Five Sleeper 2023 Shooting Guards

The 2023 prospect rankings for Prep Girls Hoops New Jersey have been released, meaning plenty of talent across the board to discuss. We wanted to once again touch upon some players who might not be in the starlight compared to others. Here are five sleeper shooting guards from the 2023 class. <strong>No. 35: [player_tooltip player_id="404224" first="Katie" last="Rausch"] - 5-6, South Brunswick</strong> Rausch has improved on her three-point shooting steadily through her career and this season was no different. The South Brunswick guard knocked down 44 on the season, 1.6 a game, and made steady gains with her rebounding and passing as well. While she’s known most for her perimeter shooting, it’s the other facets of her game, like her interior offense, foul shooting and perimeter defense, among other things, that have elevated her overall as a player. <strong>No. 41: [player_tooltip player_id="404209" first="Kaitlyn" last="King"] - 5-9, Lenape</strong> King thrusted herself into the conversation of All-Conference players this season, averaging 12.5 PPG with Lenape this season. Her junior year has been her best season by far and her second-straight averaging in double-figures. She’s carving out the lane much better and finding her spaces to score at a higher clip. Maturity and poise have also contributed to that because King doesn’t rush to find her spots; she waits for her opportunity and pounces on it. Lenape has become a better team on the coattails of her success. <strong>No. 32: Emma Steidle - 5-6, Clearview</strong> A very underrated guard in South Jersey, Steidle knocked down 3.3 three-pointers a game last season, among the highest averages in the state. Her 16.5 PPG was second on Clearview, but the next four closest shooters weren’t even close to her 87 made threes on the season. She’s a quick thinker and a quick shooter, which has benefitted her greatly. It’s a smooth, effortless finish for her that comes both on and off the dribble. She can catch-and-shoot or create her own shot and either are comfortable for her. This is just a precursor to what Steidle should be able to do as a senior. <strong>No. 50: [player_tooltip player_id="321602" first="Alexa" last="Lora"]: 5-5, Ramapo</strong> Lora knocked down 1.7 three-pointers a game this season for Ramapo and blossomed as a go-to perimeter shooter. She was a relatively unproven player through the first two years of her career, but her junior year saw the pieces come together. Roughly 55.7 percent of Lora’s scoring came from the three-point line and she looked like a more confident shooter than ever with the ball in her hand. The way she’s going to continue her success is to keep that level of confidence and keep shooting because her efficiency and effectiveness has increased tenfold. <strong>No. 38: [player_tooltip player_id="321573" first="Annie" last="Ryan"] - 5-8, Westfield</strong> Westfield’s run to its first-ever state title was anchored in large part by Ryan, who averaged 10.9 PPG in the Blue Devils’ seven playoff games. She showed balance across the board, able to shoot with range, yet finish with precision at the rim. Ryan can rebound, block shots, get stops on defense and cause turnovers. She can pass through traffic to find open teammates and isn’t a selfish ball-handler. All of these things boil down to one main thing for Ryan and it’s the fact that she’s matured into this role and is playing at a higher and better clip than ever before.