Posts on the Watch List in 2027

It can be very easy to get caught up in focusing on the top players in a specific graduating class, so occasionally I like to take the time to point out a handful of talented ladies who currently find themselves on the watch lists. Below is a look at a few such ladies who have talent, skill, and the ability to help a college program down the road.   .    Ally is someone who popped up on my radar during the 2024-2025 high school season, and she has flashed a great deal of potential for the next level, however she isn't a grassroots participant. She is extremely long and wiry, she runs the floor well North/South, and she plays with a nice motor. The next step for her is to continue learning how to play lower and use more physicality to establish herself earlier in possessions. Once she gets the ball, she tends to keep it high and finish over shorter defenders, plus she blocks a lot of shots.     Alexis is another really nice, skillful post on this list who doesn't participate in grassroots basketball. She has good size and strength, she works extremely hard on the floor, and she has nice, soft hands and solid finishing moves around the block. Yorktown has a strong, balanced starting lineup, and her presence in the paint helps alleviate some pressure from her teammates. At the same time, she's capable of finding plenty of easy baskets by simply moving to open space, and she is a quality defender rotating from "help" side.     Cayleigh could very well be an important newcomer for the Lady Tigers this year following the graduation loss of Brooke Winchester. Cayleigh is a strong and physical front-liner who plays with an outstanding motor. She makes a lot of hustle plays for her teams, tracking down loose balls, rebounds outside of her area, plus she rim-runs with good energy. Over the last couple of years, she has done a nice job of improving her back-to-the-basket post moves, plus she has improved her touch in the mid-post. Keep an eye out for her this year.     Over the past 9-12 months, I've been pretty impressed with Olliana's overall development in her game. She looks like she has finished growing, but she has gotten a little more explosive, she looks longer, and she has improved her skill while maintaining her physical nature. She is able to play physical around the rim while still finishing with skill and touch. At the same time, she also has touch facing the basket and is able to step out and consistently knock down open jumpers. Lastly, I feel like her footwork has improved defensively.     McKenzi is a somewhat deceptive front-liner who is a walking double-double. She has a strong frame, broad shoulders, and she will absolutely play with physicality inside the paint. At the same time, she has a shiftiness to her, and she's able to change directions to get around defenders or fight through screens when she is defending. She uses the dribble well herself, and she's able to step outside and defend ball screen/dribble hand-off situations consistently. I expect for her to have a big Winter for the Lady Panthers.

It can be very easy to get caught up in focusing on the top players in a specific graduating class, so occasionally I like to take the time to point out a handful of talented ladies who currently find themselves on the watch lists. Below is a look at a few such ladies who have talent, skill, and the ability to help a college program down the road.