the years and even a season. In the end the rankings provide a snapshot in time. Each class is updated quarterly and changes within them can be substantial. Below is a detailed look at factors that shape decisions for Prep Girls Hoops Kansas.

#1. Diverse Range of Information Sources. Information is drawn from a substantial number of sources. Prominent among them are:

As diverse as the information sources are, assembling the data into something representative of the player is a continuous challenge.

#2. Recommendations, Player Profiles, Feedback. Receiving information from parents, other players, coaches, and etc is welcome.  Many voices provide information that goes into ranking and providing solid evaluations of players. The work cannot be accomplished alone. I do not portend to know a great deal about every single player. I also do not get to see every player play in person.  Players can be overlooked. Others can be inappropriately ranked. Moves into or out of the state commonly are not readily reflected. Recommendations help to get players on the radar.  Players creating or claiming their free Prep Girls Hoops profile is also helpful. Besides being a resource for players to add and share content, once created I receive a notice to review it. New players can immediately be added to an internal watch list. Of note, players that are known to have moved out of state are transferred to that state's internal player list.

#3. Time Watching Games/Getting in the Gym. There is no substitute for being in the gym. It is the best way to gain a sense of body language, grit, and attitude. My colleagues and I watch as much basketball as we can. Tournaments, practices, summer leagues, individual events, and team camps are among the different places we scout players at. And that is outside the high school season. We also review games and team and player highlights. During the high school season I primarily travel around the central region of the state.

#5. Influence of Statistics. Rankings frequently do not factor in current performance. Statistics matter because they provide currency of information about the player. Alone, statistics do not mean much. They are valuable because they exist and are updated, as opposed to seeing big numbers, and reflect the work coaches - especially high school - put into helping their girls get attention. The numbers can reflect the caliber of competition the team is facing.

#6. Geography matters. It is not an easy thing to watch a lot of players across the state. The majority of our scouts have other jobs. Throw in family commitments and quickly the time available to watch players in-person shrinks substantially. Kansas scouts live in different parts of the state. I am the furthest west of any. Traveling even 2-4 hours each way to and from games is a lengthy window of time that is not frequently available. During the summer months I typically target Wichita regional events, including MAYB and other similar tournaments, because I can see a bunch of players playing a bunch of games in a short time span. I also attend Prep Girls Hoops Circuit and Top 250 Exposure and other entity sponsored events in the state and occasionally those in border states as well as other similar Players need to play where they can be seen.

#7. Information Beyond Statistics. All-state and all-league lists, club team rosters, box scores, articles in magazines and newspapers (and their sites), and noise and information shared on Twitter (find me at @RobertPGHKansas) are non-statistical sources I mine.  I also communicate with coaches, referees, players, parents, and other media people.  Among the biggest reasons players are overlooked, under-ranked, or are only on an internal watch list is because not enough or no information is available.  Lack of complete rosters, including player height, have substantial impacts on awareness.  High school coaches not updating their team MaxPreps information does not help players sports media, and scouts.  Club coaches who do not submit complete roster information to event coaches packets, Tournament Machine, and other sources do not help players or scouts.  CLUB COACHES/DIRECTORS NOTE: College coaches attending events want player contact information next to that player's name, not yours. Yours should appear at the top of the roster. It is among the top complaints I field from college coaches attending events.

#8. Focus on the Details. Inevitably I look at players as if I am a coach and I am scouting an upcoming opponent. I look at details. Footwork is always the first physical ability I look at. layers cannot transition, defend, box out, jump, score in a variety of ways or do anything else without good footwork. Ball skills (not just ball handling); passing ability; half- and full-court vision; speed with and without the ball; quickness on both ends of the floor; rebounding and boxing out; anticipation; ability to score including creating their own shot; leadership; toughness; competitiveness; hustle; being a team player; build and use of the body; creativity and athleticism; jumping skills and elevation; ball and court sense; and playing style all matter to me. A terrific player can do all of those things, not average 4 points, and will be a player colleges want. I look for basketball players who are athletic over great athletes who play basketball. There is a big difference.

#9. Areas of Improvement Need to be Shown.  Focusing on the details also means being honest about them.  Notable weaknesses in a player's game and skills and abilities that need to be shown are documented and often constructively shared in public-facing player evaluations. Players need to know what scouts see that they do well and what needs to be improved.

#10. Injured players are not dropped from the rankings. Players retain their position or spot close to it until they return and their ability is reassessed.

#11. Seniors committed in another sport. Players committed to play another sport in college prior to their senior sesason and are unranked most likely will not be ranked. The likelihood of becoming a serious college basketball prospect is very low so including them is generally not done. Exceptions include if there is a possibility of being a college dual-sport athlete. Seniors who commit in another sport and already are ranked likely will slide some due to players of similar ability being a viable prospect. Occasional exceptions occur.

#12. Reality of Rankings. Substantial seesawing, especially in the younger classes, does happen. Take the swings with some levity. Declines often are not a reflection of a decline in ability. Players are always added, some players are dropped (i.e. quit, move, disappear from the scene, etc). Some kids get missed. Many players initially debut too high or too low. Plateauing happens. Breakouts happen. Because lack of current information is a constant influence, reliance on skilled scout and other knowledgeable, unbiased, individual assessments is essential.