Class of 2024 Ranking’s Top 5 Players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024 rankings have finally been updated. The list grew from 53 players ranked to 64 players in what is actually a pretty big addition. Here are the Top 5 girls in the class: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5 [player_tooltip player_id='375427' first='Sophie' last='Nichols'], Ripley, W, 6-0, Sr. </strong>- Sophie really morphed herself into a legitimate Division I prospect over the month of May. Is she going to UConn? Not exactly. But, she's gone from the kid who may be a D-I kid to a definite D-I kid who can contribute wherever she chooses to go. The knock on her earlier in the year was her defense, but she really made big leaps starting in the sectional championship and those improvements have continued into the spring. Sophie looks really good. Where does she look the best? Well, she was already a great on ball defender but now she's shown an improved understanding on the back end and tracking her defender off the ball. It was only a matter of time. Someone possessing length like hers was always going to look better everywhere when she fully understood her assignment. Her defense stacks on top of everything else she does well, including her anywhere-in-the-gym shooting. Start your offers now, coaches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4 [player_tooltip player_id='379496' first='Macie' last='Mallory'], George Washington, W, 5-9, Sr.</strong> - Mallory stays in the No. 4 spot thanks to a lethal shot that just can't be beat when it comes to the top shooters in the Mountain State. But, it is close between [player_tooltip player_id='375427' first='Sophie' last='Nichols'] and her. Nichols' defense has closed the gap. Don't get me wrong. Mallory is one of the toughest kids and best shooters in the state. If you are a coach in need of a great shooter, look no further than this GW Patriot. Mallory stretches the floor and a defense simply by her mere presence. She's always a threat to get off a shot with limited daylight. Blessed with a quick shot and even quicker feet, she squares up quickly and you always have the feeling her shot is going in. Once she's hit one, she doesn't need much encouragement to hit another and another and another. Before you know it, she's scored six treys in a game and the opposition is scrambling on defense, especially man-to-man, because they are now playing five-on-four thanks to Mallory demanding constant attention. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Ashlynn Van Tassell, Cameron, C, 6-4, Sr.</strong> - The gap between the top 3 players and the fourth player in the state is massive. And, that's all thanks to Van Tassell and a still improving post game. Where she'd rarely been tested against players of her caliber in the post, she was tested this year, and she showed she could hang with girls heading to LSU, Baylor and UConn. Not only could she hang with them, but she could successfully use her moves, body and strength to get where she wanted on the offensive end. Her improvements in her offensive game makes her a much more dangerous threat as the Dragon heads into her senior season. If she was nearly unstoppable in Class A last year, she may be literally unstoppable this season. Her prospects are looking even better when you consider she's free from the burden of a college decision as she's already committed to Youngstown State. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2 [player_tooltip player_id='342235' first='Lily' last='Jordan'], Morgantown, W, 6-0, Sr. </strong>- Jordan keeps closing the gap between Lohan and her. Slowly, but surely. Every time we update these rankings, she shows off something else that steers her closer and closer to the top spot. This time around it was her leadership and her offensive game that nearly brought her to the top spot. She continued to show a better understanding of combining her post play with her guard training and overall it all makes her a more threatening offensive option. There aren't many player in the state where you don't know what they are going to do on the offensive end, but Jordan's become one of them. You really can't fully plan for her game, now. She's able to find her own shot much more consistently, jump stop and pop for a bucket, and her defense keeps improving as she's showed great improvement on moving her feet and understanding her job. I am excited to see what Jordan's senior year brings for her. She finally might take that No. 1 spot in the winter rankings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1 [player_tooltip player_id='379495' first='Finley' last='Lohan'], George Washington, CG, 5-11, Sr. </strong>- Lohan is a great leader and defender. She may be the most gifted defender to come out of the Mountain State in a few years. And, she's earned herself the No. 1 spot in the state over and over and over, again. What I hope we get to see from her this season is how she handles postseason play, especially in Charleston. She's answered every other question about her game. However, Charleston continues to be a question mark. However, she stays in the top spot because she's a much different player in big games than she was back in her freshman and sophomore years. Lohan can run the table as the No. 1 kid in her class from freshman to senior year with a strong senior campaign for the Patriots. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->