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<p>This is what we work toward all summer – the scouting, evaluating, and sorting of the incoming 9<sup>th</sup> graders. Led by scout Ally McGinnis, the process of developing this year's Prep Girls Hoops Freshman 50, featuring Minnesota's premier prospects in the Class of 2030, has been a labor of love. We've watched as many incoming freshman play as is humanly possible. We've talked to college coaches and AAU directors and many others to reach this point. Some quality players definitely got left out. Fortunately, we add new names and re-sort the list three times a year. </p>
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<p><strong>HOW THE RANKINGS WORK</strong></p>
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<p>In case you aren't familiar, allow us to remind you of how the Prep Girls Hoops evaluation process works.</p>
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<p>The most important thing to remember is this: The rankings measure <strong>college potential</strong>, <strong>not current high school performance</strong>. Our goal isn't to identify the best 9th graders right now; it's to project who will be the best college freshmen four years from now. That's why some players who haven't yet played varsity appear in the upper half of the list and others who will lead their high school teams this winter may not appear at all.</p>
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<p>The evaluation process considers traits that translate to the next level:</p>
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<ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item -->
<li>Height, length, and athleticism</li>
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<li>Skill development and shooting mechanics</li>
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<li>Court vision and basketball IQ</li>
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<li>Leadership, body language, and coachability</li>
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<p>Our evaluation team includes current and former AAU, high school, and college coaches. Everyone contributes under anonymity to keep the process objective. We know we won't get every ranking right, but the vast majority of legitimate college prospects eventually find their place on the list.</p>
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<p>Here are the prospects ranked between 6<sup>th</sup> and 10<sup>th</sup> in the Class of 2030.</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700"><strong>#6</strong> – Watkins is a powerful, versatile athlete whose combination of size, speed and skill gives her considerable positional flexibility. At 6 feet tall, she can provide a physical presence around the basket but has the mobility and quickness to operate from the perimeter and defend multiple positions. Watkins is especially dangerous attacking from the wing where she can use her strength and athleticism to get downhill and finish through contact. She also has soft midrange touch and increasingly understands when to pull up rather than force her way into traffic. Watkins rebounds aggressively, runs the floor exceptionally well and has the tools to become a highly disruptive defender. Already an experienced varsity player, Shea continues to become more polished and comfortable utilizing her physical advantages. Her trajectory and athletic profile make Watkins an intriguing Division I prospect.</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700"><strong>#7</strong> – Seumanutafa simply moves differently than most players her size, combining the physical presence of a forward with the feet, body control and skill of a guard. The 6-foot Hopkins newcomer is extremely comfortable attacking downhill, where her strength allows her to absorb contact and finish with either hand. Her footwork adds another dimension, with spins, step-throughs and changes of direction making her difficult to contain once she gets moving. Seumanutafa is equally intriguing defensively. Her length, timing and athleticism make her a natural shot blocker, while her instincts allow her to jump passing lanes and immediately turn defense into transition offense. She rebounds with strength and toughness and can also step away from the basket offensively. After proving herself against top competition in South Dakota at Rapid City Stevens, the transfer brings a unique and highly projectable skill set to Minnesota.</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700"><strong>#8</strong> – Segerstrom's game isn't flashy, but nearly everything about it projects exceptionally well to the college level. At 6-foot-1 with excellent length, strength and athleticism, she has the physical tools to play multiple positions on both ends of the floor. Segerstrom runs extremely well, elevates over defenders and possesses advanced body control for her size. More importantly, she understands how to use those gifts. She's consistently in the right position, rebounds naturally, finishes efficiently around the basket. Mara rarely forces the action. Defensively, her size, mobility and activity allow her to create problems in a variety of matchups. Segerstrom also possesses a strong fundamental skill base and a high basketball IQ. Her impact can be understated because she plays such a no-nonsense game, but repeated viewings reveal one of the class's most enticing college prospects.</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700"><strong>#9</strong> – Watkins has grown into a long, athletic and increasingly confident wing whose physical tools are ideally suited to the college game. At about 5'10 she moves extremely well laterally, elevates over defenders and has the quickness to create off the bounce. Georgia is comfortable putting the ball on the floor and navigating through traffic, using her explosiveness to reach the rim while continuing to develop confidence as a perimeter shooter. Her length and athleticism are equally valuable defensively, where she can disrupt opposing guards and wings and contribute on the glass. The most encouraging development in recent months has been how much more assertivene she is now. Watkins has become stronger, more polished and more willing to attack opportunities when they appear. With her combination of size, athleticism, ball skills and defensive versatility, she possesses considerable long-term upside.</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700"><strong>#10</strong> – Few players in the class have elevated in status as dramatically as Youngberg, who has rapidly grown to 6 feet tall while expanding her game just as much. The left-handed guard is a long, fluid and explosive athlete with an increasingly intriguing perimeter skill set. Ehlin (pronounced like Ellen) has a smooth release from three-point range, but she isn't limited to playing off the catch. She can put pressure on defenses off the bounce, accelerate to the rim and create opportunities for teammates as a facilitator. Her length and lateral ability also give her considerable potential as an on-ball perimeter defender. Most encouraging is the confidence she plays with now. Youngberg understands how to get to her spots and looks more comfortable imposing herself on the game now. By no means a finished product at this point, Ehlin's rapid physical and skill development, combined with her considerable remaining upside, makes her one of the class's most intriguing Division I prospects.</p>
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This is what we work toward all summer – the scouting, evaluating, and sorting of the incoming 9th graders. Led by scout Ally McGinnis, the process of developing this year's Prep Girls Hoops Freshman 50, featuring Minnesota's premier prospects in the Class of 2030, has been a labor of love. We've watched as many incoming freshman play as is humanly possible. We've talked to college coaches and AAU directors and many others to reach this point. Some quality players definitely got left out. Fortunately, we add new names and re-sort the list three times a year.
HOW THE RANKINGS WORK
In case you aren't familiar, allow us to remind you of how the Prep Girls Hoops evaluation process works.
The most important thing to remember is this: The rankings measure college potential, not current high school performance. Our goal isn't to identify the best 9th graders right now; it's to project who will be the best college freshmen four years from now. That's why some players who haven't yet played varsity appear in the upper half of the list and others who will lead their high school teams this winter may not appear at all.
The evaluation process considers traits that translate to the next level:
Height, length, and athleticism
Skill development and shooting mechanics
Court vision and basketball IQ
Leadership, body language, and coachability
Our evaluation team includes current and former AAU, high school, and college coaches. Everyone contributes under anonymity to keep the process objective. We know we won't get every ranking right, but the vast majority of legitimate college prospects eventually find their place on the list.
Here are the prospects ranked between 6th and 10th in the Class of 2030.
#6 – Watkins is a powerful, versatile athlete whose combination of size, speed and skill gives her considerable positional flexibility. At 6 feet tall, she can provide a physical presence around the basket but has the mobility and quickness to operate from the perimeter and defend multiple positions. Watkins is especially dangerous attacking from the wing where she can use her strength and athleticism to get downhill and finish through contact. She also has soft midrange touch and increasingly understands when to pull up rather than force her way into traffic. Watkins rebounds aggressively, runs the floor exceptionally well and has the tools to become a highly disruptive defender. Already an experienced varsity player, Shea continues to become more polished and comfortable utilizing her physical advantages. Her trajectory and athletic profile make Watkins an intriguing Division I prospect.
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
#7 – Seumanutafa simply moves differently than most players her size, combining the physical presence of a forward with the feet, body control and skill of a guard. The 6-foot Hopkins newcomer is extremely comfortable attacking downhill, where her strength allows her to absorb contact and finish with either hand. Her footwork adds another dimension, with spins, step-throughs and changes of direction making her difficult to contain once she gets moving. Seumanutafa is equally intriguing defensively. Her length, timing and athleticism make her a natural shot blocker, while her instincts allow her to jump passing lanes and immediately turn defense into transition offense. She rebounds with strength and toughness and can also step away from the basket offensively. After proving herself against top competition in South Dakota at Rapid City Stevens, the transfer brings a unique and highly projectable skill set to Minnesota.
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
#8 – Segerstrom's game isn't flashy, but nearly everything about it projects exceptionally well to the college level. At 6-foot-1 with excellent length, strength and athleticism, she has the physical tools to play multiple positions on both ends of the floor. Segerstrom runs extremely well, elevates over defenders and possesses advanced body control for her size. More importantly, she understands how to use those gifts. She's consistently in the right position, rebounds naturally, finishes efficiently around the basket. Mara rarely forces the action. Defensively, her size, mobility and activity allow her to create problems in a variety of matchups. Segerstrom also possesses a strong fundamental skill base and a high basketball IQ. Her impact can be understated because she plays such a no-nonsense game, but repeated viewings reveal one of the class's most enticing college prospects.
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
#9 – Watkins has grown into a long, athletic and increasingly confident wing whose physical tools are ideally suited to the college game. At about 5'10 she moves extremely well laterally, elevates over defenders and has the quickness to create off the bounce. Georgia is comfortable putting the ball on the floor and navigating through traffic, using her explosiveness to reach the rim while continuing to develop confidence as a perimeter shooter. Her length and athleticism are equally valuable defensively, where she can disrupt opposing guards and wings and contribute on the glass. The most encouraging development in recent months has been how much more assertivene she is now. Watkins has become stronger, more polished and more willing to attack opportunities when they appear. With her combination of size, athleticism, ball skills and defensive versatility, she possesses considerable long-term upside.
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
#10 – Few players in the class have elevated in status as dramatically as Youngberg, who has rapidly grown to 6 feet tall while expanding her game just as much. The left-handed guard is a long, fluid and explosive athlete…
