Class of 2028 Debut: Top 10

Today is the day to release the debut rankings list for the 2028 class. Over the next two days, we'll take a relatively quick trip through the 25 kids on the rankings, beginning with the top ten and the next ten article today and then looking at the final five tomorrow.    The Madison native is among the elite of the elite prospects in the nation. The 6'2 wing has been on my radar for a few years, and her talent is undeniable. She has the size, athleticism, skill set, and potential to be among the elites. She's had a first season interrupted by injury. However, Riak can create magic. Scoring 48 in her debut only adds to her mystique.      Oostburg's situation changed early when Kinsley's sister, Riley, went down with an injury just before the season, and Kinsley had more thrown on her plate than she may have expected out of the gate. Nobody could've expected her to go for 26 points on 9/16 shooting against a back-to-back state champion, but that's what Ketterhagen did, and outside of an ankle injury, nothing's been able to slow her down.      The Westosha Central wing is another kid with extraordinary talent in this 2028 class. I'd argue that she's the best slasher in her class in Wisconsin. She can attack off the dribble as well as anyone, and she's comfortable getting downhill in any situation. She's been a reliable scoring option for the Falcons in her first high school season and has the tools to continue to improve.      The Stevens Point wing/forward is possibly the most intriguing kid in her class. She's got the size at 6'1, and you can see flashes of things you'd love, but there's plenty of room to grow. Awe is an excellent rim protector, and when I saw her in her debut, she had about six blocks. The Panther is comfortable shooting it when she gets space and can put the ball on the floor. She needs to be pushed by the coaches working with her, which should happen with [program_tooltip program_id='712778' first='Purple' last='Aces'] and at Stevens Point.      The activity that Stevens plays with is what I've appreciated most about her game. She never stops moving. The Janesville native wants to jump passing lanes, cut, and find her way to loose balls. That is what people want to see out of young players like Stevens. She has a solid skill set that she can build from, but it's hard to believe in development when you don't see kids who look like they care on the floor, and nobody could ever watch Stevens and think she doesn't care. Her passion will take her where she wants to go.      An ACL injury last April robbed Hollins of her first season of high school basketball, which is brutal for someone that young to have to go through the rehab she's gone through. However, this is the same kid I saw in Louisville three months after her injury, spending time late in the Kentucky Expo Center when it was almost empty, getting shots up at around 10 pm. Hollins loves the game. Even when her body tries to keep her from it, she finds a way to have a ball in her hands. We'll see what she looks like this summer and in her sophomore season at Wisconsin Lutheran, but she's the kind of person you root for.     Athletically, Nelson may be one of the best in her class. She's as explosive as they come. Oshkosh West is slowly bleeding her into the rotation and getting more time as she gets more comfortable, but when she's in a groove, she can be a handful. In one of her first games against KM, Nelson was the engine that got the Wildcats back into the game after they faced a 20-point deficit. She was better than the best athlete the Lasers have for an and-one finish that opened my eyes quickly. There's something there in her to work with. Time may prove that I'm underestimating her.      As talented as the top of the 2028 class is, Van Wie may be the kid I enjoy watching the most in this class. She doesn't need the ball to be effective and comes off the bench for Waunakee, but if you could bottle up the energy she plays with, you could provide power to the entire state. She's electric. Van Wie doesn't know how to not play at 100 miles per hour. She attacks the glass like her life depends on it, defends the ball like she needs air to breathe, and looks desperate to force turnovers in Wauankee's press. She's been a low-volume offensive threat due to the talent around her, but there's more to her offensive game.      De Pere has what feels like 20 kids in the rotation the way they sub, but it's allowed Neuenfelt to figure out how to help her team win games in a low-pressure role. Neuenfelt doesn't have to be the tide to raise all boats. Instead, she's a reason they're better than the sum of their parts. She's an excellent athlete and can attack off the dribble in the FRCC and defend some high-usage wings when the time comes for her. We'll see her spread her offensive wings more in the next few years.      The Brookfield native hasn't quite cracked into a role with significant minutes, but it'll happen. In a dual-post offensive setup, John will be a massive piece to the Lancer puzzle. John is listed at 6'0 but looks taller. You can tell she has touch and skills with her back to the basket but rushes her moves a little and may even have nerves when she gets onto the floor for her limited minutes. However, all it took was for me to watch her pivot baseline in warmups to see the speed and explosiveness. Her time may not be right now, but it's coming.

Today is the day to release the debut rankings list for the 2028 class. Over the next two days, we'll take a relatively quick trip through the 25 kids on the rankings, beginning with the top ten and the next ten article today and then looking at the final five tomorrow.