2024 rankings update: Who raised their stock the most?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We love late bloomers. When it comes time to revise the Prep Girls Hoops ranking of incoming seniors, there always seems to be one or two players who are using their final season of AAU basketball to make a statement that they've never really made before. This year nobody has spoken more loudly, more clearly and more often than [player_tooltip player_id='461358' first='Mallory' last='Czinano'] of Metro Stars Szabla. The 6'1 post from Watertown-Mayer highlights our Class of 2024 rankings update by taking a monumental leap upwards, rising 114 places to #51.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nobody has had a better view of Mallory's coming out party than her AAU coach Leah Szabla, who has fielded plenty of calls from scholarship-level collegiate coaches who (like us) hadn't seen Czinano perform anywhere near this level in the past. “Her confidence has grown a lot and I see her using her gifts a lot more now,” said Szabla, who had an outstanding college career at the University of North Dakota and is now head coach at North Central University In Minneapolis. “Mal has loads of potential and continues to get better.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were signs early in the season that the move to the Metro Stars was going to be a good one for the latest college basketball prospect in the Czinano clan. Mallory turned plenty of heads in April when the Metro Stars won their division at the Midwest Kickoff Classic. A month later at the AAU State Tournament she made our All-Tournament Team as Coach Szabla's crew roared to a third-place finish. Since then Czinano has continued to get better.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“She already has great hands, but seeing her finish in a variety of ways and with contact has been huge,” said Szabla. “She's a very mobile and versatile forward who can guard every position and extends her range to 3. The biggest growth areas I've seen is her confidence in her abilities, finishing in a variety of ways, and using her mobility and versatility.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mallory isn't the first Czinano to attract the attention of collegiate coaches. Sister Monika graduated this spring from the University of Iowa after an outstanding college career. She was selected in the WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. Sister Maggie is a junior at the University of Minnesota and is expected to play a major role under new coach Dawn Plitzuweit. It would be unfair to compare Mallory to either of the others, but with her improvement over the past few months there's no telling what more might be possible. On an AAU team with five prospects ranked in the Top 50, Mallory has been the best player on the floor on multiple occasions. As her consistency improves, her decision-making gets better and her communication skills continue to grow, we would not be surprised to see her move up the rankings again before her high school career concludes one year from now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":338503,"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/4/2021/10/106-Savannah-Hedin-scaled.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-338503" width="512" height="341" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OTHER BIG STOCK RISERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='339217' first='Savannah' last='Hedin'] <strong>– guard, Stewartville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5'9 guard from Southern Minnesota Fury has always had a ton of potential but things have really come together this year for Savannah. Long and lean, Hedin (photo above) is an elite athlete who is now playing more under control, making better decisions, and demonstrating maturity and poise on the basketball court. She was nothing short of outstanding at the high school state tournament as Stewartville made it all the way to the championship game in Class 3A. Hedin moves up 29 places to #66.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='339095' first='Bailey' last='Klote'] <strong>– forward, Rochester Century</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With height, length and excellent mobility, the 5'11 forward has always been a player to pay attention to. Now, having put in a ton of individual skill development work, Klote's true potential has risen to the surface. She has become a three-level scorer who can beat you down low with a series of crafty moves or step outside and bury shots from beyond the three-point line. Bailey earned All-Tournament honors at AAU State, just like she did last fall at the Top 250 Expo. Now the Southern Minnesota Fury standout rises 17 places to #101.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='304924' first='Ellie' last='Edberg'] <strong>– guard, Mankato East</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5'9 guard from Minnesota Rise Purfeerst has had an outstanding 12 months. Edberg has long been considered one of the premier shooters in the Class of 2024, a skill she showed off at the 2022 high school State Tournament in a big way. Now her game has expanded greatly on both sides of the ball. The Rise have been formidable all season. At the AAU State Tournament we saw Ellie, in particular, raise her game against some of the state's best Division 1 prospects. She is quick and mobile with great versatility and the ability to defend multiple positions. Ellie moves up 16 places to #97.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='304934' first='Ava' last='Miller'] <strong>– forward Rochester Mayo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6'2 post player from North Tartan Elite is a case study in incremental improvement. Ava has gotten better every year and risen consistently in the rankings from #106 to #90 to #84 to #80. Now she moves up another 12 places to #68. Miller has grown a lot stronger and can be a handful down low where her ability to be physical and finish with either hand makes her tough to defend. She is a terrific shot blocker and rebounder who can also score the basketball. Topping off the package is Ava's big personality which makes her a great leader and a ton of fun.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":382932,"width":512,"height":367,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/01/Jakahla-Craft.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-382932" width="512" height="367" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WHO MOVED UP IN THE TOP 25?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Czinano's story is certainly inspiring, she wasn't the only member of the Metro Stars to take a big jump this spring. From the club's 3SSB squad, guard [player_tooltip player_id='339129' first='Ja'Kahla' last='Craft'] has been on fire and she earns the biggest jump up the rankings of any player in the Top 25. Craft elevates 9 places from #22 to #13 thanks to an amazing high school state tournament and a run of success in AAU. Craft was the X-Factor in St. Michael-Albertville's Class 4A state championship run, a ball of fire whose energy on both sides of the ball and ability to score under pressure made all the difference. At the AAU State Prelims she ran away with the scoring title among the best 2024s and wowed us with her work rate, passion and endless energy. Ja'Kahla has been racking up mid-major offers this spring and it's not difficult to see why.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Six other players made notable improvements in the Top 25:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='335641' first='Trinity' last='Wilson'] – The North Tartan EYBL post from Lakeville North rises four positions all the way up to #5 in the Class. She announced her commitment to Vanderbilt today.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='302297' first='Alyssa' last='Sand'] – The 6'3 forward from Minnesota Comets and Albany High School has been consistently great for months. The University of St. Thomas commit rises 5 more places to #11.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='322999' first='Jocelyn' last='Land'] – The big power forward from Minnesota Fury UAA and Holy Family Catholic has cemented her place among Minnesota's elite. The Butler University commit rises 3 spots to #12.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='178274' first='Amy' last='Thompson'] – The elite shooting guard from Fury UAA and Stillwater has expanded her game over time and has had a great run over the past few months. She rises 4 positions to #17.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='302307' first='Elisabeth' last='Gadient'] – The lengthy point guard from Minnesota Fury Premier and Goodhue has been a true success story rising 40 places in two years. The MSU-Mankato commit is now #22.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='215968' first='Kendall' last='Barnes'] – Coming off a breakthrough high school season, the dynamic guard from Roseville has been a huge difference-maker for Minnesota Stars 3SSB. She's up four places to #25.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OTHER TOP 50 STOCK RISERS OF NOTE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='215983' first='Drew' last='Buslee'] – The Metro Stars Szabla guard from Eagan is now at #29.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='304938' first='Alexis' last='Rose'] – The Minnesota Comets guard from Becker (Sioux Falls commit) is now #30.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='178273' first='Taylor' last='Tool'] – The Crossfire Schuck post from Delano is up to #35 and will be a nice collegian.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='302309' first='Karly' last='Jusczak'] – The North Tartan EYBL post from Pine City (Idaho commit) moves to #39.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='350094' first='Mariah' last='Pates'] – The lengthy wing from Minnesota Diamond Elite and Champlin Park is up to #44.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='339197' first='Olivia' last='Wren'] – The smooth guard from Minnesota Diamond Elite and Minneapolis Roosevelt is at #47.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->