Class of 2023 — Rankings, Analysis

This year’s crop of freshmen in the Mountain State began to make their way in high school basketball. It can be a tall task, trying to adapt to high school life and earning the respect of older players all while trying to develop as a player, but these kids showed great potential right out of the gate in their prep careers. Here is a look at some of them and the class as a whole. <h3>Room For Movement</h3> The top spot was ultimately taken by 5-foot-7 Cabell Midland combo guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153410" first="Jayda" last="Allie"]</strong>, but it was the closest of any of the four classes at No. 1. That’s no knock on Allie, who started from the first game for a Knights team that’s in the state tournament. She also enters peaking, having averaged 15.25 points per game over the team’s last four contests. Speaking of coming on late, Woodrow Wilson point guard <strong>Keanti Thompson</strong> (No. 2) didn’t even start until midway through the year, but hit the ground running once given the opportunity, providing a spark both offensively and defensively for the Flying Eagles. At No. 3 is Parkersburg’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153412" first="Sierra" last="Mason"]</strong>, who served as the team’s backup point guard and one of the first players off the bench for a Big Reds team heavy on senior experience. But Mason showed plenty on both ends of the floor to warrant her ranking and will likely be a player to watch next year when she takes over the reigns from starting point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153307" first="Maddi" last="Leggett"]</strong> (No. 38, Class of 2020). <h3>Big Early Returns</h3> As most freshman classes are, West Virginia’s 2023 Class is a mix between players already heavily producing and others who’ve flashed big-time ability while paying their dues behind older, more experienced players. It creates an odd sorting order that must go far beyond scoring statistics. No player in this class has piled up more points this early in her career than Webster County guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153421" first="Sydney" last="Baird"]</strong>, ranked 11th in this class. Baird averaged 22.6 points per game in raising eyebrows statewide as a ninth grader. Tucked away in tiny Upper Glade, Webster County doesn’t exactly garner statewide attention often, but Baird could put her program and school on the map if she’s able to build on her rookie campaign next year. <h3>Players To Watch</h3> In the youngest class, every player feels like a player to watch with so much growth still to come. But even among the youngsters, there are a few that seem to be on the verge of major breakthroughs soon. Here is a look at some of those players. <strong>No. 8 [player_tooltip player_id="153417" first="Hazley" last="Matthews"] -- Cabell Midland -- G</strong> There is relatively less known about Matthews than other players on this list as she played at private Grace Christian before leaving the team after just five games. She has since transferred in to Cabell Midland. Matthews averaged 16.8 points per game in that small, five-game sample, but Grace’s schedule consists of other small Christian schools. At Midland, Matthews will be thrown right into the teeth of the state’s toughest conference -- the Mountain State Athletic Conference -- and will join a team that doesn’t lose a senior and will carry a heavy weight of expectation into next season. How Matthews will fit in will be one of the more intriguing storylines entering next season and one that could be the difference between a good season and a great season for the Knights. <strong>No. 9 [player_tooltip player_id="153418" first="Mya" last="Toombs"] -- South Charleston -- G</strong> Toombs is part of a vaunted freshman class at SC that also includes No. 7 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153416" first="Sidney" last="Harris"]</strong> and No. 10 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153419" first="Kyra" last="Brown"]</strong>. But of the three, it was Toombs who got far and away the most playing time, especially after starting point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153353" first="Kiki" last="Terrell"]</strong> (No. 34, Class of 2021) went down with an ACL tear for the second straight season. Defensively and in terms of effort, Toombs fit in from the start but she, Harris and Brown all went through growing pains offensively for a team that struggled to score in some crucial situations. The Black Eagles will likely need more from all three next season, starting with Toombs, who after double-digit starts, is the most seasoned of the team’s ninth graders. <strong>No. 12 [player_tooltip player_id="153422" first="Maggie" last="Odour"] -- Hurricane -- PG</strong> Odour was named the Kanawha Valley freshman of the year by the Charleston Gazette-Mail and averaged 10.8 points per game for a young Redskins squad. Early in the season, Odour dealt with an injured ankle, which hampered her initial production. Odour flourished as the season went on, but basketball may not even be her best sport as she is a starting midfielder for the Redskins soccer team as well. Hurricane loses 6-foot post player <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153310" first="Nadia" last="Legros"]</strong> (No. 41, Class of 2020) to graduation and started three freshmen and a sophomore around her this year. It will be up to those youngsters -- particularly Odour -- to help push the Redskins further next season. <strong>No. 14 [player_tooltip player_id="153424" first="Cadence" last="Stewart"] -- Greenbrier East -- G</strong> Stewart had her moments this season and started with a bang, scoring 20 in a season-opening win over James Monroe. Serving as the sixth player on a team that starts three seniors. Her shooting isn’t in question as a good portion of her damage is done behind the 3-point arc, but how will Stewart handle taking over more defensive and ballhandling responsibilities next season?