Top-15 Risers in the 2029 Rankings

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2029 rankings feature 6 players who have risen in just the top 15 of the rankings. There was plenty of evidence from their freshman seasons and their summers to show why they kept on rising.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1260322"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a702f240f114"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1260322' first='Paisley' last='Hogan'] started at #1 in the 2029 ranking, then dropped to #2, and is now back on top. With her play this summer attracting the attention of top college programs from across the country, it's easy to see why she is back at #1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hogan is one of those talents that can do just about anything on the floor. She can rebound, pass, shoot from inside and out, and defend. At 6'2", Northside succeeds if they play her like a power forward or a center, as she makes plays with her length and athleticism. However, she is listed as a shooting guard and small forward for a reason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hogan is perhaps at her best shooting off the dribble, especially from mid-range. She is a deadly 3-point shooter, and defenses try to get her off the perimeter. All she has to do is hit a defender with a quick jab or pump fake to gain separation. From there, she uses a long stride on her first step, and pulling up for a jumper is straight cash.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a strong summer with the [program_tooltip program_id='712392' first='Banshees' last=''], [player_tooltip player_id='1260322' first='Paisley' last='Hogan'] has picked up a plethora of offers, with her most recent ones coming from Northwestern, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Harvard, Iowa State, and Minnesota. The sky is not even the limit with this prospect, so more offers will be coming soon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1260301"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a702f240f175"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">After [player_tooltip player_id='1260301' first='Nicole' last='Jones'] received an offer from Alabama A&amp;M before her 8th-grade season, I knew Jones would be an absolute dawg. Her freshman season proved me right.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones made a short jump from #5 to #4 in the 2029 rankings, but it makes complete sense. This summer, Jones has shown off plenty of skill as a point guard, especially with playmaking and pace. She is a great ball-handler, and she runs the pick-and-roll with precision, able to score through traffic or find the cutting big. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As a point guard, controlling the pace of the game is vital, and the flow of the offense runs through her. She can speed the game up in an instant and slow it down just as quickly. And besides facilitating the offense, if she has an open look from outside, better be ready to inbound the ball after it laces the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1260301' first='Nicole' last='Jones'] is one of the best young point guards in the state. When a player who has only played one varsity season already has control of an offense, is a great defender, and is a capable scorer, you know she is going to be a flat-out star.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1260352"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a702f240f1b4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1260352' first='Bella' last='Baxter'] rose the most in the top-15, jumping up from #10 to #5, and deservingly so.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This past summer with Shock Hoops, Baxter went off! She set club records with 499 points (the most points scored during a summer) and 87 made triples (the most made threes in a summer). Her shooting was off the charts, as she shot nearly 44% from beyond the arc this summer. She even had a massive 31-point outburst against a squad from Illinois in Shock's last session.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Her play with Southside Batesville during her freshman year was also stellar. She averaged 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals a game. However, a sign of a great basketball player is when they meet better opponents, and they still play well. Baxter did that in conference play, averaging 17.5 points per game, as well as in regionals, putting up 20 per contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1260352' first='Bella' last='Baxter'] has quickly emerged as one of the best 2-guards in the state, and one of the best shooters in her class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1255560"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a702f240f1ec"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1255560' first='Lauren' last='Jackson'] had a fantastic freshman season, earning all-conference honors and then turning around and hooping in the summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This summer, Jackson turned some heads when she had around 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals against the reigning 6A state champs, North Little Rock, during a team camp. Jackson putting up big numbers versus solid competition is nothing new.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rising sophomore plays physically when she's attacking the basket, and she knows how to get downhill. Don't leave her open, though, as Jackson has no problem making defenders pay for giving her too much space from mid-range and from three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1255560' first='Lauren' last='Jackson'] is a part of a young, but exciting Joe T. Robinson squad and I cannot wait to see what they put together this coming year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1260334"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a702f240f223"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1260334' first='Marley' last='Adebayo'] had an impactful freshman season, and an even better summer, landing on college radars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Adebayo is a force down low. Once she has the ball in the post, she has no trouble backing down her defender, hitting them with a quick shimmy, and turning and hitting a jump hook. The rising sophomore also has a little bit of perimeter game, being especially able to take her defenders off the dribble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defending the basket has also become an art for Adebayo. She is a great shot blocker and dominates on the glass. She uses her strength to carve out space down low, and her length to snag every board she can reach. Naturally, both of those attributes come in handy on the defensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1260334' first='Marley' last='Adebayo'] is one heck of a basketball player, and definitely one of the next great bigs coming out of North Little Rock.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1260224"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a702f240f259"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">After a solid freshman season, [player_tooltip player_id='1260224' first='Bayleigh' last='Walker'] made a lot of noise this summer with the AR Legacy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the first things written on [player_tooltip player_id='1260224' first='Bayleigh' last='Walker'] scouting reports is that she can flat out shoot the ball. If Walker has a good look to shoot off the catch, she will take it and drain it without hesitancy. Of course, she can hit off the bounce as well, but she becomes an easy target for point guards with that quick release. But naturally, she is more than a shooter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Walker plays with plenty of physicality on offense, which is on full display whenever she attacks the basket, able to throw defenders off of her and score through heavy traffic. That same tough play applies to the defensive end as well, as she is a tough player to score against along the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1260224' first='Bayleigh' last='Walker'] was more of an offensive spark and role player off the bench for the Bryant Lady Hornets this past season. I bet that changes, especially after her productive summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->