2028 Rankings Update: Small Forwards

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='961306' first='Alicia' last='Mangrum'] (2028) from Jeffersonville High School.   Tuesday afternoon, we released an updated rankings list for the Class of 2028. The current list consists of a Top 75, along with a watch list of 86 prospects. All in all, it expanded by 11 prospects overall, which we introduced in a couple of articles last Tuesday morning. At this point in time, we turn our attention to the small forwards in the group, highlighted by 5 players near the bottom of this article who have really stepped up their games over the past 3 months.    .    Alicia is a really nice basketball player who isn't built on one or two things. She is well-rounded and solid at just about everything. She is a nice athlete with length, plus she has some ball skill and a little touch outside, so long-term she's likely a wing forward or possibly even a bigger shooting guard. At the same time, she plays hard and is strong enough to battle inside for rebounds against smaller forwards. She might not be exceptional in any one category, but she's also not deficient in any part of her game either. She's already drawing quite a bit of Division I and elite small college interest.     Reagan is someone who really shot up our rankings this time around, but a lot of it is because over the past 9 to 12 months, a lot has changed for her. She has grown a couple of inches, gotten a little more explosive, plus she has continued developing her perimeter skill. She is able to get out and push the ball in transition or run the floor and get it back on the cut. Additionally, she still has natural instincts to rebound and defend the interior, but all in all, she has developed into a really nice wing. Reagan spent her first two seasons at Fishers High School, but she transferred to Pendleton Heights this Summer.     Maddy is another quick riser within our rankings this time around. Over the past year, she has gotten noticeably stronger, more explosive, and she's playing with a different motor and confidence than she did last Summer when I saw her. She is a strong but wiry athlete, and she isn't afraid of contact either. She also tries to sneak inside at times to get an easy bucket or rebound. But she has done a nice job of developing her handle and her perimeter jumper. While she has some Division I potential, she strikes me as the style of player the highly successful small colleges thrive on as well.     Mackenzie is a part of a young, fun group at Fort Wayne Snider, but with prospects like [player_tooltip player_id='879936' first='Janaya' last='Cooper'] in the lineup, Mackenzie might not always get the most attention. Still, though, she is a long, wiry-strong, fluidly athletic wing. She has nice touch from the perimeter when she's able to get set and find her rhythm. She's also working on her handle and ability to push it in transition or initiate the offense in the halfcourt. Defensively, she does a nice job of using her length, plus she plays with some versatility at that end. Often times she ends up being the "glue" kid and makes a great hustle play.     I first saw Molly in the Summer of 2024 when she was an 8th Grader playing up for her sister's 17U team. Since then, she has simply continued to build her game, though she's probably hasn't grown as much as expected. Over the last couple of years, though, she has improved her handle and perimeter shot. She is still capable of playing in the mid-post, where she can pursue rebounds defensively, or attack the basket in 1-2 dribbles offensively and finish around the rim. All in all, she has a lot of intrigue to her game, and I think she'll draw a great deal of varying small college interest.

The featured image is of Alicia Mangrum Alicia Mangrum 5'11" | SF Jeffersonville | 2028 State IN (2028) from Jeffersonville High School.