Class of 2028 Rankings: THE TOP TEN

PGHNJ has just released its debut rankings for the Class of 2028! This Top 10 is absolutely stacked with talent representing both public and private schools. Let's dive in for a further look:   [player_tooltip player_id='981918' first='Hailey' last='Benbow'] | Rutgers Prep   State Rank: #1 | Position Rank: #1   With offers already from Siena and Rutgers under her belt, Hailey has been on the radar of many for quite some time now! She came out the gates hot, scoring 12 points in her second-ever HS game vs one of the state's top teams in Gill St. Bernard's. She followed that up with six more regular season games in double-figure scoring, including 17 points against NY power Mary Louis Academy and 11 against the #1 team in the state, Morris Catholic. Her signature mid-range jumper is her bread and butter; nearly automatic accuracy from 15 feet. With averages of 7.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.6 apg & 1.1 spg, she's put in work across the board playing a Rutgers Prep schedule that can be unforgiving! A future P5 lock!   [player_tooltip player_id='919624' first='Nawel' last='Lefebvre'] | Morristown   State Rank: #2 | Position Rank: #2   The French phenom has taken the high school hoops season by storm in Year 1! A versatile 6'1" lefty, she averaged 19.3 ppg to lead the Colonials to a 17-8 regular season record and helped them earn a #2 seed in the state tournament. Nawel showed her dominance against some of the best teams on their schedule, including dropping 26 points on national juggernaut and NJ #1 Morris Catholic. She recorded two 30-point games, including a season-high 36 against Columbia, where she outscored them entirely by herself, something she also did against Trenton, scoring 23 points to their 21. In her playoff debut against Hackensack, she poured in 23 to lead Morristown to a dominant 61-31 victory. Ahead of their quarterfinal matchup with Paterson Kennedy on Monday, she has averaged 19.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.5 apg & 2.8 spg in an impressive all-court effort. As good as she already is, she is just scratching the surface of her potential, something that should terrify opponents moving forward. She could very well be one of the best 2028's in the country by the time she's a senior.   [player_tooltip player_id='981887' first='Giovanna' last='Burress'] | DePaul   State Rank: #3 | Position Rank: #3   GiGi roared onto the scene ready to make an impact for DePaul, something she wasted no time doing! With a strong two-way game, she led the Spartans to a 17-6 regular season record, the best in recent memory. Two [back-to-back] 30-point games against Lakeland and West Orange were bested by a 31-point performance (and season-high) in her first ever playoff game, a dominant dub over Kent Place. She also recorded back-to-back double-doubles in December in wins over Bloomfield and Paterson Eastside. What a resume she's already built in just 21 games! The daughter of a Super Bowl champ, she's quickly making a name for herself in high school basketball. Giovanna goes into a North Non-Pub A quarterfinal showdown with Pingry on Monday averaging an impressive 20.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.8 apg & 2.7 spg. She is one of only a handful of players averaging 20+ ppg this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='982746' first='Hayley' last='DeKok'] | Hightstown   State Rank: #4 | Position Rank: #1   A freshman leading the way! In twenty-five regular season games, Hayley put together averages of 16.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.1 apg & 1.2 spg. She alternated between the 1 & 2 seamlessly, showing off her ability to both score and dish at a high level. A savvy lead guard, she broke down the defense time after time and shot the 3 ball at a supremely high clip. She quickly established herself as one of the state's best snipers, knocking down sixty-five triples, good for nearly three per contest. She recorded a season-high 29 points in just her second-ever career game vs Princeton, one of nine games with at least 20 points. She also had four games where she knocked down at least five 3's, including a season-high seven against Hopewell Valley. In her first-ever postseason appearance [against Montgomery], she recorded 10 points, 2 rebounds and a season-high 4 blocks.   [player_tooltip player_id='982719' first='Ava' last='Catanho'] | East Brunswick   State Rank: #5 | Position Rank: #4   It didn't matter that her first-ever high school game was against one of the best teams in the state in St. Thomas Aquinas! The fiery guard dropped 19 points and immediately turned heads, showing everyone she's LEGIT! In the very next game against rival South Brunswick, she dropped 25, one of eight regular season games with at least 20 points (season-high 29 against Piscataway). Ava went 3-0 against South Brunswick this season, the latest victory coming in the First Round of the playoffs, where the freshman tallied 21 points to land EB in the quarters. She is putting in work on both sides of the ball, averaging 17.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 apg & 1.7 spg to this point.   [player_tooltip player_id='862966' first='Grace' last='Darling'] | Saddle River Day   State Rank: #6 | Position Rank: #1   The schedule SRD plays year after year is one that's not for the weak or faint of heart! Not only did Grace thrive under pressure, she emerged as this team's second-leading scorer and best rebounder & defender! Against the most difficult opponents, she dazzled: 14 points, 12 rebounds vs Penn Charter (PA), 19 points vs Albertus Magnus (NY), 16 points vs Ranney, 23 points vs Pope John (season-high) and 17 points vs national power Morris Catholic (NJ). She heads into the postseason with four double-doubles under her belt and averages of 11.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.3 apg & 2.3 spg.   [player_tooltip player_id='1192843' first='Ava' last='Illuzzi'] | Secaucus   State Rank: #7 | Position Rank: #1   Ava proved to be equally as good at scoring the ball as she was facilitating it. She put together quite the rookie year, averaging 15.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.8 apg & 3.1 spg. She scored at least 20 points in seven games, including a career-best 26 against Cresskill and 21 in her first-ever playoff game. She controlled the point with poise, putting her court vision on full display on her way to 133 assists. A season-high 10 assists came against Weehawken, part of a double-double performance. With a fantastic all-court game, Ava is quickly emerging as a powerhouse point guard in New Jersey. Small but mighty!   [player_tooltip player_id='1132611' first='Edore' last='Pela'] | Camden Catholic   State Rank: #8 | Position Rank: #2   Edore led the Irish in scoring, assists, steals, free throws and 3's in her very first season of high school hoops! She was really good against great teams, tallying 22 points vs Westampton Tech, 10 points vs juggernaut Paul VI, 15 points vs Group 1 power Haddon Township and 20 points vs defending Group 4 State Champion Lenape. She had season-highs of 22 points (three times; vs Westampton Tech, Pennsville & Shawnee) and 11 assists vs Camden. Edore finished Year 1 with averages of 14.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.8 apg & 2.4 spg. To put her team on her back time and time again as a freshman is just flat-out impressive [insert hand-clap emoji]!   [player_tooltip player_id='1199229' first='Ariana' last='Wissen'] | Brick Township   State Rank: #9 | Position Rank: #3   Brick Township put together one of the best seasons in recent memory, largely in part to what Ari Wissen was able to do in Year 1! She led this squad in points and assists, on her way to season averages of 14.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.2 apg & 2.0 spg. She posted five games with at least 20 points, including a season-high 26 points in a big win over Toms River South. She sniped in an impressive forty-seven 3's and showcased her deep range, forcing opponents to close gaps or face the consequences; she sank a season-high six triples in just her second-ever career game vs Toms River East.   [player_tooltip player_id='913907' first='Alexa' last='Racobaldo'] | Bishop Eustace   State Rank: #10 | Position Rank: #2   Standing 6-feet tall and possessing a wickedly versatile skillset, Alexa has established herself as a dangerous Swiss Army knife. She did battle against some very difficult teams from both in-state and around the country, holding her own and showing off game well beyond her years. Notable performances include: 12 points vs Brooklyn Tech (NY), 16 points & 10 rebounds vs DuPont Manual (KY), 14 points vs Paul VI (NJ) and 12 points & 10 rebounds vs Camden Catholic (NJ). She tallied four double-doubles and put up a season-high 20 points in a dominant victory over Glassboro. An anchor on defense, she recorded a season-high 8 steals in the final game of the regular season vs Atlantic Tech and swatted a season-high 6 blocks vs Camden Catholic. She has posted averages of 9.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.6 bpg & 2.0 spg and looks to make a big impact against powerhouse St. John Vianney in the SJ, Non-Pub A quarters on Monday.

PGHNJ has just released its debut rankings for the Class of 2028! This Top 10 is absolutely stacked with talent representing both public and private schools. Let's dive in for a further look: