Coming up: South Dakota Class of 2029 Watch List
When Prep Girls Hoops rebooted its coverage in South Dakota this spring, our first priority wasn't to publish rankings. It was learning the state. I arrived in Sioux Falls with only a general understanding of South Dakota's basketball landscape. I knew there was talent here. I just didn't know enough about the individual players to feel comfortable putting my name behind a rankings list.
That process began by talking with college coaches throughout the region – people I've known and worked with for years – to get their opinions on the state's top prospects. We met with AAU directors and coaches, and high school coaches, as well. We watched practices, attended showcase events, sat in on some scrimmages, and watched tournament games. We also spent hours looking at video.
Early on in the process we quietly updated the existing Class of 2027 and 2028 rankings. It was important to establish a reasonably credible starting point, but now that we have a much clearer picture of South Dakota girls basketball we'll be updating and publishing those rankings in the weeks ahead.
That process begins this week with the South Dakota Class of 2029 Watch List.
In the past, Prep Girls Hoops has introduced incoming freshmen with a 20-player Watch List during the spring of a player's 8th grade season. In the fall we release the Freshmen 50 which serves as the first official rankings of the class. Because there was a lengthy gap in coverage here, that timeline was delayed for a year. The 2029 Watch List will get things back on track. The first official Class of 2029 rankings will follow in the fall.
One point is worth emphasizing: the Watch List is not an actual ranking.
The 20 players will be presented in alphabetical order. While they are pretty much guaranteed to make the top 50, this is not intended to identify the state's top 20 prospects. Instead, it's an introduction to a diverse group of players who have distinguished themselves over the past few months and have to be part of the conversation moving forward.
The Watch List was selected without regard to geography, school enrollment or AAU affiliation. South Dakota players competing for out-of-state programs were evaluated whenever possible. Some are accomplished scorers. Others stand out because of their athleticism, size, feel for the game, defensive impact or long-term upside. Every player arrives at this point by taking a different path. Unfortunately, athletes who don't play AAU basketball are not yet in the mix.
HOW THE RANKINGS WORK
So how do the Prep Girls Hoops rankings work? That's a question we get a lot. The most important thing to understand is this: We evaluate COLLEGE POTENTIAL, not current high school performance.
Our goal isn't to identify the best players in South Dakota today. Our goal is to project which players are most likely to become successful college players down the road. That's why you'll sometimes find a player near the top of the rankings who has yet to play significant varsity minutes, while an established high school scorer may rank lower than expected… or may not be ranked at all. High school success certainly matters, but projecting a prospect's chances of success at the next level requires a much broader view.
We're evaluating physical tools such as height, length and athleticism. We're looking at basketball skill, decision-making, court vision, competitiveness, coachability and a player's understanding of the game. Leadership, communication, body language and consistency all matter.
The rankings are not created by one person. Our evaluations are strengthened by input from a diverse group that includes current and former high school, AAU and college coaches from multiple levels of the game. Participants remain anonymous so they can offer honest opinions without outside pressure or influence. Every rankings update includes fresh discussion and a review of the available information.
We don't claim to get every ranking right the first time. In fact, experience tells us we won't. Every first ranking misses a few deserving players. The important thing is that the rankings continue to evolve as players improve, mature and develop. New prospects emerge every season, and our responsibility is to recognize them when they do.
I've been with Prep Girls Hoops since inception. Over more than a decade in Minnesota, that approach has produced a strong track record of identifying future college players well before they became household names. Our goal is to build that same level of trust and accuracy here in South Dakota. The journey begins this week.
